Prohibiting U.S. Solidarity with the Poor and Homeless

[reposted from cubasi.cu]

Prohíben en EEUU la solidaridad con los pobres y los sin hogar

In the midst of the economic crisis in which thousands of Americans are struggling to survive, the local authorities in the United States. UU. do not feel satisfied with the controversial HR 347 federal law that penalizes the protests and they have gone further in their aspirations to suppress the will of its citizens: now prohibit to give food to the poor and the homeless in the open air.

Philadelphia and Houston are two large cities that are driving significant limitations of the personal will of its citizens to help the poor. On March 14 the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, announced the prohibition by law of feed to the homeless and needy outdoor people. According to Nutter, feed to the homeless in the parks violates sanitary conditions. But activists are convinced that the real cause of the Philadelphia Government is clean the tourist area of the ‘little aesthetic’ homeless.

With the rules will take effect within 30 days. Those who violate the law will receive two warnings and then will have to pay a fine of $150. Houston has also announced that it is preparing its own law to ban giving food to the needy.

What is the proper way to feed the homeless?

‘Feed the hungry not should be made as well as open an autocamión, distribute without thinking the burgers and then escape in the dark and rainy night’, said the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, which aim to promote the practice of feeding the poor in covered premises. At the same time, according to Nutter, large family gatherings in the parks will not be affected by the ban.

Despite the fact that local governments stress that they are trying to protect the poor from a food unhealthy and dangerous, can not give any example of a case in which someone has been sick.

According to experts, the homeless, deprived of power supplies usually ensure activists, will be forced to feed on garbage.

The initiative aroused strong indignation in the local population and activists. ‘ It is a clear violation of civil rights. That means that people have to eat, can eat it in certain places. But the people who don’t have it, can not eat what give ‘, says activist Brian Jenkins.
“I paid $1,000 fine for my  crime”

Meanwhile, the practice of define by law what is the right way to feed to the homeless is common to several regions of the United States. Activists in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida report that long since they feel repressed by the police, preventing them to distribute food among the poor.

‘ I was among the 24 arrested in Orlando, Florida, in June 2011 for having distributed food to a group of poor in what turned out to be a violation of the law of food of a large group of people (‘large feeding law group’). When I was arrested for the second time, I spent 17 days behind bars. I paid $1,000 fine by my ‘ crime “, told RT movement activist Keith McHenry ‘ Food not Bombs’.

‘ Unfortunately, many people can be arrested or fined for helping the needy and trying to find solutions to long-term poverty in the United States. U.S. ‘, concludes Keith.

‘ There is not a right way of feeding the poor, only the distribution of all the food you can afford to give them ‘, said activist Kathy Mitro in your request on the internet after being arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, by feeding the poor.