Being Poor is NOT a Crime

[RLF]

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/In Las Vegas, bringing food to the park and handing it out to the
homeless is punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

In Dallas, only approved churches, charities and individuals can serve
the homeless only in approved locations. If not approved, you so much
as offer a biscuit to a hungry person, you are subject to fines up to
$2,000.

Now in Redding if you are one of the more than 2,000 homeless men,
women, and children in Shasta County caught by a small campfire trying
to keep warm within Redding's city limits, you can receive up to six
months in jail, and a $1,000 fine.

Many more Cities are doing the same.......

God, from one end of the Bible to the other, expresses his desire for
us to care, uphold and provide for the poor. Is it God's will that
poverty should be a crime? Is it not written, "He who oppresses the
poor, reproaches His Maker?" Didn't Jesus say, "Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me?"

Mental illness does not respond to increased fines and jail time. Home-
lessness does not respond to tearing down their temporary shelters,
throwing away their possessions, and driving them out of town. A lack
of hope does not respond to a lack of love.

We must constructively address the plight of the homeless, and its
multifaceted causes,
before its to late.......
http://reddingloavesandfishes.com/

 

[Tonington]

What complete and utter crap. This is by far one of the most disgusting things I have heard in a long time. What kind of message is this sending to people? Making charitable people deviants, ridiculous. This is just so unbelievably unfathomable. So you can give charity to people who've lost homes in natural disasters, but not to someone who has no permanent home through any plethora of unfortunate circumstances. Sounds like some people need some re-education in their priorities.

 

[Gonzo]

When I was living in Victoria I saw allot of homeless. Homeless people from accross Canada would come to Victoria because of the weather. It's better to be homeless in a city that rarely sees snow. I sometimes gave them food when I was walking home from the grocery store, because I didn't want them to waste any money I gave them on drugs or alcohol. Some were happy when I gave them food, and some seemed upset because they didn't really want food, they wanted beer or drugs.

 

[I think not]

Don't be too quick to judge. It's true Las Vegas implemented this municipal law during the summer, because people would bring food that if not consumed right away would go bad, and the homeless were flooding the hospitals from food poisoning. The effort is to drive the homeless into homeless shelters, and as far as Las Vegas goes, they almost resemble hotel accomodations. The reason homeless don't go to homeless shelters are varied.

 

[Tonington]

That may be one circumstance, but I don't think they should criminalize charity. It appears to be a trend with other cities doing the same thing.

 

[gopher]

God, from one end of the Bible to the other, expresses his desire for
us to care, uphold and provide for the poor. Is it God's will that
poverty should be a crime? Is it not written, "He who oppresses the
poor, reproaches His Maker?" Didn't Jesus say, "Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me?"


You have quoted the Bible correctly. Strange, isn't it, how the professing right wing "Christians" who enact such laws are the first ones to proudly display themselves as the holier-than-thou types they are. Come the Judgment Day, they will have a lot to answer for.

 

[I think not]

Three cities do not constitute a trend. And if you notice they are all states that get heat waves often. The issue appears to be health related. It doesn't make sense to "outlaw" giving someone a can of food.

 

[I think not]

You have quoted the Bible correctly. Strange, isn't it, how the professing right wing "Christians" who enact such laws are the first ones to proudly display themselves as the holier-than-thou types they are. Come the Judgment Day, they will have a lot to answer for.

You know for a fact those who implemented these municipal laws were right wing "Christians"? Or is this your usual blather?

 

[RLF]

All over the U.S.

These new laws are happening in over 200 Cities, including Denver.

 

[I think not]

These new laws are happening in over 200 Cities, including Denver.

So what's the reasoning behind this? Do you have details?

 

[RLF]

It seems like war on the poor, so many cities want to revitalize, I guess the poor are an eyesore to local leaders. A report just came out that there are 95, 000 homeless children in California alone.And yes, I cant understand these right wing Christians...They cant seem to ever disagree about Bushes war, yet they cant take care of the homeless war vets already, 1/3 of homeless men here are vets of viatnam.

 

[sanctus]

It seems like war on the poor, so many cities want to revitalize, I guess the poor are an eyesore to local leaders..

Build them homes and put them in it, even at the taxpayers expense. Cut the military budget of our nations and use that money to sustain them. Encourge them to seek training or schooling, or to set up small home based businesses. Give them civil service jobs cleaning streets..anything to help them restore their dignity. It is shameful that in countires as rich as ours that people are going to bed hungry every night. It is morally wrong.

 

[RLF]

Positive steps yes....Thank you for your response sanctus...

 

[ottawabill]

Build them homes and put them in it, even at the taxpayers expense. Cut the military budget of our nations and use that money to sustain them. Encourge them to seek training or schooling, or to set up small home based businesses. Give them civil service jobs cleaning streets..anything to help them restore their dignity. It is shameful that in countires as rich as ours that people are going to bed hungry every night. It is morally wrong.

Well except that you don't have to cut military to do that I totally agree. There has alway been "houses not bombs" and "homes not circuses" thoughts be truthfully that money would never go to homeless.

Most times homeless people are not homeless because of no housing, but because we have cut mental heath care. If your too crazy or depressed to hold a job, you loss it, then your house, then your dignity.

We need the proper health care for these people, along with supervised housing and them back to work programs. In the mean time..why would anyone be so mean spirited as to say I can't give a guy a sandwich or a coffee..Damn it these are people not pigeons. I do give some food, some money and an ear when I'm downtown in Ottawa. You get to know these people..They are people!!! I guess I would be going to jail if that started here!!


aaggrhh

 

[sanctus]

e not pigeons. I do give some food, some money and an ear when I'm downtown in Ottawa. You get to know these people..They are people!!! I guess I would be going to jail if that started here!!


aaggrhh

Same here when I am downtown Windsor. I refuse to ignore them as if they were garbage. No matter what the reason they are on the street, and even if it is 100% their own fault, still I think we should help them. All of us have been in tough situations of one sort or another before. True, most of us have not been like that, but the point is we get through our hard times not only through our faith in God(if that is your bag), but through the people around us.

 

[ottawabill]

It is a christian responsibilty to help others and should also be just a human thing to do

 

[Sassylassie]

Churches like the Salvation Army have Food Banks, hot meal centers, drop in centers where hot coffee tea and showers are available, they have numerous homeless shelters, addiction centers etc. There are people trying to help those who live on the streets, but if someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol they need to want to receive such help. If they don't choose to be sober there is little we can do but offer them food and shelter in their time of need. The youth whom live on the street, most, do so by choice and they don't want rules infringing on their life style so they live on the street. Do we drag them off by force. The one group that is neglected by all levels of Government is the Mentally Ill, the Liberal Government shut down small option homes and institutions and put them into main stream society with out teaching them coping skills. They handed them a welfare/disability checks and forgot them. It's shameful how they seem to be the forgotten ones.

 

[ottawabill]

Churches like the Salvation Army have Food Banks, hot meal centers, drop in centers where hot coffee tea and showers are available, they have numerous homeless shelters, addiction centers etc. There are people trying to help those who live on the streets, but if someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol they need to want to receive such help. If they don't choose to be sober there is little we can do but offer them food and shelter in their time of need. The youth whom live on the street, most, do so by choice and they don't want rules infringing on their life style so they live on the street. Do we drag them off by force. The one group that is neglected by all levels of Government is the Mentally Ill, the Liberal Government shut down small option homes and institutions and put them into main stream society with out teaching them coping skills. They handed them a welfare/disability checks and forgot them. It's shameful how they seem to be the forgotten ones.

Damn straight (he says in his best gangsta way) I'ts discusting what we have done or not done with mental illness here. Closed mental hospitals because they were warehouses, but did nothing else..just closed them. No comunity living centres, no nothing..in fact that just handed the proplem over to the Sally Anne, food banks and hostels and said here you deal with it.

Of course as good citizens and as taught by Jesus..we will and should but as you said Sassy it's no solution it just keeps them alive. I agree that most of the kids are just hanging...they disappear in Ottawa as it gets cold. As well quite a few are killing themselves with drugs. There is no helping them if they haven't hit bottom....But it's our duty to do what we can..NOT walk by like they are trees!!

The problem is much greater then building cheap houses as the NDP would have you believe.....but it is not so great a problem that nothing can be done....But do we care... we are more interested in lower taxes, the price of gas and who won the game last night. we care when it's brought up..then we stop..

 

[Gonzo]

You have to watch some of these leaders who say they are helping. They say that they're trying to get them into homeless shelters, but those shelters are pretty awful. They really want to sweep this problem under the rug. Why are there so many homeless?

 

[Hotshot]

You have to watch some of these leaders who say they are helping. They say that they're trying to get them into homeless shelters, but those shelters are pretty awful. They really want to sweep this problem under the rug. Why are there so many homeless?

In the States, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.