In what has to be one of the most telling stories about the new
heartlessness in America, an Orlando man stood trial on misdemeanor
charges for the crime of feeding the homeless in a public park. He
was found not guilty, but spent two days in court convincing a jury
of that.

22-year-old Eric Montanez is part of Orlando's Food Not Bombs, a
group that brings food out on the streets to the homeless. Last
year, the city enacted a law that makes it a crime to feed people in
a public place without a permit. To be precise, the legislation says
one can't give food to more than 25 persons at the same location.

To build their case against Montanez, undercover police not only
spied on him feeding the poor, but also counted the number of people
he fed (30.) Disguised as homeless persons, the undercover cops even
took pieces of the meal he served as evidence. How many real crimes
were being committed during the time they spent on that sting
operation?

In San Franscisco, efforts to expand permanent supportive housing
are worthy of praise, but that's only half the story. "We are
pursuing two policies simultaneously in opposite directions," said
Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan. "The City is trying to provide housing and
care, while simultaneously criminalizing homelessness." In the past
four years, the City has issued 46,684 "quality-of-life" tickets –
at a cost of $7.8 million to the City's taxpayers. This does not get
people off the streets and solves homelessness, said Galvin. It just
moves the problem to different neighborhoods.

"We are pursuing two policies simultaneously in opposite
directions," said Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan. "The City is trying to
provide housing and care, while simultaneously criminalizing
homelessness." In the past four years, the City has issued
46,684 "quality-of-life" tickets – at a cost of $7.8 million to the
City's taxpayers. This does not get people off the streets and
solves homelessness, said Galvin. It just moves the problem to
different neighborhoods.

Asking a person without money to pay a fine is beyond absurd. When
the citation is not paid, it goes to a warrant. The person is then
arrested the next time he/she is stopped by a cop. That record can
be used against a person trying to get off the streets and into
federally subsidized housing. In what universe does that make sense?


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