Worthy News: Orlando Bans Feeding Homeless - ABC News

[George]

City officials have banned charitable groups from feeding homeless people in parks downtown, arguing that transients who gather for weekly meals create safety and sanitary problems for businesses.

http://www.worthynews.com/news/abcnews-go-...int-id-2234045/

[Marnie]

City officials have banned charitable groups from feeding homeless people in parks downtown, arguing that transients who gather for weekly meals create safety and sanitary problems for businesses.

Great idea. If these groups want to feed the homeless, hire a van and transport them to a soup kitchen. Besides, where there is free food, it's amazing how many poor and homeless gather.

[amor]

This sort of behaviour would not go down well in Orlando then

[10] When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, [11] but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

[12] Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."

[13] He replied, "You give them something to eat."

They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." [14] (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." [15] The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Mind you ,it didn't win too many friends amongst the authorities in first century Palestine either!

and as to "legitimate safety issues". How would Orlando city council react to this violation of "Health annd saftey" procedures:

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

[O'Dannyboy]

"City commissioner Patty Sheehan pushed for the ordinance after complaints from business owners and residents that homeless people were causing problems at a downtown park popular with joggers and dog walkers."

Does anyone else think its ironic that the commisioners name is Sheehan?

This article makes me think of all the times I have been stopped outside a gas station by someone asking for money. My heart goes out to them. One can only imagine how guilty some of these people must feel when they go in and out of these downtown buisinesses to buy things and having to turn down so many people with their hands out. I suppose they think that if the people are no longer there the guilt will go away. While the meals are not the main reason homeless people go to the park, I guess they figure eliminating the meals would remove at least one reason they might be comming to the park.

[billie]

Jesus, please help these poor homeless people...

[georgesbluegirl]

sounds like another example of NIMBY syndrome to me.

(not in my backyard)

[Catsmeow]

sounds like another example of NIMBY syndrome to me.

(not in my backyard)

In El Paso (Texas) it's ILLEGAL to give money to homeless individuals.

This is for the entire city. Their reasoning is that the homeless only use it to buy drugs.

The city has public service announcement billboards which CLEARLY post that it is against the law to help the homeless in order to prevent them from promoting illegal activities such as drugs.

Does this make sense? Not to me. I was stunned the first time I read the billboard .

The local news WARNS people that it's ILLEGAL to help the homeless. There's a lot of homeless people standing around at street corners. I broke the law and gave money to a man who's legs were amputated. I figured if he had no legs, drugs weren't the issue with this poor fellow...

[georgesbluegirl]

sounds like with all these laws, jesus would have been in as much trouble with "the law" today as he was back in the day! ;-)

[Catsmeow]

I only know I don't want to go down as the "rich man" who abandoned Lazarus, the homeless man. Here, the law declares me a lawbreaker for helping poor, desperate souls who need food and warmth.