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Homeless advocates: Feeding ban violates religious freedoms
They said there are already reports of Parks & Rec staffers kicking homeless off the Parkway, and worry about what's to come.
Homeless advocates: Feeding ban violates religious freedoms
City Council was due today to consider a resolution to hold hearings on the Department of Parks & Recreations' proposed ban on outdoor feeding in Philadelphia, widely seen as an effort by Mayor Michael Nutter to clear Philly's homeless off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway ahead of the opening of the Barnes. Homeless advocates weren't waiting for the hearing: they showed up in force at council today to argue that — on top of allegations of discrimination and worries that conditions for the homeless will only grow worse — the ban violates their right to fulfill their Christian duties by feeding those in need. They said there are already reports of Parks & Rec staffers kicking homeless off the Parkway, and worry about what's to come.
Rachel Hosan of Liberti church in Fairmount, which serves meals on the Parkway every Friday evening, told Council: "Our church's ministry on the Parkway is an expression of our faith in Jesus Christ... We're concerned that this regulation will prevent us from practicing our faith."
Brian Jenkins of Chosen 300 Ministries called the ban both "a denial of religious freedom and a discriminatory practice. If you're going to say one group of people can only serve three people, you have to do it for every barbecue. ... Any time you target only one group of people, then it is against the law."
Homeless feeding groups say they're filling a gap the city has left open, and that they don't see the city compensating for the loss of their services. And Veronica Joyner of Mathematics, Civics and Science Charter School brought students to council to speak about how important their homeless services projects are both to them and the some 500 individuals they serve. Adam Bruckner, of Philly Restart, told Council, "If you ban this, people will eat out of the trash. ... The food will get worse."
"We believe dignity comes from having a choice about where you want to eat," he said, "as opposed to being told when and where to do it."
Let's hope that City Council takes strong action on this and not only overturns the mayor's ban, but also revises his pointless permit system and turns it into a voluntary food safety education program.
If you're not going to help people, Mr. Mayor, stay out of the way of others who will. This proposed ban is an embarrassment to our city.— graysferry01- Nobody is saying to not feed them. The Mayor is just saying to not feed them where the presence hurts the city's tourism.
Oh and by the way, you probably should be doing it close to other social services. It is ridiculously self-serving and hypocritical of these groups to do it any other way. They'd rather tug at everyone's heartstrings in an attempt to get donations than try to actually solve the problem the correct way.— Tartan69 - Tartan -- you have no clue what you are talking about. First, many social services are downtown, which is precisely where the groups that will be banned share food. And many groups also provide social services along with meals outdoors. Second, the groups that serve outdoors often work out of their own pockets, and have no paid staff or overhead costs. Many groups get donations of food -- not money -- and distribute that food directly, with volunteers providing the time, effort, supplies and gasoline required out of their own pockets. And, again, there simply are not enough places to share food indoors. You might be able to move a few hundred meals a week indoors -- but the ban would shut down groups that provide many thousands of meals weekly.
The ban is terrible policy and should be stopped.— graysferry01 - While walking after the theatre on Tuesday night I witnessed an apparently homeless man warming his French fries by taking them out of the wrapper to put them on the steam grate at 16th and Walnut So much for food safety! The city is fortunate to have so many volunteer organizations stepping in where the need is so great. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Mr Mayor— bmoore99q
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