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Obama's America: 90-year-old Florida man charged for feeding homeless people

D

DutchJazzer

Banned
(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.
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hahahahhahha governments telling who you can and cannot feed.
 
I really do think America(not that it's unique to us) doesn't have a clue how to deal with homeless people. It seems like even local governments all want to maintain the mirage that everything is hunky dory in the economy and clear these people out of every open space, every possible loitering ground, clear them out of potential sleeping areas and send them away on buses, planes, trains and make them somebody else's problem.

It's interesting where these people end up now though after cities drive them out. You see homeless people all the time in places like Laguna Beach, Dana Point, La Jolla, etc. now instead of just Los Angeles and San Diego. Just really upscale places in California. hat's where I would head too if I were homeless but they probably don't get too much help in those places either and move on after a few days. Or even Mexico. There's white/black/asian guys laying all over the streets of Tijuana that obviously aren't Mexican.
 
Duck Rodgers said:
I really do think America(not that it's unique to us) doesn't have a clue how to deal with homeless people.
Click to expand...

It takes a lot of money. Many are mentally disturbed; some of those refuse medication. Others need serious job training. Once you lost a permanent address, many places will refuse to hire you, but housing everyone gets expensive and messy.
 
So here's an idea...give one man a $20, have him go to Taco Bell and bring back food for everyone else. He gets arrested for feeding the homeless and ends up in jail, where he gets a place to sleep and three square meals. Lather, rinse and repeat: problem solved, no more homeless.
 
So it's Obama's fault that someone violated a city ordinance, or that the city ordinance was made?

Just keep talking Dutch, you just keep proving how totally and completely clueless you are. You're like an astonishing level of cluelessness. It's really quite sad. I pity your absolute level of incompetence when it comes to how things work in the US. Most 1st graders have a more complete grasp of civics here than you do. I know you're not from here and all, but it doesn't stop you from yacking like you have an iota of a clue on what the hell you're talking about.
 
Nate505 said:
So it's Obama's fault that someone violated a city ordinance, or that the city ordinance was made?

Just keep talking Dutch, you just keep proving how totally and completely clueless you are. You're like an astonishing level of cluelessness. It's really quite sad. I pity your absolute level of incompetence when it comes to how things work in the US. Most 1st graders have a more complete grasp of civics here than you do. I know you're not from here and all, but it doesn't stop you from yacking like you have an iota of a clue on what the hell you're talking about.
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Dutch is one of the top three trolls on this board. I'm not sure why anyone takes him seriously.
 
The best part about this thread is that in the first two posts both Obama and conservatives are given full blame. Well done people, well done.

I think this thread is complete.
 
One Brow said:
"Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."

That's 100% conservative Republican talk.
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but i think as human beings we are free to do what we want with our hard earned bucks.
if i waste it on a 4k tv. or go to a hooker or feed a homeless man, or buy candy for kids
it is my ****ing business.
serieously if a cop would have tried to arrest me and i was armed.
i would ask him if it is worth getting shot over some useless law, cus it sure as hell is worth it getting shot for freedom.
it is worth it to get shot for a righteous cause.
would tell him to either shoot me or **** off.

for me it is worth it to shoot a cop or get shot by one for this stupid unjust law.
the question is is it worth it for some cop to end up shot or traumatized for shooting some one all for some unjust law
 
One Brow said:
It takes a lot of money. Many are mentally disturbed; some of those refuse medication. Others need serious job training. Once you lost a permanent address, many places will refuse to hire you, but housing everyone gets expensive and messy.
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if obama did not waste millions on obama care he could have taken care of em.

maybe move em in the white house.
 
Stoked said:
The best part about this thread is that in the first two posts both Obama and conservatives are given full blame. Well done people, well done.
Click to expand...

I don't know who is to blame (aka, who runs Ft. Lauderdale), I just identified the rhetoric of the cop, and noted it didn't match the thread title.
 
Duck Rodgers said:
I really do think America(not that it's unique to us) doesn't have a clue how to deal with homeless people. It seems like even local governments all want to maintain the mirage that everything is hunky dory in the economy and clear these people out of every open space, every possible loitering ground, clear them out of potential sleeping areas and send them away on buses, planes, trains and make them somebody else's problem.

It's interesting where these people end up now though after cities drive them out. You see homeless people all the time in places like Laguna Beach, Dana Point, La Jolla, etc. now instead of just Los Angeles and San Diego. Just really upscale places in California. hat's where I would head too if I were homeless but they probably don't get too much help in those places either and move on after a few days. Or even Mexico. There's white/black/asian guys laying all over the streets of Tijuana that obviously aren't Mexican.
Click to expand...

You're completely on point. The cities definitely don't know how to deal with them and what options are there? I mean, the goal is to turn the capable ones into contributing members of society but how does one do achieve this? It's no secret that many of these homeless suffer from mental issues as well as chemical dependency, so how do you deal with those issues?

I think the rise in homeless in certain locales as less to do with the city pushing them out and the beach cities jut being a better location to live in while doing the homeless thing. Just because you're homeless does not mean you don't like beach weather either.

Nate505 said:
Just keep talking Dutch, you just keep proving how totally and completely clueless you are.
Click to expand...
Jose_Ortiz_fan said:
Dutch is one of the top three trolls on this board. I'm not sure why anyone takes him seriously.
Click to expand...

I could swear that I saw some users signature with an admission from Butchy that he was the original "retard" here on the board. His words not mine.
 
DutchJazzer said:
but i think as human beings we are free to do what we want with our hard earned bucks.
if i waste it on a 4k tv. or go to a hooker or feed a homeless man, or buy candy for kids
it is my ****ing business.
serieously if a cop would have tried to arrest me and i was armed.
i would ask him if it is worth getting shot over some useless law, cus it sure as hell is worth it getting shot for freedom.
it is worth it to get shot for a righteous cause.
would tell him to either shoot me or **** off.

for me it is worth it to shoot a cop or get shot by one for this stupid unjust law.
the question is is it worth it for some cop to end up shot or traumatized for shooting some one all for some unjust law
Click to expand...

Likewise, would it be worth you getting shot and killed by said cop after you threatened him over some homeless dude you don't know?
 
QuinSnydersHair said:
Likewise, would it be worth you getting shot and killed by said cop after you threatened him over some homeless dude you don't know?
Click to expand...

to me it is not about homeles or whateever.
it is about just versus unjust.
about the 2nd amendment
2nd amendment is there for unjust laws. against unjustice done by the government.


to me it is worth getting killed for, but that is just my opinion
 
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