quote:

(CNN) -- Arnold Abbott handed out four plates of food to homeless people in a South Florida park. Then police stopped the 90-year-old from serving up another bite.

"An officer said, 'Drop that plate right now -- like I had a weapon,'" Abbott said. Abbott and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were charged for feeding the homeless in public on Sunday, the city's first crackdowns under a new ordinance banning public food sharing, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.
Now they face possible jail time and a $500 fine, WPLG said. Despite some criticism from homeless advocates, city officials have vowed the new rules will be enforced. "Just because of media attention we don't stop enforcing the law. We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale," Mayor Jack Seiler told WPLG. He defended the law in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

"I'm not satisfied with having a cycle of homeless in the city of Fort Lauderdale," Seiler said. "Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."

But Abbott, who has been helping feed homeless people in the area through his Love Thy Neighbor nonprofit since 1991, said authorities are targeting the city's most vulnerable residents.

"These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don't have a roof over their head," he said. "Who can turn them away?"
Recently, the city has also passed an ordinance limiting the storage of personal property in public, WPLG said. Then came the restrictions for food sharing.

"The city passed an ordinance requiring us to have a Porta-Potty. It's ridiculous. The whole thing was designed to rid Fort Lauderdale of its homeless," Abbott said. "Police told me anyone who touches a pan ... anyone who is involved, will be arrested."
It's a battle Abbott has fought before. In 1999 he sued the city for banning him from feeding homeless people on the beach -- and won, according to WPLG.

He said the threat of charges won't stop him from doing it again.

"I'm not afraid of jail. I'm not looking to go, but if I have to, I will," he said.
On Wednesday, Abbott said he'll be at Fort Lauderdale Beach, ready to serve another meal.

hemophilia posted:

I'll feed the homeless. In private. In my militia barracks where I will brainwash them to shoot the police and induce terror in whitebread suburbs.

hemophilia posted:

I'll feed the homeless. In private. In my militia barracks where I will brainwash them to shoot the police and induce terror in whitebread suburbs.

Chris Christie posted:

"Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."




Holy poo poo.

Dianetics posted:

Having your stomach filled with food greatly diminishes your willingness to get shot at by police officers I find. Better to offer them malt liquor and a hand gun.

Chris Christie posted:

"Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."




Holy poo poo.

Pornographic Memory posted:

idk about you guys but im abandoning my job, home, and all creature comforts that these things entail because i can get FREE FOOD sometimes

SaltLick posted:

i saw a sign once that said dont feed the animals because they get dependent on it so why should we feed the poors when it leads to the same?

Mumpy Puffinz posted:

This custom title/post is kinda confusing to me.

Hingehead posted:

the law states you can't share foods in public. Does this mean I can't share an ice cream with my girlfriend or fries with my friends? What the gently caress is this poo poo?

Dragonstoned posted:

I was thinking this aswell I expect that IS the case

however it probably wouldn't be enforced unless the person your sharing with looked too poor

quote:

"One woman from the neighborhood actually called police the first time she drove by," says David Boraks, editor of DavidsonNews.net. "She thought it was an actual homeless person."

That's right. Somebody called the cops on Jesus.

Dick Fagballzson posted:

America, the country where being a decent human being and helping your fellow man is now illegal.

Hingehead posted:

What if I share foods with my dementia, poor hygiene , not homeless dad or any other person that are not homeless but also have bad hygiene? I wanna troll this stupid law.

dee eight posted:

and mom says hell no, gently caress the bears and gently caress the poor

Top City Homo posted:

Top City Homo posted:

You see, when people have no place to turn to do to misfortune they end up being even a bigger burden on society as they do more and more desperate things to survive, things like robbery, murder, child abandonment, truancy etc.