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National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is held each year the week before Thanksgiving — this year, the week of Nov. 15-23.
As many of us are planning the thanksgiving festivities, centered around home, family, warmth and plenty of food, it should also be a time to think about those who are less fortunate than we are and “a perfect time to share our compassion with our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness.”
The National Coalition for the Homeless reminds us: “The plight of those without a home or those living in poverty, can be both lonely and difficult,” — an understatement.
On Memorial Day four years ago, at a local church, my wife and I helped provide a hot breakfast — for some perhaps the first hot meal in days — to some of the homeless in Austin, Texas.
Compared to what so many others do for the homeless in America, what we did wasn’t much at all, but…
While providing a meal for these men, women and children, giving them a smile, or looking them in the eye may not solve the problem — or “their problem” — I know it makes them feel a little better. And you know what, it made us feel a little better, too.
Yes, our meager contribution was rewarded with a good feeling.
Sadly, that is not what happened to 90-year old Fort Lauderdale, Fla. resident Arnold Abbott, who dared to feed the homeless, the hungry.
A couple of weeks ago, Abbott was arrested by Fort Lauderdale police for “giving food to hungry people.”
Last month, Ft. Lauderdale city officials passed a new measure to crack down on people feeding the homeless. On Sunday, two days after the new law went into effect, Arnold Abbott, 90, a longtime advocate for the homeless and regular volunteer at a local soup kitchen, was arrested for the crime of giving food to the needy. He now faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Two local pastors were also arrested and face the same potential sentences.
Don’t believe it?
Watch it here:
ThinkProgress adds:
According to a census last year, there are 2,810 homeless individuals and families who live in Broward County, most of whom reside in Ft. Lauderdale.
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Now, Abbott has been put in the unusual position of having to defend his charity work. In an interview with Local 10, he recounted the experience. “One of the police officers said, ‘Drop that plate right now,’ as if I were carrying a weapon,” said Abbott.
Then, this week — National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week — Ft. Lauderdale arrested Ray Cox, a homeless man, at a city commission meeting after he spoke out against the city’s crackdown on homeless people.
Again, ThinkProgress:
As Mayor Jack Seiler gaveled in the meeting on Tuesday, Cox, sitting in the audience, stood up and protested the recent crackdown on homeless people in Ft. Lauderdale. Cox was not given an opportunity to air his grievances, but instead was escorted out by police at Seiler’s behest. “As a homeless protester, sir, just step outside rather than trying to make a scene,” the mayor instructed. Watch video of the incident here.
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Cox, who had a warrant out because he had failed to appear in court after being cited for urinating in public — a quality-of-life ordinance that overwhelmingly targets homeless individuals — was then arrested. He was also charged with disorderly conduct for interrupting the council meeting.
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Soon after ejecting Cox, the council approved a measure declaring it to be National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in Ft. Lauderdale. Among its goals for the week, according to the proclamation, is to “encourage support for homeless assistance.”
ThinkProgress concludes:
Over the past year, Ft. Lauderdale has rapidly garnered a reputation for the way it treats its 2,810 homeless families and individuals. First, legislators made it illegal for homeless people to have possessions in public. Then they made it illegal for homeless people to sleep in public places. Then they cracked down on people who volunteered to feed the homeless.
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Then they arrested 90-year-old Arnold Abbott for handing out food.
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Unperturbed by criticism over these tactics, the city has budgeted $25,000 to buy one-way bus tickets for homeless people who’d rather live elsewhere. Though implemented under the guise of helping homeless people reunite with friends or family around the country, critics of these programs see them instead as attempts to shirk the responsibility of caring for homeless residents.
Hopefully, this Thanksgiving, Fort Lauderdale authorities will give true thanksgiving a second chance.
Lead photo: www.shuttertock.com
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.