I was shocked to see this story, further shocked to see our town
considering 'black listing" homeless from food charities. Is your
Church ready to decide between mans laws, or Gods?
By MATT CURRY, Associated Press Writer
Thu Mar 9, 2:16 PM ET
DALLAS - Panhandling banned. Shopping carts prohibited on city streets.
The distribution of food to the homeless restricted to designated
areas.
With a series of ordinances governing its growing homeless population,
Dallas is gaining a reputation as a city uncharitable toward some of
its neediest citizens.
The National Coalition for the Homeless recently ranked Dallas sixth
among the Top 10 "meanest" cities in the country. No. 1 was Sarasota,
Fla.
Dallas officials say they are trying to steer the homeless toward help
and make the streets a little safer for them. But advocates for the
estimated 9,000 homeless people in Dallas say the city is pursuing a
harsh and pitiless policy.
"That's like a form of social Darwinism, if you cut off food to force
people to get help, and it really doesn't work that way," said Michael
Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the
Homeless.
Last month, Dallas began enforcing an ordinance that prohibits
charities from distributing free food to the homeless except at
city-approved locations and only after volunteers undergo food safety
training, provided free by the city. Violations of the law, enforced by
city food inspectors, are punishable by fines up to $2,000.
"It's OK to sell someone a sandwich, but if I hand a sandwich to a
homeless person, I'm committing a crime," groused Charles Wellhausen, a
volunteer for the Sathya Sai Baba Center.
http://www.reddingloavesandfishes.com/
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