SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess has a plan to crackdown on panhandlers who aggressively go after people and their money.

The new proposal would make it illegal to panhandle within 15 feet of ATMs and parking meters. Panhandlers would not be allowed to use abusive language, intimidating gestures, or follow someone after they refuse to give money.

The new rules would be enforced by an increase in the number of police officers patrolling downtown on foot.

Aggressive panhandling is already illegal in Seattle; Burgess hopes a new, tougher ordinance will increase enforcement and reduce street crime.

SURVEY: Should there be tougher rules on panhandling?

"These are basically street thugs, who are out praying on our population," Burgess said.

Opponents said tools are already in place to handle this issue and extra laws will have no effect. They are also concerned the new law will impose on poor people's civil rights.

"It's simply a tool to give police broad authority to just push people around," said John Fox of the Seattle Displacement Coalition.

Fox wants more social services to solve the problem.

"It does affect a lot of homeless people who will be caught in this net, whose only crime is that they're poor and without resources," Fox said.

"This is not an attempt, as some have suggested, to criminalize homelessness. Homeless people deserve safe streets just as much as anyone else does," Burgess said.

The issue now goes to City Council.