Man charged for feeding homeless: 90 year old Arnold Abott, together with two Florida ministers have been charged with the offence of feeding homeless people in public in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Public feeding of homeless people in Fort Lauderdale Florida is a crime. That was a lesson Arnold learned the hard way after he was arrested feeding hungry homeless people in the streets of the town. The man charged for feeding homeless will stand trial for the same offence.
According to Arnold, "One of the police officers said, 'Drop that plate right now,' as if I were carrying a weapon." The new laws that banned the public feeding of homeless people were brought into enforcement to curb the rise in the number of homeless persons in the city and according to the city Mayor Jack Seiler, they were going to be enforced by whichever means necessary.
Arnold Abott was the man charged for feeding homeless people in Florida. Mr. Abott, who runs Love Thy Neighbor, a charity organization that promotes care for others, has been feeding the homeless since 1991. He sued the city in 1999 after the city attempted to stop him from distributing food to the homeless people in Florida. He won the case and has pledged to challenge the new laws in a court of law once more.
Mr. Abott faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine if he is convicted. He has said that the threat of prosecution will not stop him from attempting to feed the homeless, emphasizing that it was the duty of every human to take care of their fellow humans.
Recently, the city passed a law limiting the storage of personal property in public. Then came the restrictions on food sharing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Abott said that he would be on the Fort Lauderdale beach, once again distributing food to the homeless. "I'm not afraid of jail. I'm not looking to go, but if I have to, I will," said the man charged for feeding the homeless.
