March 30, 2004
"Please Don't Feed the Birds People"
Activists arrested for easing hunger:
The arrests of two young men who joined a group feeding the hungry in a downtown park have reignited debate about the city's attitude toward the homeless.Posted by Norwood at March 30, 2004 03:46 PMThe attention comes on the heels of The Salvation Army quietly ending an evening feeding program in Tampa - and as activists, in Tallahassee today for Homeless Advocacy Day, fight legislation they say unfairly targets the homeless.
Mark Parrish went to Tampa's Massey Park on March 21 for a picnic-style gathering of Food Not Bombs, a group that promotes feeding the homeless. The 24-year-old Tampa man ended up arrested by city police on a trespassing charge.
``You can feed the pigeons in the park, but you can't feed the homeless,'' he said Monday. ``It's just not right.''
......The arrests were news to Rayme Nuckles, executive director of the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County. He said he wished the group had contacted him for guidance, but he supports efforts to bring attention to the issue.
``It's always good that people challenge authority from some perspective,'' he said.
Nuckles is in Tallahassee supporting the statewide homeless coalition and helping to fight a proposed bill that would allow for people with more than five misdemeanor arrests to serve six to 12 months in jail.
Tampa drew criticism last fall when Iorio stepped up enforcement at parks. Opponents accused her of trying to run out the homeless. She argued she had a duty to make the city a place where everyone felt comfortable.
``The sad thing is, you have a city that has not designated anywhere to feed the homeless,'' said Kristin Taylor of THORN Ministries, which feeds thousands of people at five locations each week. ``Where should we go?''
