No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/606216/outrageous:_three_people_arrested_for_feeding_the_homeless/#paragraph6

The URL pretty much says it all. Next time you think about being charitable, just hope you don't get arrested for it.

Sigh... More poeple on my long list of people who just need to be shot.

I'd love to see the law and the ruling. At first glance it sure does look like the ultimate moral failure.

http://orlandofoodnotbombs.org/ordinancetext.html

Official homeless feeding compound:
http://orlandofoodnotbombs.org/sylvialane.html

It's Floriduh, need I say more?

I wonder how often they get somebody to empty the toilets.

America is going to hell.

Technician said:

America is going to hell.

If we're lucky.

Those aren't actually toilets, they're soylent green processing stations...

The day they make a hunger relief charity illegal, is a sad day indeed. They are trying to corporatized all charities so they can make a buck.

This is proof that under capitalism, selfishness is enforced and altruism is criminalized.

I suppose that's one way to deal with the city's homeless problem - starve them out. What a retarded ordinance!

Clearly they were feeding them experimental growth hormones in an effort to topple Florida with massive and obedient living tanks.

It makes sense. How can you effectively oppress populations into complying with wage reduction and worsened work conditions if the threat of joblessness has its impact reduced thanks to people helping out hobos?

Gez said:

It makes sense. How can you effectively oppress populations into complying with wage reduction and worsened work conditions if the threat of joblessness has its impact reduced thanks to people helping out hobos?

Is there an article talking about the same situation that isn't so biased? They literally told me none of the specific information that would make sense. They just summarized everything to "gave food to homeless; went to jail."

I can't seem to make sense out of it with the information given.

40oz said:

Is there an article talking about the same situation that isn't so biased?

Jesus fuck you're lazy.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/os-homeless-feedings-arrests-20110601,0,7226362.story

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/three-arrested-accused-of-illegally-feeding-homeless-in-1514196.html

Danarchy said:

Local police did not enforce the ordinance while the group fought the absurd law in court. Now that the city has prevailed, the three Food Not Bombs staffers who were arrested

Did I read that correctly? While the law is ridiculous, from what I've read, it sounds like they knew about it and did it anyway? Can't really feel that bad.

hobomaster22 said:

Did I read that correctly? While the law is ridiculous, from what I've read, it sounds like they knew about it and did it anyway? Can't really feel that bad.

Yes, because civil disobedience should always be punished and ridiculed.

hobomaster22 said:

Can't really feel that bad.

Some people were arrested for giving food to some other people who were probably starving to death. Misanthropy much?

hobomaster22 said:

Can't really feel that bad.

Getting arrested for humanitarianism? Fuck that! Not all laws are just.

Danarchy said:

Yes, because civil disobedience should always be punished and ridiculed.

It's a $250 bail that they would have otherwise spent on food anyway. Who cares? They knew they were doing something wrong, they were told to stop, and they resisted. I mean, when summarized it sounds totally wrong, but if you read in the details.

You can title article "Man gets fined for driving wounded child to hospital" when in detail, he was speeding, driving on the wrong side of the road, and running red lights. It doesn't matter if the goal was to do something that is morally correct, they took an illegal course of action to do it. There are more permissible ways to give food to the homeless and they were just being ignorant.

40oz said:

It's a $250 bail that they would have otherwise spent on food anyway. Who cares? They knew they were doing something wrong, they were told to stop, and they resisted. I mean, when summarized it sounds totally wrong, but if you read in the details.

You can title article "Man gets fined for driving wounded child to hospital" when in detail, he was speeding, driving on the wrong side of the road, and running red lights. It doesn't matter if the goal was to do something that is morally correct, they took an illegal course of action to do it. There are more permissible ways to give food to the homeless and they were just being ignorant.

Wow... really? You believe that the whole world is black and white?

So what your telling me is BY YOUR OWN EXAMPLE that if YOU were dying from some sort of wound, and I was hell bent on getting you to the hospital in time to save you from bleeding out YOU WOULD STOP ME FROM SPEEDING?
really?
How about if you were starving in the street, you would stop me from feeding you?

Yes I agree with the fact that homeless shouldn't be fed because otherwise they will just continue to be homeless... for me that is an individual choice I make. Some people do not see it that way.

(here is where I get a bit off topic) and this whole situation is just the judicial system acting on behalf of a part of society that believes the same thing, that helping homeless is part and parcel to the reason why homeless are still homeless. Does that automatically make it right to take away peoples individual right to decide whether or not it is beneficial or correct to help homeless out?

No, because it is the individuals choice to help them out.

40oz said:

There are more permissible ways to give food to the homeless and they were just being ignorant.

You see, this is the entire point. The fact that there needs to be 'permissible ways' to give people food. Can you explain why something like this is illegal in the first place? Is it dangerous to society in some way?

This is pretty reprehensible. While a lot of homeless folk are in their situation because of their own choices, there are still many others who really don't have much of an option. But whatever, I'm too tired of caring how shitty this country is at times.

Actually they meantioned it's not just the homeless they're feeding, but also working-class poor who are having trouble keeping their heads above water due to the bad economic conditions brought upon by Wall Street greed. And of course, the irresponsible bankers got bailed out (and are at this very moment making even bigger fortunes), while the poor are left to fend for themselves. That's how "justice" works in this country, you see? Instead of hating/despising those folks, you would do well to take George Carlin's message to heart.

A couple weeks ago I was reading another story about homeless enclaves in broken/destitute municipalities (think: Detroit, or worse), once again brought upon or worsened by the global economic crash. An old homeless lady was saying something to the effect of "Us poor folks have to help each other, because the rich people are busy helping other rich people."

In one place, the homeless had setup a small, self-sustaining camp, complete with rules and even a guard on duty. This was in an abandoned and bad part of town that nobody in their right mind travelled to, but the police eventually broke up their camp and scattered them. Where are they now? Who knows...

This shitty law needs to be repealed. And 40oz, laws shouldn't be followed if they're not just. Just look at the civil rights movement. Should they have just "followed the rules", like you urge everyone to do?

I like that they have made a law telling you who and who you cannot feed out of your own pocket. Would it be illegal for me to invite a homeless individual to share dinner with me? Or is this law restricted to a community effort?

Anyway, a lot of homeless people are not lazy. You never sleep on the streets of Toronto when it's thirty below willingly. Most homeless individuals I've ran across when walking down the street are people with severe physical and mental handicaps, they can't function in society.

40oz is like the Armond White of Doomworld.

Also that law is fucking bullshit, probably a remnant of a time where the homeless percentage was much further down. With the economy in the shitter, taking people to task for stuff like this is the definition of sociopathy.

Also, LOL @ "But it's illegal! Therefore it's bad!". Listen dipshit, those two things are not always one in the same. Remember the 1960s?

Sodaholic said:

This shitty law needs to be repealed. And 40oz, laws shouldn't be followed if they're not just. Just look at the civil rights movement. Should they have just "followed the rules", like you urge everyone to do?

You expect to have civil rights AND security - that's unpossible! By feeding the homeless you're undermining the War on Terror and before you know it the country will be overrun by obese insurgents!



<throws metaphorical food parcel at Orlando City Hall>