Apparently Food is a Weapon

Arnold Abbott: The Founder of "Love Thy Neighbor, Inc."

According to CBSnews, three men, a 90 year old man and two pastors from South Florida, are being accused of breaking the newly introduced law of Fort Lauderdale. The new ordinance states that the public feeding of the homeless is banned. The three men, Arnold Abbott, Dwayne Black, and Mark Sims, refused to follow the law and continued to feed homeless people in the city. However, when the police had stopped Mr. Abbott for feeding the homeless, one officer said, "Drop that plate now," as if it was a firearm, knife, or other such weapon. Now, I have great amounts of respect for the police, but telling someone to drop a plate when they are trying to help someone just seems absolutely ridiculous. Not only were the men approached by the police and told to stop feeding those who cannot feed themselves, but the three men are facing jail time for 60 days and a fine of 500 dollars. It is believed that there are approximately 100,000 homeless people in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Abbott plans to continue feeding the homeless through his non-profit organization called "Love Thy Neighbor, Inc." The organization was dedicated to his wife, who had, sadly, passed away in car accident. I respect Abbot for his continuous fight, even in the face of incarceration. Unfortunately, Fort Lauderdale is not the only city to ban the public feeding of homeless people. Twenty other cities across America have also passed legislation that restricts homeless feeding. I just do not see the problem with someone wanting to help someone who does not have the ability to help themselves. If anyone wishes to help the helpless, they should be able to.