… for giving free meals to homeless people:
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Three charitable volunteers, including a 90-year-old man and two Christian ministers, were dragged away in handcuffs after illegally feeding the homeless in Fort Lauderdale.
The ringleader of the criminal charity work is Arnold Abbott, 90, who runs a non-profit organization called “Love Thy Neighbor.” Since 1991, the Christian man has been making hundreds of meals per week in the kitchen of his church and distributing them to the sizable homeless population.
The organization is “based on two very simple concepts,” his website states. “We believe that ‘We are our brother’s keeper’ and we should ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’”
Mr. Abbott was arrested on Sunday, November 2nd, 2014, along with Sanctuary Church’s Pastor Wayne Black and another minister. The three outlaws now face hundreds of dollars in fines or up to 60 days in jail.
“One of police officers came over and said ‘Drop that plate right now,’ as if I was carrying a weapon,” Mr. Abbott told WPTV.
The volunteers were arrested because of Fort Lauderdale’s new ordinance, which restricts acts of charity committed within 500 feet away from residential properties — effectively prohibiting feeding the homeless throughout the entire city.
Mayor Jack Seiler callously defended the ordinance, saying, “We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale.” He claims that the strict rules “reduce the public safety hazards” and “ensure the health, safety and welfare of our community.”
But Mr. Abbott says he is unwilling to turn a blind eye to the homeless, drawing his inspiration from The Bible.
“As a Christian, it’s pretty clear,” Mr. Abbott said to NBC News. “Feed thy sheep. Take care of them.”
“I know that I will be arrested again, and I am prepared for that,” said Abbott. “I am my brother’s keeper, and what they are doing is just heartless.”
Fort Lauderdale isn’t alone in its absurd prohibition of charity work. Daytona Beach recently banned feeding the homeless because it undercuts need for government agencies.
According to John Whitehead, he was released and went back to it. 3 days later he was arrested a 2nd time.
I’m waiting to hear what justification clover has for this.
I’m sure it will be interesting.
Well, you know signs in Yellowstone, e.g., where they say “Don’t feed the wild animals. You will make them dependent.”
I get up filled with the milk of human kindness today….or full of something anyway, but I was in a fairly good mood, and then see this. Maybe I’ll just run over the DOT today. I’m old, couldn’t see em, so so sorry. Oh the plus side though, I have this backhoe handy!
8sm,
A backhoe won’t dig deep enough to bury those cretins, so as to avoid the stink. If I were in Texas I’d donate my 330 for your efforts……that’d get em down there.
Right, a 90 year old doing good works is a criminal, they’re keeping you saaaaaafe from those dangerous homeless people. Strange that I can’t recall ever hearing about gangs of the homeless stopping people at checkpoints, or beating them down, or shooting them with impunity; only state approved costumed thugs are allowed to do that. At least Daytona Beach is honest about the reason, they want those people on welfare so they’ll show sufficient gratitude, and then vote for their masters and keep the merry-go-round turning.
they are to the point where they even want a monopoly on acts charity, I am having a harder time each and every day looking the average American in the eye.
But what they are doing is NOT charity – charity is by definition voluntary.
The state believes there should only be one god, the state. All should be dependent upon the state.
If people can seek help from their fellow man then the state is diminished. Private charity diminishes the state.
Yes, Mussolini said it well. “Let us have a dagger between our teeth, a bomb in our hands and an infinite scorn in our hearts.”
Oh, wait! Not that one!
“Better to live a day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.”
Nope, still not it.
Can’t seem to find the one I was searching, perhaps it was misattributed.
“Everything within the State. Nothing outside the State. Nothing against the State.”