Man's Trial Over Feeding Homeless Begins

[The Straight Story]

Man's Trial Over Feeding Homeless Begins
City Says Charity Can't Serve More Than 25 People At One Time


ORLANDO, Fla. -- A jury was seated and opening statements were set to begin on Monday in the trial of a man who was arrested for feeding homeless people in Orlando.

Eric Montanez was arrested several months ago on suspicion of serving more than 25 homeless people, which Orlando police said violates a city ordinance forbidding large group feedings.

The ordinance states that a charity can feed up to 25 people at a time.

Montanez, the first person to be arrested under the ordinance, said he doesn't regret it.

"This is not about me. This is not about an iconic figure. This is about hunger and the homeless," Montanez said. "The people are hungry. That's the honest-to-God truth."

http://www.local6.com/news/14292731/detail.html

[Bill McBlueState]

1. didn't something like this happen in the book of Mark?

I mean, it didn't precisely, but it could have.

[DemoTex]

3. Yeppers. Matthew 25:40 (KJV).

Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Rock-on Christian City in Christian State in the most Christian Nation. Jesus would be proud.

http://www.hit-country-music-lyrics.com/johnnycashlyrics-mancomesaround.html (speakers on)

[Paulie]

5. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

One of the few quotes from the bible I really feel in my own heart.

[slackmaster]

2. We have a tag-and-release program for them in San Diego

Our homeless people look like pirates. In most cities they look like zombies.

[Mojorabbit]

4. We are still feeding them here in Orlando

They actually put up a fence around the picnic area with a padlocked gate a few weeks ago. They got so many complaints from the parkgoers they had to take it down. You can never be sure if you are going to get popped or not but there is a lawyer form the ACLU there just in case.

[LibDemAlways]

6. I have a friend whose daughter recently took a job at a

Borders bookstore cafe. On her first day at work she was instructed at the end of her evening shift to throw out the cookies and muffins that had not been sold that day. She gathered them up and headed for the dumpster out back where she found a homeless woman waiting. The homeless woman told the girl she was going to go though the dumpster and retrieve the cookies and muffins for herself. That struck the teenager as gross, so she said to the woman, "Don't do that. Here take them."

Another employee getting into a car nearby overheard the exchange and reported the girl to management. She was called into the manager's office and told what she had done was grounds for termination, but that since this was her first day and she didn't "know any better", they'd deduct the cost of the baked goods from her first paycheck - which they did.

These sorts of incidents point, I think, to a cruel inhumanity that has taken hold today. Being arrested or threatened with the loss of a job for feeding the homeless. Unbelievable.

[Javaman]

9. Similar story, but a few years back...

this was back in the 80's. A buddy of mine worked at mcd's, at the end of the shift they had to "inventory" everything that was cooked but not eaten. Then they had to "destroy" the food so no homeless person could eat it out of the trash.

first, I didn't want to know what they did to the food to "destroy" it, gave me the creeps. but second, why didn't they want the homeless people to get it?

he said that if they gave it to the homeless, they would come to expect the free food and not come into the store to buy it. I paused. I then said, "but they can't afford it now?". My friend agreed and thought the policy was really stupid.

He would "destroy" the food, per say, but then hand it out instead of throwing it away. His form of destroying it was just to cut it up.

we have such a wealth of everything in this glutenous society of ours, yet we don't give away what we don't need or use.

this was one of the first of the truly many reasons I started hating mcd's.

[Sequoia]

10. Heartless. What's with that "snitch" co-worker any way?

[Arkansas Granny]

16. This may help to shed a little light on this practice. Several years

ago one of my kids worked at a fast food place. When they closed at night they had to take any food that had been prepared, but not sold, to the dumpster. When asked about this procedure the explanation was that if the food could be taken home or given away it would encourage the workers to prepare far more food than was needed for their shift in order to have lots of "leftovers" at the end of the night. :shrug: I would think that the better solution would be to arrange for someone to collect the food at close of business each night for donation to a homeless shelter.

[Vinca]

7. What the hell has this country come to? nt

[Rex]

8. Jesus would approve, good thing he won't get any airtime in court!

Like, what does he know anyway! Helping people! Fah! Now where have I heard the term 'large group feedings' before? Hmm, lemme think...

[SoCalDem]

11. I was hoping it was a two sentence title

Man's Trial Over.
Feeding Homeless Begins.

but alas.. this is 'Merika :(

[Mojorabbit]

17. We are still feeding them here in Orlando

and will continue till they put us all in the slammer.

[Swamp Rat]

12. The teachings of Jesus are on trial.

They, the ones who most loudly claim their belief in him and demand the same of you, will crucify him over and over again.

[Az]

13. This is humanity on trial

Anything that serves to keep us connected together as compassionate human beings is torn down by these monsters. Forget about individual religious beliefs. This is Corporate Greed vs Human Decency.

[Swamp Rat]

15. There's that too

Nevertheless, I like the idea of stating it in biblical terms for those of us humans out there who claim to believe in Jesus. ;)

[guitar man]

14. Oh no you don't

"We ain't a gonna have no damn long hairs comin' round here causin' this kind of trouble......your ass is goin to jail boy!" :eyes:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. good one.

amazing. between shit like this and the democratic spinal evacuation on FISA, I am in shock.

[AlecBGreen]

19. Matthew chapter 25

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’

[Bandit]

20. Is there any way this man can be crucified?

Maybe if they hung him up on a cross the message would get out. Do not feed people it is unAmerican...

[file83]

22. LOL - I'm thinking that we should maybe give him a crown of thorns first?

[Trillo]

21. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ...

... or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Seems to me like hunger is a "grievance" -- Oh, this is a "state". Funny how a state can legislate the perpetration of grievances like "hunger", but Congress cannot.