Face of a ruthless criminal if I've ever seen one...
That's right, the community of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in an effort to remove the "undesirables" from their thriving tourist communities, has placed sharp restrictions regulating where, when and how private individuals and charities can provide food for the less fortunate. Its so bizarre. I would have assumed that, if I wanted to hand out my own food, I would just need myself, some food, and some hungry people, not an entire base camp including portable toilets.
While the mayor of Fort Launderdale, Jack Seiler, claims to have no ulterior motives behind these new laws, the depressing fact remains that more and more American cities are making it illegal for private citizens and charities to provide food for the homeless. A recent report by the National Coalition for the Homeless has found that over 20 American cities have already passed legislation severely restricting feeding the homeless, with similar laws pending in more than 10 other cities.
I won't regurgitate the whole report, which can be found here, but there are a few points in it that should be highlighted.
* Its been estimated that 1 in 6 Americans go hungry on a daily basis
* Through a variety of measures, including placing restrictions on public property usage, implementing stringent food safety regulations, and the harassment of private communities against assistance programs, more and more American cities and communities are penalizing providing food for the homeless.
* All of these measures are driven by fear and common misconceptions about the nature of homelessness. While I won't try to address them in great detail, I do want to briefly touch on a few myths about feeding the homeless.
Myth #1- Feeding the homeless enables them to remain homeless
This belief reflects a radical misunderstanding of what it truly means to live in poverty. People who use the "enabling" argument assume that food is just some other privilege, and that withholding it is no different than a parent taking away a child's Gameboy in order to encourage him to do his chores. The fact remains that food is not a luxury; it is one of our most basic biological needs.
A basic principle everyone who's taken Psych 101 should know is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In short, this idea recognizes that people cannot meet higher level needs (ie. finding a new home, employment, rehab/ mental health treatment, etc.) until more basic needs are met (ie. food, water, shelter, clothing, basic health care/ hygiene, transportation, community support). Imagine that. Its almost like all those things you need to do well at your job each day, from an alarm clock, a shower, clean clothing, food, water, transportation, etc. are also needed by people living in poverty. Almost like we're all people or something....
Myth #2- By not publicly feeding the homeless, we discourage and minimize the problem
Do I really have to write a response to this one? Sure, you can try to sweep the homeless under the rug. Sure, you can try to herd them like cattle into the most undesirable parts of your cities. Sure, you can push and push and push until they are no longer tolerated next to our tourism sites or private businesses. But ignoring the problem only does two things. One, it makes us all feel less guilty for not helping because we don't have to directly witness the suffering of other people. And two, it increases the suffering of people living in poverty by removing yet another means of actually helping them.
People are homeless for a variety of reasons, including physical disabilities, mental disabilities, economic hardship, addictions, etc., etc. This is a complex problem that is not going away anytime soon. However, by helping people meet their most basic needs, we alleviate some suffering and provide the safety and stability needed to change lives.
So, assuming you agree with me that it is a horrific violation of people's rights and dignity to prohibit providing food for the poor, what can we do about it? As much as I would like to lead hundreds of people to Fort Lauderdale to host a large protest and publicly feed every homeless person we encounter, that is not a realistic option for most of us, myself included.
But, just because we can't make grandiose gestures, just because we can't rewrite broken and cruel laws, doesn't mean we are powerless. If you don't like what the city of Fort Lauderdale is doing, then let them know about it.
Thanks to the magic of Google, I found the address for the local government of Fort Lauderdale. I listed the information below.
City Hall
100 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Perhaps if a collective campaign can be organized, one in which Mayor Jack Seiler is bombarded with wave after wave of mail protesting the city's cruelty, the local government may cave under public pressure and media scrutiny. In particular, I believe an effective campaign could be organized around sending post cards to the Fort Lauderdale City Hall. Buying a post card, listing a personal reason why we should be helping poor people, and mailing it takes 10 minutes at the most. Its an easy way to spread a viral message. At the very least, we can bring more attention to this cause. Sure, nothing may change, but that's never been a good excuse to be inactive. Its never been an excuse to be apathetic. Let's change that, starting today.
