KING

SEATTLE - A Seattle City Council committee has approved a measure that would make it a crime to harass homeless people.

It would add the homeless to the list of people protected by the city law against malicious harassment. The list includes gender identity, marital status, political ideology, age and parental status.

Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr says if approved by the full council the law would have little practical effect.

Activists at yesterday's Public Safety Committee meeting said they hope that legislators will consider a similar change for the homeless in state hate crime law.