Florida Couple Fined $746 For Crime Of Feeding Homeless People

a reply to: Grimpachi

There needs to be help for those that needs it and the city has a duty to make parks family friendly which is hard to do when you have drunk homeless urinating and defecating in the park

Perhaps what the city fathers need to do is to put in a toilet block to meet the need, or very likely, unlock the one that is already there. It is always so easy to label homeless in this way. Instead of going after the helpful angels perhaps the Police need to monitor for themselves and have a word to these urinators and defecators or perhaps, open the toilet blocks early in the morning, but that is not Police work.

A few calls from upstanding citizens who simply don't want to see the homeless because, well, they should stick to the other parts of town where they can disappear from sight. Being reminded that there are people less fortunate than themselves really does make some uncomfortable and besides, it lowers property values don't you know.

And like little tin soldiers the Police, they come a runnin and a ticketing. Hell, you can't ring them to protect you because they may well shoot you.

It is a sad indictment of society.

P

a reply to: RoScoLaz


Jails normally aren't on the high end side of town. Homeless shelters and half way houses are also, generally, without options for decent neighborhoods on cost alone. It kinda defines where they end up, geographically speaking.

Really, I was surprised by how many large shelters I'd found for one city. Daytona Beach seems to have well over average for places with options. Whether that's an effort to move them out of sight (probably) or good will (partially, I'd guess), it's a decent support system.

I do wonder why it had to be this park? It's not as though the city is hostile to services in general?

Daytona Beach & Surrounding Areas - Homeless Services / Shelters

a reply to: pheonix358

As I have been there toilets and changing rooms do exist there and are fairly new as you said they could be left open all night and a new police patrol could be implemented however that would also mean opening the parks longer as well. All the parks beachside do have a closing time and those facilities I doubt would remain as nice if left open all night.

I have no doubt that local homeowners do not appreciate homeless taking up residence in the area or parks I didn't when I lived beachside. I have no doubt that they worry about their property values because of it, but I do not begrudge them for it after all higher property values equal higher taxes and a portion of those taxes do go to community outreach programs. Consider if property values lower so do the funds to those programs and there are many programs in that area.

Several years ago many of those parks were not safe at all there were instances where cleanups were organized because the places had become unsafe especially with the used needles that had been thrown about the place. I still consider Daytona Beach as generally unsafe to where I wouldn't move there, but that is me. Instead of changing the city ordinances adding extra patrols and keeping the facilities open late hours or 24 hrs to accommodate this couple who wishes to feed the homeless many miles away from their beach town at that park I think it is more than "reasonable" that they could work with local outreach already established in that area and still accomplish their goals.

Of course in my opinion it is harder and harder to find people that are "reasonable".

I was homeless in Fort Worth for a few years (mainly because of a back injury, not because of drugs or alcohol). There's a park there near the missions and shelters where various church groups would bring food, clothes, and other things for anyone in need. One group would sometimes cater Mexican food from Arlington all the way to the park in Fort Worth. It was a huge buffet: tacos, enchiladas, rice, beans, and tea. They even brought desert.

The park was tucked away from any main street and was fenced off. The gates were locked when a church group wasn't there to open the park. On Wednesday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, the park was open to anyone who wouldn't start a fight. Sure, there were your stereotypical booze guzzling homeless there, but they were the minority. Some of the homeless had jobs; some were in school. Some had MBAs; others were former database administrators who were over 50 and couldn't get a job once they were laid off. Oh, and veterans. Can't forget them, can we? Lots of veterans.

So, the many homeless folk of Fort Worth and the surrounding cities would show up at the park and eat, get some clothes, and talk about their next move. Some would talk about getting into the program at Union Gospel Mission, a homeless shelter just down the street from the park which was financially maintained by rich people and didn't need government money. Others would talk about roughing it on the street until their disability claim was approved. Some would ask around about jobs; some would even get a job. And then some would get into a fight for cutting in line and get thrown out of the park without getting anything to eat, but that wasn't the case every time the park was open. For the most part, it was orderly and a good experience. I would hate to think this park would ever get closed down because the law dictated the charitable folk with the food and the clothes pay some sort of feeding tax.

This is one of the many examples of the police state out of control. Was the ordinance originally created to stop street vendors and immigrants selling fruit on the roadside? Or maybe to stop people eating in public because they are littering? This is all too much.

Feeding the homeless is a very powerful experience. Sharing food with strangers is part of our culture as human beings. The court would not get a dime from me. I would contact my local news and make it a huge deal.

originally posted by: Thiaoouba Prophecy
a reply to: alienjuggalo



I don't like that the cops did this but do you also see the other side of the argument and why it had to be done?



OP, Have you ever owned a home by a park? Even if it had nothing but green grass and a few trees no play ground just a nice view.



Children and teenagers will still go this said park and you do not want local bums who could be former rapist or murders being in the same area.



So question for you OP.



Is if you owned a home down the street from this park. You lived in this Nieghbor hood for 15 years prior to homeless people migrating to it 1 day a week for a meal would you want them there one day a week potentially endangering the local under age populace?

Wait... what??? You do realize that it's more likely that one of your own neighbors abuses and molests their child right?
Strangers aren't the greatest danger

If you're truly concerned, maybe you should move to some cottage in the forest or something...

There are good reasons behind showing empathy to poor people and people down on their luck and sometimes especially criminals. A person that has a full belly and sanitary condition to go to the toilet and have a shower etc as well as shown a bit of dignity are far less likely to commit crime. Brutalised hungry people that are full of hatred for society and especially the police are far more likely to join gangs etc than people that have their basic needs satisfied. It is discusting how some of these old vietnam vets are treated,those that put their lives onthe line supposibly for their country.

Its obvious they dont like people living off the grid or away from the system. When you feed the homless they become less dependent on the government. I have always suspected that pharmaceutical companys and other corporations that want to test new products for whatever and need human guinea pigs snatch up the homless ofr even track them on a daily basis after giving them the drugs or whatever there testing on them. Thats why we are not allowed to feed them they dont want us messing with there experiments. Just my opinion. It is certainly is not because they dont want the homless dependent on aid from others because if that was the case they wouldnt be handing out food stamps and welfare like candy.

originally posted by: PraetorianAZ
Its obvious they dont like people living off the grid or away from the system. When you feed the homless they become less dependent on the government. I have always suspected that pharmaceutical companys and other corporations that want to test new products for whatever and need human guinea pigs snatch up the homless ofr even track them on a daily basis after giving them the drugs or whatever there testing on them. Thats why we are not allowed to feed them they dont want us messing with there experiments. Just my opinion. It is certainly is not because they dont want the homless dependent on aid from others because if that was the case they wouldnt be handing out food stamps and welfare like candy.

The reason is less sinister than that. People living off the grid are rejecting the system. The system is made up of people who want to help and see what they're doing as good. By rejecting the system they're rejecting those peoples intentions, which then gets taken personally. So people, especially Americans being petty ignorant jackasses crack down on those who reject the system out of vengeance.

a reply to: Aazadan

You were doing so well, very well reasoned and accurate and then you just had to spoil it with

especially Americans being petty ignorant jackasses

You can't lump a whole society into a phrase like that.

It is awful and shows a great deal of hate and a mind that thinks only in extremes. That statement sucks!

P

originally posted by: pheonix358
a reply to: Aazadan

You were doing so well, very well reasoned and accurate and then you just had to spoil it with

It's a generalization, it doesn't apply to everyone, though it does apply to most. Maybe it's just the people I've met in my life?

People who make no effort to learn the how and why of how things in the world work.

People who blindly think all criminals deserve the most barbaric treatment we can create.

People that are complete hypocrites by holding others to standards but rationalizing those standards away from themselves.

If those people propagating the system were accepting of the idea that not everyone wants to be like them, then it wouldn't be an issue. But those people see themselves and their lives as good, so it's their job to force it on others. A very common action throughout history.

I have read about this sort of thing happening other places as well. Some cities want to treat homelessness as a crime. Even places that set up "shelters" don't always care about the people they are supposed to help. I think if some had their way, homeless people would be killed for their 'body parts.