City To Ban Street-Corner Feedings of Homeless

philadelphia.cbslocal.com...

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has announced a ban on the feeding of large numbers of homeless and hungry people at sites on and near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Mayor Nutter is imposing the ban on all outdoor feedings of large numbers of people on city parkland, including Love Park and the Ben Franklin Parkway, where it is not uncommon for outreach groups to offer free food.

Nutter says the feedings lack both sanitary conditions and dignity.

“Providing to those who are hungry must not be about opening the car trunk, handing out a bunch of sandwiches, and then driving off into the dark and rainy night,” Nutter said.

Sound noble, but where's the Plan B? Are they going to bus these people to shelters or soup kitchens? No, they get to go hungry. When you are starving dignity isn't the main issue, getting food is. Having someone hand you a sandwich when you have jack squat is something you appreciate. Unsanitary? You could hand them some hand-sanitizer or wipes. Please read the whole article and tell me what you think. There more to the story than meets the eye.

People who have fed the homeless know that many of them don't have the where-with-all to go to a shelter and this is the only way they can get food to them.

Of course...

Its simple....

Feeding those who don't pay taxes is Domestic Terrorism

DUH!!!

Seriously, this is just another little thing that leads up to the big thing that no one will make a big deal out of.

The day someone tells me its wrong to feed a few people who have nothing otherwise, is the day I tell them to FACK OFF!!!

Let an officer arrest me for feeding the homeless, we will see how easy that goes.

Originally posted by sad_eyed_lady
philadelphia.cbslocal.com...

“Providing to those who are hungry must not be about opening the car trunk, handing out a bunch of sandwiches, and then driving off into the dark and rainy night,” Nutter said.

So taco trucks are going to be banned too?

Do these people only feed the homeless in the dark and when it is raining???

The only right way to feed the homeless is at a crowded soup kitchen?

Is it better when people don't have to be faced with the fact that people are homeless and starving in their own city? Is that why you want them to be fed in a more private place?

Can people have picnics at the park still? Or is it only if it doesn't include sandwiches?

So many questions just off this one statement!

reply to post by nunya13

People in the park that have their own food can eat there.

Originally posted by nunya13

Originally posted by sad_eyed_lady
philadelphia.cbslocal.com...

“Providing to those who are hungry must not be about opening the car trunk, handing out a bunch of sandwiches, and then driving off into the dark and rainy night,” Nutter said.

So taco trucks are going to be banned too?

Do these people only feed the homeless in the dark and when it is raining???

The only right way to feed the homeless is at a crowded soup kitchen?

Is it better when people don't have to be faced with the fact that people are homeless and starving in their own city? Is that why you want them to be fed in a more private place?

Can people have picnics at the park still? Or is it only if it doesn't include sandwiches?

So many questions just off this one statement!

Thats because the whole thing is BS, the guy just wants to get some votes from the soulless creatures who throw half their dinner plate away and are mad? at homeless people for being so damn homeless.

Ttacking the rights of the homeless has long been a trendy thing for big cities. Afterall, if they're homeless, they aren't contributing to the economy. So they're worthless.

Too bad I live so far from philly. Id organize the biggest weiny roast I possibly could. Id like to see the city shutdown family cookouts.

Wait a sec, first Nutter says this:

Nutter says the feedings lack both sanitary conditions and dignity

Then he says this:

Nutter says large family gatherings in the park are not affected by the ban.

So a family gathering of 25 can eat in the area by lining up at tables full of food from a sort-of pot-luck, but 25 homeless people can't?

Honestly, to me, this sounds like nothing more than a mentality of "out of sight, out of mind".

reply to post by nunya13

reply to post by nunya13


I'm afraid we are going to see more and more of this. Nobody misses homeless people when they're no longer on the cornner.

reply to post by sad_eyed_lady


I would imagine, if a family were having a gathering with food in the area, it would be forbidden to offer food a hungry frisbee-golfing college student and his friends any (who is obviously malnourished from all ramen and mac and cheese he eats). It's unsanitary and lacks dignity. Especially if its dark and raining!

just another law we should ignore.

Sounds just like the war Orlando, Florida has been waging against their homeless and anyone who would have the nerve to try and feed them. So.... This city and others like Orlando can ban feeding needy people outside of facilities under state regulatory control, but they can waste their time and our money chasing down and passing every bird brain law that occurs to them while paying themselves enough to remain in VERY nice homes for life..

Wow... These Cities solved ALL their other problems so this remains the only one needing fixed?

It sure needs to be the LAST "problem" any decent city ever looks at like this.

reply to post by captaintyinknots


It's sad really, the worse the homeless problem gets, the more people want to shove them away somewhere never to be seen again. Instead of acknowledging their very gripes signify a REAL PROBLEM, they want to outlaw alternative solutions to the problem.

I feel I must say, that I often gripe about the pan handlers in my city that occupy the many business driveway corners, but I can also chose to ignore them.

I thought this funny in an odd way--When I was walking out of my corner grocery story and saw a flyer on the cork board that said you shouldn't give to pan handlers and to donate to homeless shelters instead (the logic being, according to the flyer, that most panhandlers aren't really homeless). That's obviously fair enough. But the irony came when I was walking out and saw, yet another, pan handler straight ahead in my direct line of sight from the cork board from where the flyer hung.

This isn't mainly about dignity and sanitation by a long shot. They are opening a new Museum and want to get the homeless away from it. He is doing this with the hope that indoor facilities to care for the homeless will be established. I hope the community can work together to make this happen. They have only 30 days before the city gives $150 fines to people offering food. They will leave one spot open for a year where they will allow the food to be distributed.

Even at best there will be many who will refuse shelter care. Sadly, some of these people on the street have mental illnesses and refuse the help that is offered.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
but they can waste their time and our money chasing down and passing every bird brain law that occurs to them while paying themselves enough to remain in VERY nice homes for life..

Not to mention, the only laws they seem to be passing are ones that don't solve a single REAL problem and pass ones that either a)make them more money b) make their corporate buddies more money c)serve to satisfy the very personal beliefs of some so they can feel warm and fuzzy when the go to sleep at night, while still having NOTHING to do with solving the myriad of problems this country is facing.

Originally posted by sad_eyed_lady
This isn't mainly about dignity and sanitation by a long shot. They are opening a new Museum and want to get the homeless away from it.

Well, there you have it. Acting in the interest of SPECIAL interests who contribute to campaigns. Should have known this had nothing to do with "dignity" when a politician is saying there is a lack of it.

Even at best there will be many who will refuse shelter care. Sadly, some of these people on the street have mental illnesses and refuse the help that is offered.

Yet again, the government thinks its solving a problem by ignoring the myriad of problems that arise for their so-called solutions. Always throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Originally posted by nunya13
reply to post by sad_eyed_lady

 

I would imagine, if a family were having a gathering with food in the area, it would be forbidden to offer food a hungry frisbee-golfing college student and his friends any (who is obviously malnourished from all ramen and mac and cheese he eats). It's unsanitary and lacks dignity. Especially if its dark and raining!

According to the gentleman in the video it is discriminatory as people with their own food can eat it, but you can't feed the homeless, so unless said college student and friend are homeless they could offer them food. You know how crazy laws can get! Maybe they will have to put up signs; "Don't feed the homeless.", talk about taking someone's dignity away.

OK,

*Feeding Homeless, Check Illegal.
*Suicide Check, Illegal.
*Murder Check, Illegal.

So, if you give food to homeless people, it's against the law.
But if you are homeless and cannot eat, it's against the law to take your own life.
But if you are homeless and want to take your own life, it's against the law for someone else to kill you too.

So damned if you do and damned if you don't.

"Don't kill yourself, Don't ever try to feed that homeless person, and certainly do not Murder the terminally ill."

Compassion where a dollar value is not involved, is a direct violation of the sort of Randian philosophy which American society is based on. It's really surprising that this hasn't happened earlier.

“Providing to those who are hungry must not be about opening the car trunk, handing out a bunch of sandwiches, and then driving off into the dark and rainy night,” Nutter said.

Outlawing altruism. Using an appeal to altruism as a cover for this:



That's right, homeless people, when we say "public parks" and "public thoroughfares" we do not mean you guys. Seriously though, unless you have 400 homeless people using a park as an open-air latrine while getting a meal, the only reason to crack down on this is because they are considered unsightly. Sanitation concerns are just a dodge, and a revealing one at that.