Florida police arrest activist for feeding homeless

[LiberalNation]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070405/...I2cdcMgvd34T0D

MIAMI (Reuters) - Police in Florida have arrested an activist for feeding the homeless in downtown Orlando.

Eric Montanez, 21, of the charity group Food Not Bombs, was charged with violating a controversial law against feeding large groups of destitute people in the city center, police said on Thursday.

Montanez was filmed by undercover officers on Wednesday as he served "30 unidentified persons food from a large pot utilizing a ladle," according to an arrest affidavit. The Orlando area is home to Disney World and Universal Studios Florida.

The Orlando law, which is supported by local business owners who say the homeless drive away customers but has been challenged in court by civil rights groups, allows charities to feed more than 25 people at a time within two miles of Orlando city hall only if they have a special permit. They can get two permits a year.

Police collected a vial of the stew Montanez was serving as evidence.

Police spokeswoman Barbara Jones said in an e-mail it was the first time anyone had been arrested under the feeding ban.

Montanez was charged with a misdemeanor.

[manu1959]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070405/...I2cdcMgvd34T0D

MIAMI (Reuters) - Police in Florida have arrested an activist for feeding the homeless in downtown Orlando.

Eric Montanez, 21, of the charity group Food Not Bombs, was charged with violating a controversial law against feeding large groups of destitute people in the city center, police said on Thursday.

Montanez was filmed by undercover officers on Wednesday as he served "30 unidentified persons food from a large pot utilizing a ladle," according to an arrest affidavit. The Orlando area is home to Disney World and Universal Studios Florida.

The Orlando law, which is supported by local business owners who say the homeless drive away customers but has been challenged in court by civil rights groups, allows charities to feed more than 25 people at a time within two miles of Orlando city hall only if they have a special permit. They can get two permits a year.

Police collected a vial of the stew Montanez was serving as evidence.

Police spokeswoman Barbara Jones said in an e-mail it was the first time anyone had been arrested under the feeding ban.

Montanez was charged with a misdemeanor.

she broke the law on purpose .... now she gets to go to court to try to get the law overturned .... as it will i sure be proven that it is unconstitutional to prevent someone from feeding 30 people soup in the middle of a city center ....

[Gunny]

she broke the law on purpose .... now she gets to go to court to try to get the law overturned .... as it will i sure be proven that it is unconstitutional to prevent someone from feeding 30 people soup in the middle of a city center ....

Really? I think it is within a city's right to decide where one can serve free soup. It's just that serving free soup in the 'burbs doesn't get one as much media attention.

[Mr. P]

I'd like to know more about this 'law'.

Seems reasonable to specify where you can set-up a soup kitchen to me.
Limits on how many you can serve I donno..need more info here.

[OCA]

I'm sure the local businesses there appreciated the influx of smelly, dirty fucking bums and welfare whores into their area. I'm sure they cleaned up after theirselves.

An idea, how about making these people work for that soup?

[Dilloduck]

I'm sure the local businesses there appreciated the influx of smelly, dirty fucking bums and welfare whores into their area. I'm sure they cleaned up after theirselves.

An idea, how about making these people work for that soup?

I imagine the health deparment has a thing or two to say about serving people in this manner too. Let's get the whole town sick--what the hell !

[Nuc]

Really? I think it is within a city's right to decide where one can serve free soup.

Pontius Pilate would agree with you.

[Mr. P]

I'm sure the local businesses there appreciated the influx of smelly, dirty fucking bums and welfare whores into their area. I'm sure they cleaned up after theirselves.

An idea, how about making these people work for that soup?

You reminded me of the stinky homeless guy that used to flop at the library all day (can't blame him it was cold as I recall). They finally had him removed, he sued. I never heard how that turned out.

[Mr. P]

I imagine the health deparment has a thing or two to say about serving people in this manner too. Let's get the whole town sick--what the hell !

Exactly..There's much more to this story than an arrest of one 'activist'.

[Gunny]

Pontius Pilate would agree with you.

I don't see that I'm off base. They aren't saying this person can't hand out free soup. They are saying where they cannot do it.

Suppose this person decided to set up in your front yard without permission? Or, if you agreed to let someone hand out free soup, wouldn't YOU tell them WHERE they could do it in your yard?

I have absolutely NO problem with setting up a soup kitchen for the homeless if that is what someone wishes to do. It is a completely commendable endeavor, IMO. Unless it's being done for duplicitous reasons.

[avatar4321]

I imagine the health deparment has a thing or two to say about serving people in this manner too. Let's get the whole town sick--what the hell !

That's what I was thinking. How difficult would it be to slip something in to make all the homeless people sick? You know, I could almost see a terrorist doing such a thing to make it look like they were just "compassionate" while using it as a front to spread epidemics...

You know, if I wanted to be, I'd be a pretty evil guy...

[avatar4321]

Pontius Pilate would agree with you.

Yeah, because he has so much relevance to this thread...

[Nuc]

Yeah, because he has so much relevance to this thread...

My point is that everytime somebody acts in a Christian manner, such as feeding the poor, the good Christians on this board call them hippies, accuse them of attracting scum, say they shouldn't be charitable unless they force the people to work for it, and basically say they're a menace to society.

Which is exactly what they said about Jesus. Just an observation.

[avatar4321]

My point is that everytime somebody acts in a Christian manner, such as feeding the poor, the good Christians on this board call them hippies, accuse them of attracting scum, say they shouldn't be charitable unless they force the people to work for it, and basically say they're a menace to society.

Which is exactly what they said about Jesus. Just an observation.

But that's just it, is it really charity when she is breaking the law purposely just to challenge the law?

If all she wanted to do was be charitable, wouldn't one just be chartible by following the law and feeding the poor in the locations and by the standards specified by the city?

I don't think breaking the law to get yourself arrested in "protest" is charitible. Because I think the motive of people with such attitudes tends to be themselves. They are crusaders and doing good so they can get praise and "martyr" themselves before the world. It can come across as very self righteous.

[Nuc]

But that's just it, is it really charity when she is breaking the law purposely just to challenge the law?

If all she wanted to do was be charitable, wouldn't one just be chartible by following the law and feeding the poor in the locations and by the standards specified by the city?

I don't think breaking the law to get yourself arrested in "protest" is charitible. Because I think the motive of people with such attitudes tends to be themselves. They are crusaders and doing good so they can get praise and "martyr" themselves before the world. It can come across as very self righteous.

Obviously she was protesting and calling attention to the way the homeless are swept under the rug in Orlando in order not to jeopardize the clean cut family image of their big industry. It's the triumph of corporate culture over reality that she was protesting. That's admirable coming from a 21 year old kid. She probably wants her kids and herself to grow up in a world where the corporations can't control the city government at the expense of the poor and disadvantaged. Who knows who she was feeding but I would guess at least some of them don't "deserve" their poverty. Maybe they are legitimately mentally ill or victims of family abuse. Some are probably losers but we can't pick and choose our poor. To paraphrase feed someone soup and you feed them once. Force the government to acknowledge the situation and maybe just maybe some of them can be taught to feed themselves.

OK now everybody call me a socialist.