Vegas has illegalized feeding the homeless. Good law or ridiculous?

[Lucky... 0]

What do you think, is this a vegrancy law in reverse? Instead of incriminating being poor, incriminate the people who care for them or are at least humane to them.

Furthermore, I don't have the language of the law, but how do you prove that a person knows if another is homeless? So they're sitting on a park bench and they stink; is that definitive proof?

[micro 0]

wha??? it's illegal in vegas now to give a homeless person a sammich?

does this apply to just panhandlers? what about charities who go out looking for homeless people to feed who aren't begging? I'd like more info.

i'd have a real problem either way. I don't give money to panhandlers, but I've often given snackbars, drinks, even whole meals to panhandlers, homeless people, whomever. Who is the law to tell me I can't perform an act of charity?

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[nanook 1]

I say it's a good law. It was made to prevent the homeless from congregating in public parks. Their numbers have increased greatly over the last decade and people are afraid of taking their families to the parks.

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"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[billvon 3,119]

If such things were truly illegal, I'd be in jail now. The best sort of assistance for the poor is direct; people/church groups who provide them food and shelter. I'd be very much against making such charity illegal.

[micro 0]

I'm putting two items on a big scale, a scale that measures "importance"... on one side of the scale, I'm putting "people taking their families to public parks." On the other side of the scale, I'm putting "hunger/homelessness." Now, I'm watching which way the scale is tipping.

Anyone know which way the scale is tipping?

You can't sweep away the problem of homelessness by criminalizing works of charity. And to think it will rid the parks of congregating homeless folk is loony, I think.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[nanook 1]

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I'm putting two items on a big scale, a scale that measures "importance"... on one side of the scale, I'm putting "people taking their families to public parks." On the other side of the scale, I'm putting "hunger/homelessness." Now, I'm watching which way the scale is tipping

In vegas, it's tipping towards the families.

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You can't sweep away the problem of homelessness by criminalizing works of charity.

You're right. Homelessness won't go away but you can move it somewhere else. You can move the problem to areas where organizations can more effectively help them out, for instance.

They are at the parks because being there is the easiest place to be. If you make it harder, they will go to the next easiest place.

There are various reasons people are homeless. A lot of them made bad choices in life and aren't making good choices to get back up, a lot have psychological issues. But making it easy for them to be homeless will not help them or help us help them.

Some charities reward bad behavior.

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[kelpdiver 2]

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Furthermore, I don't have the language of the law,

Let's not bother with the actual details....

[shropshire 0]

We should also discourage tipping..... it only encourages people to beg....... Jezz get a proper job people.




Hide all the poor people away... it's for their own good.


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(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[feuergnom 29]

can you say troll?

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[akarunway 1]

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What do you think, is this a vegrancy law in reverse? Instead of incriminating being poor, incriminate the people who care for them or are at least humane to them.

Furthermore, I don't have the language of the law, but how do you prove that a person knows if another is homeless? So they're sitting on a park bench and they stink; is that definitive proof?

Orlando, Florida just did the same thinghttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-lochomeless0206aug02,0,4940813.story?track=rss

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[labrys 0]

There is no ban on feeding the homeless in Las Vegas except in city parks.

Owned by Remi #?

[rushmc 23]

Feed them, and they will come.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Lucky... 0]

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I'm putting two items on a big scale, a scale that measures "importance"... on one side of the scale, I'm putting "people taking their families to public parks." On the other side of the scale, I'm putting "hunger/homelessness." Now, I'm watching which way the scale is tipping

In vegas, it's tipping towards the families.

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You can't sweep away the problem of homelessness by criminalizing works of charity.

You're right. Homelessness won't go away but you can move it somewhere else. You can move the problem to areas where organizations can more effectively help them out, for instance.

They are at the parks because being there is the easiest place to be. If you make it harder, they will go to the next easiest place.

There are various reasons people are homeless. A lot of them made bad choices in life and aren't making good choices to get back up, a lot have psychological issues. But making it easy for them to be homeless will not help them or help us help them.

Some charities reward bad behavior.

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In vegas, it's tipping towards the families.

Or against corporate losses. I don't believe the real reason is for families, even if that's what they say, it's about it being unsitely for tourists and hurting visiting dollars.

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You're right. Homelessness won't go away but you can move it somewhere else. You can move the problem to areas where organizations can more effectively help them out, for instance.

Right, homeless shelters. Butthat would cost money and that is out of the question and the driver for this law.

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They are at the parks because being there is the easiest place to be.

Well, they have more exposure to the public, which means more of a chance to get fed. Pigeons hang out there too for the same reasons.

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If you make it harder, they will go to the next easiest place.

And then that will be criminalized. Actually the parks aren't the easiest, they have been thrown outof casinos.

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There are various reasons people are homeless. A lot of them made bad choices in life and aren't making good choices to get back up, a lot have psychological issues.

Right, so calling them criminals or calling the people who try to ease their pain, criminals IS the answer to mentally ill or otherwise dysfunctional people. This is what seperates us from Socialized nations; corporate profits before people.

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But making it easy for them to be homeless will not help them or help us help them.

You're making a lot of sense here, I think it might be easier to be homeless than to go to work...... hmmmmm, I've got a big decision to make here.

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Some charities reward bad behavior.

Yes, being menatlly ill is bad behavior, bad genes, bad, now punish the host.

[Lucky... 0]

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Furthermore, I don't have the language of the law,

Let's not bother with the actual details....

I've seen it in the news for days now. I would have to live in a vacuum not to have heard about it. I will do a 5 second internet search since you don't believe me.

[Lucky... 0]

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We should also discourage tipping..... it only encourages people to beg....... Jezz get a proper job people.




Hide all the poor people away... it's for their own good.


.

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We should also discourage tipping..... it only encourages people to beg

Considering tipped employees are taxed on assumed tips whether they earn them or not, how is it that they are begging. That statement illustrates a lot.

[Richards 0]

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You can't sweep away the problem of homelessness by criminalizing works of charity. And to think it will rid the parks of congregating homeless folk is loony, I think.

[Lucky... 0]

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What do you think, is this a vegrancy law in reverse? Instead of incriminating being poor, incriminate the people who care for them or are at least humane to them.

Furthermore, I don't have the language of the law, but how do you prove that a person knows if another is homeless? So they're sitting on a park bench and they stink; is that definitive proof?

Orlando, Florida just did the same thinghttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-lochomeless0206aug02,0,4940813.story?track=rss

Yea, I heard that and I think another city did too. I have a feeling that these won't hold up to appellate scutiny..... wait, the generous, humane party is in control of the SCOTUS, maybe they will hold up.

[Lucky... 0]

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There is no ban on feeding the homeless in Las Vegas except in city parks.

OK, that's right, does it make it less silly? Vagrancy laws have long been declared unConstitutional, so now they want to go after the charitible people.

[Lucky... 0]

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Feed them, and they will come.

Don't feed them and they will die, in the parks.

[Lucky... 0]

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You can't sweep away the problem of homelessness by criminalizing works of charity. And to think it will rid the parks of congregating homeless folk is loony, I think.

Is the law aimed at legitimate charities who operate in a controlled environment or just at individuals who give food directly to panhandlers? I can see the need for trying to minimise harrassing behavior from panhandlers. I give to the food bank but I generally avoid giving directly to panhandlers. We have had problems here in Toronto with aggressive panhandlers who will badger people and in some cases threaten or attack people. I am all for charity but I can see a need for controlling panhandling.

Richards

[Andy9o8 2]

The ordinance is blatantly unconstitutional.
The way it's written, if I'm walking through a park and give a sandwich to a homeless person, I'm breaking the law.
It's not a question of whether it will be overturned by the courts, it's just a matter of when.

[Lucky... 0]

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If such things were truly illegal, I'd be in jail now. The best sort of assistance for the poor is direct; people/church groups who provide them food and shelter. I'd be very much against making such charity illegal.

Well, they are illegal, perhaps not in your city.

http://www.airamerica.com/markriley/node/292

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-20-Thu-2006/news/8589438.html

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The city's new ordinance, which officials could begin enforcing as early as Friday, defines an indigent as a "person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance" from the government under state law.

So how is it that a person is supposed to define a person who could receive public assistance from person who could not? I've received unemployment compensation in the past, so don't give me a sammich if I pass by a Vegas park.

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"This is not a punishment; this is to help people," Goodman said. "The people who provide sandwiches have good intentions, but they're enabling people not to get the help that is needed."

Why not bus them to the shelters then, jackass? Oh, could it be that there are no or very limited public assistance outlets?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/us/28homeless.html

To ensure the horrible liberal media isn't skewing this, here's FOX:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,204854,00.html

[billvon 3,119]

>Feed them, and they will come live.

[shropshire 0]

Sheeeet. You've got homeless people in America? When you spend sooooo much money on offensive weapons and liberating people on the other side of the globe.Yet your government is unable or unwilling to put it's hand in it's pocket to look after it's own citizens..... what kind of world do we live in?


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(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[rehmwa 2]

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If such things were truly illegal, I'd be in jail now. The best sort of assistance for the poor is direct; people/church groups who provide them food and shelter. I'd be very much against making such charity illegal.

Exactly - private and direct charities is the best way to do it. not government sponsored. So, is the law aligned with that stance?

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