Fight To Feed Homeless Back In Court

Fight To Feed Homeless Back In Court
'Food Not Bombs' Battles City Ordinance

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The fight over feeding the homeless in Downtown Orlando will take to a federal appeals court on Tuesday.

An Orlando city ordinance bans feeding groups of 25 or more within a 2-mile radius of city hall. The area includes the park at Lake Eola, where groups have prepared mass meals in protest of the ordinance for years.

Homeless advocates won the right to have their argument heard before the full panel of judges with the 11th circuit court of appeals in Atlanta.

The advocates first lost the battle when three federal judges ruled in favor of the city's ordinance. Supporters said they think they have a better chance against the ordinance with a full panel of judges because each judge will bring a different opinion.

http://www.wesh.com/r/26869263/detail.html

but heaven forbid people feed today's starving people.
This is sickening.

pretty fucked up IMHO.

It is perfectly fine to feed the homeless here, I do it all the time. What the ordinance bans is large group feedings in the public parks without a permit. Orlando Food not Bombs started feeding the homeless in high visibility public locations to make a political statement. Friends of mine are in this group and I have no problem with what they are doing. I find it somewhat curious that a corporation giving a politician large sums of money is protected political speech, but a group of much less wealthy vegans giving a homeless guy dinner as a political act, is not protected speech...

That being aside, it is entirely legal to feed the homeless here, just not in the public parks in large numbers without a permit. I prepare and serve meals as a volunteer at a shelter that is well less than a mile from city hall, no problem or questions at all.

I support OFNB in their litigation on principle and hope they win the case. They are a nice bunch of folks.