FL couple fined for feeding homeless

quote:

---

fter feeding the hungry in a Daytona Beach park every weekend for more than a year, it’s just as easy to imagine Chico and Debbie Jimenez given a ticker-tape parade as what they actually got: a slew of citations and a permanent ban from the park.
Chico and Debbie Jimenez, a husband and wife team, aren’t handing out food in the Florida heat every Wednesday because of a court order or for a paycheck. They do it because they believe helping the poor is their religious duty. The pair run a Christian outreach group, Spreading the Word Without Saying a Word Ministry, that gives food to the needy every week, pointing to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Every Wednesday, the Jimenezes feed more than a hundred people a hearty lunch with dishes of chicken patties, macaroni salad, and fresh vegetables, among others. The meals are entirely funded by private donations and staffed with volunteers.
However, Daytona Beach is one of a handful of cities that enacted ordinances barring individuals from serving food in public. Last week, nearly a half-dozen police officers showed up at Manatee Island Park, where a long line of people had queued to get a meal, and served citations to the Jimenezes and volunteers.

---

quote:

---

According to the group’s Facebook page, Chico and Debbie, along with four volunteers, were each given multiple 2nd degree misdemeanor citations. The fines totaled $373 per person, $2,238 for the group. The police also permanently banned the group from Manatee Island Park. “We both have made a lot of good friends in the park and are devastated that we are banned the Manatee Park forever,” Debbie wrote. “I am heartbroken.”
Police Chief Mike Chitwood commented about the incident to the Daytona Beach News-Journal: “The ordinance is there, so if we catch you, we’re going to cite you.” He went on to add, “If you want to feed people, and you want to do a good, Christian act, we encourage you to coordinate with the social service agencies.”
Daytona Beach is just the latest city to crack down on groups that feed the poor in city parks. Other recent examples range from Birmingham to St. Louis to Raleigh to Philadelphia to Orlando. A 2010 report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty identified more than a dozen other cities with restrictions and found an uptick in the number of new ordinances.
The Jimenezes, who both left jobs more than a year ago to focus on ministry full-time, were upset about the developments, but told the News-Journal that they planned to challenge the citations rather than pay them. “We are ‘ NOT Criminals ‘ and feeding ‘ Hungry folks ‘ is not a crime,” the couple said.

---

I truly don't understand the thought process of this country sometimes. I get the health code shite but you would think someone would step back from the law and ask themselves are these people really deserving of a $300 ticket for feeding homeless people.

What about the fact that they turned a public tax payer funded area into a buffet and gathering place for homeless. I don't care and I never visit BREC. Yet, there may be a better place to help the homeless

33 U.S. Cities Make It Illegal To Feed Homeless People

Cities across the United States have been cracking down on laws pertaining to their homeless population and it’s recently been revealed that 33 U.S. cities total have made it illegal to feed the homeless.

via Kulture Kritic

The next time you can be bothered enough to feed a homeless person you might find yourself at odds with the law. Yes, you have to be “bothered” because you are under no obligation to help your fellow mankind, who has fallen on hard times and on harder concrete slabs.

That’s right, because if you help homeless people in cities like Daytona Beach, Florida; Raleigh, N.C.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Birmingham, Alabama you could be fined, physically removed and/or be threatened with time behind bars – and they have actually done it.

In fact, 33 cities across the United States have implemented similar policies, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Recently, there were reports that a couple, Debbie and Chico Jimenez, were fined $2000 by the police just because they were feeding the homeless people in Dayton Beach Park on a weekly basis. The couple and two other colleagues refused to pay the ticket and the police eventually dismissed it, but still, it proves that the city is intent on making criminals out of homeless people and also, because of guilt by association, those that try to help them.

The argument that was posed by the city was that the efforts being done by the couple actually worsened homelessness. They claim that by giving food to the people in the parks, Debbie and Chico are coaxing them away from city-run, centralized programs and when they were handing the food out some of the homeless people mistreated the park and frightened other patrons.

Of course, feeding the homeless shouldn’t just be seen as the ultimate solution as it doesn’t address the underlying issue. Robert Marbut, a national homeless consultant makes a point when he says, “You’re never going to get anywhere arresting, priests, pastors and imams in the street.”

But, he also thinks a midway should be found to address the issue.

“Give me a name of one person who got a job because they were fed,” Marbut said. “Feeding alone or giving out clothing or camping equipment doesn’t address the core issues of being homeless.”

This just sounds downright heartless to us. Do you think there should be laws against feeding homeless people?
- See more at: LINK

LINK /

You can't feed teh homeless, so are they passively saying that they should starve to death? If you can't feed them, how will they eat? I'm sure they aren't collecting welfare or food stamps, or even got a job. Whats wrong if someone wants to help them out? Didnt' we just give a billion dollars to some other nation in relief fund?

quote:

---

FL couple fined for feeding homeless

---

Good, we need to let those bums starve to death

Good. Keeps those dirty bums outta my park so I can kick around my hacky sack with out the feeling I will be mugged at any moment.

quote:

---

What about the fact that they turned a public tax payer funded area into a buffet and gathering place for homeless. I don't care and I never visit BREC. Yet, there may be a better place to help the homeless

---

This was my first thought when reading the article. They probably wouldn't say shite if they did it away from a heavily traveled public area. The city most likely doesn't want people encouraging homeless into public areas.

That is stupid.

The regulations in this country are fricking insane.

Land of the free?