90 year old arrested for feeding the homeless.

[papercut2008uk]

A 90-year-old man who was arrested for feeding the homeless in his Florida city was back at it on Wednesday, despite being apprehended by police on Tuesday.

Arnold Abbott has helped to prepare hundreds of meals a week for countless hungry homeless persons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, since 1990, but a new ordinance now makes this illegal in the city.

As a result, Abbott and and two ministers from the Sanctuary Church were arrested while dishing out hot food on Tuesday night.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2822829/Charity-worker-90-arrested-police-feeding-homeless-gets-right-work-one-day-later-despite-outcry-insensitive-mayor-gets-arrested-again.html

 

 

[Tomo]

Sad times when someone is arrested for this when there are others literally getting away with murder.

[Hum]

A good deed being punished.

 

Your tax dollars at waste.

 

I'd be arresting the Mayor.

[Praetor]

something must be terrible wrong when 3 people are arrested for helping others and in this case, helping with the most basic needs: food.

[gameboy1977]

the evil mayor is in BIG TROUBLE!

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

That's crazy  :|

[techbeck]

Saw this a few days ago.  Pretty sad times when a someone cannot help a fellow human.  What next, close all the free clinics?

[xendrome]

Thing is, there is nothing against feeding the homeless, the problem is they are doing it in a public parks if I remember correctly.

 

If they want to do it at their church, then fine, but they are creating a problem at the park for everyone else who wants to use it. The homeless start acting like feral cats and they setup camp in the park or in the properties near the parks and then they leave trash and feces all over the place. Go read the ordinance for the full details. There is more to the issue then just the face value/shock of the story above.

[DocM]

^^ what xendrome said

[adrynalyne]

That is no solution.  By requiring people to have their own building to do it in prices the assistance out of range of people who would normally do it.

 

Bringing someone a plate costs a lot less than leasing a building and paying taxes on it to do the very same thing.

[DocM]

What prices? Virtually every church has a food kitchen etc., often more than one like ours, and cities will help get empty storefronts etc. for groups to use if they don't have one. Churches, mosques, temples etc will often donate spaces when they aren't using them. It's even done in unused corners of parking lots.

It's not that hard to do charity, but there is a proper way and place to do it.

[Hum]

the problem is they are doing it in a public parks ...

 

I guess the Homeless are not part of the Public.

 

It is very difficult for homeless people, not to be public.

[+Eternal Tempest MVC]

I by no means have a good answer to a highly complex, and difficult problem such as homelessness.

 

That being said, this seem like attacking a symptom, but not the root cause of the issue. 

[ATLien_0]

the problem is they are doing it in a public parks ...

 

I guess the Homeless are not part of the Public.

 

It is very difficult for homeless people, not to be public.

 

Well if the park closes after a certain hour you can be kicked out, feeding the homeless might entice them to stay at the park, 

Its sad though you can be arrested for what she did. They really should be spending tax money on helping the homeless 

[LaP]

Sad times when someone is arrested for this when there are others literally getting away with murder.

 

Well ... Florida?

[SierraSonic]

Restricting the public's freedoms in public areas to protect the public from the public! Makes perfect sense, treat those people like animals!

 

Restricting the public's(everyone's) freedoms in public(everyones) areas to protect the public(specific people) from the public(different people)!

[Praetor]

Restricting the public's freedoms in public areas to protect the public!

 

Please, think of the Public!

[Memphis]

WELCOME TO UNITE STATE OF AMERICAN. LOL  .....WHERE THE GOOD THING IS BAD  AND THE BAD THING IS GOOD. .. THIS COUNTRY IS A JOKE.

 

Their is not a single homeless person in america that does not qualify for 200 dollars a month in food stamps and 200 dollars fast cash under SNAP. I don't see the problem here. Come to Portland Oregon and look around at the homeless sleeping under bridges when shelters are not even half full and they refuse to go. that said, this is still attacking the symptom. Mental health and education on available benefits is what we should focus on to combat homelessness, not this.

[+JHBrown Subscriber¹]

Wow!

[DocM]

If between 25 and 61 and they work at all, even day labor that can be docunented, they can (and often do) claim a reverse income tax known as the Earned Income Tax Credit. Free filing is available through most any social worker.

[adrynalyne]

What prices? Virtually every church has a food kitchen etc., often more than one like ours, and cities will help get empty storefronts etc. for groups to use if they don't have one. Churches, mosques, temples etc will often donate spaces when they aren't using them. It's even done in unused corners of parking lots.

It's not that hard to do charity, but there is a proper way and place to do it.

If public shelters and churches could handle all the homeless, then volunteers like this wouldn't need to.  Obviously that is not the case.

 

Only in the United States would politicians think of a right way and wrong way to do charity, and for them to find people to follow their insanity and support them on it.

 

Maybe they should fix the root cause, instead of poking sticks at the results and hoping the problem will cure itself?

 

 

This is typical BS politics and nothing more.  Out of sight out of mind mentality.

[DocM]

Not politics in the usual sense.

Both red and blue cities and states are responding to citizens who are tired of people sleeping, screwing, peeing and pooping on main street and in parks in front of their kids. Especially when there are shelters that are at least half empty.

What also makes up a big part of this is welfare tourism; people rotating between cities and states as their benefit terms expire. Warm cities in winter, cooler in the summer. AIUI Europe also has this problem, especially the UK.

[Arachno 1D]

Come to Portland Oregon and look around at the homeless sleeping under bridges when shelters are not even half full and they refuse to go. that said, this is still attacking the symptom. Mental health and education on available benefits is what we should focus on to combat homelessness, not this.

And what about peoples freedom of choice did the Politicians remove that too. Maybe theres good reason its occurring but people seem to be ignoring that and telling the homeless they must comply or get nothing.

[Memphis]

And what about peoples freedom of choice did the Politicians remove that too. Maybe theres good reason its occurring but people seem to be ignoring that and telling the homeless they must comply or get nothing.

 

No I don't think you even have the slightest clue of what your saying. I'm not saying I have the answers, I left Mental health nursing both as a nurse and previously nurses aid feeling defeated and unsure of what to do about it. As for freedom of choice, letting a mentally ill person sleep under a bridge when theirs room at the shelter is dangerous for the homeless person, causes littering and drug use on street corners, and in many ways is cruel and unusual to the homeless person. I cant give you a perfect solution to it, but that isn't right either. 

[xrobwx71]

What if they set up shop in your neighborhood? Then the "homeless" (not always harmless) also set up shop in your neighborhood. I'll bet a shiny nickel that the sentiments would be different.