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106 Comments
- J3Holaday, on 10/12/2007, -7/+68You're still allowed to give away your money in Vegas, but only to wealthy casino owners. It's insane!
- atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -9/+63I think this is STUPID and not constitutional, people should be free to give whatever they want to whomever they want as long as the object is not illicit (drugs). So leaving aside the humanitry reasons this is a matter of personal freedoms.
- missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -5/+53Wait a second. The government is going to tell me that I can't give away money that I worked for and can spend as I please? How the hell did this pass?
- fubar109, on 10/12/2007, -5/+33And the stupid part is, when you go to jail, you get free food.
- johndi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26Feed the people in front of city hall, and the mayors house.
- Pburgdwller, on 10/12/2007, -7/+30This is ridiculous. You can't give them money because some of them will just go buy alcohol or drugs. I hope their backup plan works.
- saxman13ga, on 10/12/2007, -7/+26$1,000 is rather steep for just giving someone food.
They violate several of ammendments here. - Auxon, on 10/12/2007, -16/+34They banned SOUP KITCHENS.
- Auxon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Banning charity in a gambling town. Is there really any doubt that this is just wrong?
- CaptShmo, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22las vegas doesn't want their pretty little tourist haven dirtied by bums that their city probably helped to create. they should take on the responsibility of moving and caring for these people if they want them out of their town, not shifting the responsibility to us. my two cents.
- Desolite, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19@Auxon: Does that make them... Soup Nazis? ;D
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+21If I had the homeless around my home, hanging out, I wouldn't want to have people feeding them either.
- n0sferatu, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18Aljazeera isn't "anti-american news", it sounds like you've bought into the administration's propaganda against them. Also, concerning your statement that they don't know what is going on in the US, you do know they have a bureau in Washington, DC right? Granted, it's new but it's a start. I would argue that american-owned news stations are more anti-american than Aljazeera. Of course, maybe you're just calling them anti-american because they don't report the news with a strong pro-american bias as does CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etc.
- stukdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I live here in Vegas. There are plenty of places for homeless to go and eat still. The main reason this was passed was to stop feeding at a park on Charleston and Maryland Parkway. It's a strangely placed park that is right in the middle of the road. (N bound on one side, S bound on the other). There are always tons of homeless people staying there and as a result, the crime is very high in the area. There are two elementary schools nearby and a highschool down the road.
Homeless people hang out here because this is where the mobile kitchens come to so often. Now that mobile kitchens are illegal, they are migrating to the soup kitchens and other places that are prepared for them. These are in areas that are much safer and don't have little kids walking around. - intricate, on 10/12/2007, -22/+35Feeding the homeless will only lead to a never-ending cycle of them never getting a job and only relying on people to feed and pay them for doing nothing to contribute to society. But I do understand that some people really hit rock bottom and do need the help to survive.
- Athyrius, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15I have lived in Las Vegas. These are the facts on the ground. 100f to 120f in the shade in the summer, a summer that can last 6 months. Nothing surrounding you but cement and asphalt that never cools at night. The very air can scorch your lungs. Your nose waters and runs as your sinuses attempt to keep cool and hydrated. You constantly feel weak and can pass out by just walking a few blocks.
And that is for someone young and in shape.
Most of these people on the street are veterans- most seek out the coolest areas to stay- or they will die. The soup kitchens are located in areas of urban blight- old factory areas with nowhere to sit, no shade or water along the way and no place to rest. Imagine traveling a few miles to the nearest soup kitchen a few times a day in those conditions - just to eat. For many it is physically impossible. Safer to starve, in truth.
The casinos kick anyone out who is not washed and dressed properly- so no worries about these guys dumping money in slots.
This law will kill people. Vegas spent millions in prettying up a park. How about spending some of that money to help these homeless? - twiztedambience, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17AlJazeer is a decent piece of journalism in an area where journalism doesn't exist. Before you bad mouth it, try reading their articles.
However, the BBC article was better for this. AlJazeer is best for mid-east news since their stingers in the US aren't really established much. - missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13I wouldn't either. Stationary kitchens and shelters seem like a better idea than going out to parks, and leaving folks there when the kitchens drive away. However, it sounds like they banned the whole practice, including those hand outs from regular people.
- digitaldater, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Although I agree with you on personal freedoms, the city sees handouts as perpetuating a problem that they have to deal with.
If you know you are going to give a homeless person money only for them to shoot up instead of eat, would you still give it to them? Morally I could not feed a persons drug habits knowing that they will not go hungry with so many available services to them.
I don't see helping the homeless as bad but there are more effective ways to do it than supporting panhandlers.
Hopefully the city has ramped up their programs offered to the homeless before they passed this law. Cities and counties really piss me off when they don't do that.
Community responsibility means volunteering. Of course it is easier to just pass on a five spot, but that is avoiding the issue. - billbd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I LIVE BY THIS PARK WHERE THE LAW WAS BASED UPON.
The problem was that there was a group of people who advertised with flyers around the city that they would be feeding the homeless at the park. The homeless would gather and after the frenzy, there would be ***** everywhere. The park was trashed. The families/tax payers that attended the park protested to the city. They wanted their park back. The ACLU joined in for the feeders. The city saw it as a neighborhood who pays for the park and wants it nice to bring their kids to vs a group of people who trashed it and doesn't pay a dime for the park. - seether166, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Did you guys read the article?
"the ban was not aimed at casual handouts from Good Samaritans, the newspaper reported, but at so-called "mobile soup kitchens"
No one is banning the casual handout (not that that'd be "unconstitutional" anyway. They are just saying the completely obvious things like a big soup cart in the middle of a nice park is going to be eliminated.
It may be an unpopular opinion, but I think that the ban is actually a good thing. I would be a little annoyed if my favorite park became a hangout for homeless people all the time because the ice cream truck there kept giving away free food.
I'm not trying to be uncompassionate, I'm just saying that's what shelters are for... - JiMiThInG, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14As someone else mentioned how in the world is this constitutional? In a free country how can it be illegal for me to give food to another human? It should not matter if they are homeless or president of the United States. I also agree with the poster who said this is the city wanting to sweep the homeless problem under the rug, for the swarms of tourist it bring in. I can see how some people say feeding the homeless makes them less self supporting. However I am one of those bleeding heart types who doesn't want to see another human starve if their is something I can do about with in my sphere of influence.
- Anth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Eh, they only banned it in parks. You can still feed the homeless anywhere else.
- lukeydukey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8But of course they don't mind those hispanic people on the strip handing out free flyers for strippers and hookers.
- fauxXenophanes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7so if half of the homeless feed the other half, the 1st half get free shelter and food for their troubles!
- twiztedambience, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yo, everyone read the article. Half of you are talking out of your ass.
And as for the conservative guy in the mix that opposes most social services: first of all, how is not helping social services a conservative thing to do?
Secondly, if you oppose them, how else do you expect any help to come to the homeless? Should we give every homeless person 10 bucks? Will that help their mental illness problem which Reagan helped by kicking them out to the streets? Will that ensure they get help getting a structured life, a mentor perhaps and safety, or a job?
The answer is no for the most part. You're best off using your money to donate to a good agency - maybe even get involved and volunteer. I'm guessing if you're handing out 10 - 20 dollar bills, you're probably being duped into believing some wild ***** - especially if you don't know much about how things really work. Besides, not everyone just needs money - clothing, food, services, a shelter, healthcare are all things that help.
Not to discourage you from handing out 20 dollar bills - but be smarter than you are and understand this is a complicated problem. - dgh1973, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8This is pretty stupid. I agree with some of the posters above in that I never hand out cash... I find the irony of a homeless person sitting at the side of an off ramp looking for handouts in a pile of 20-30 cigarette butts (while smoking) to be a bit too much. I give him a buck and he'll take that and $3 more and get himself a pack of Marlboro's. Maybe if it's a good day he'll get a bottle of something to.
These people need food and job skills, cash only adds to their problems. - missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I usually don't because it's my money, and if the guy's really intent on getting food, there are shelters and kitchens all around this city. I really don't give a rat's ass what he's spending it on if I give it to a genuine homeless guy, but I don't like the idea of giving money to someone who scams people for a living.
- danlovejoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5This looks like a freedom of association case to me. Freedom of association is not explicitly guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has held that this freedom cannot be abridged when it constrains speech, but can be abridged to ensure public safety, to reduce litter, etc.. I'm sure that will be the city's defense if this goes to court.
The First Amendment Center has a great article about it here: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/assembly/topic.aspx?topic=freedom_association - merc22, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10They are not talking about banning all soup kitchens, just the "mobile kitchens".
"Officials said the ban was not aimed at casual handouts from Good Samaritans, the newspaper reported, but at so-called "mobile soup kitchens".
I used to live in Detroit. The block would clear out for trouble when the Salvation Army kitchen pulled up in the middle of downtown. 40s be crackin, free lunch be eatin. Now if they had to go into a building to eat, where they would be harassed about getting a job, maybe they might start thinking about it.
For all those who are so righteous, you have never been mugged by a bum. Have a rusty knife pointed at your face, maybe you might change your mind on a few issues. - Rndm_Tngnt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Listen, It seems really awful and inhumane, but people that work with the homeless agree that this is for the best.
For some excellent commentary on this legislation check out the Penn Radio Archives.
http://podcast.penn.freefm.com/penn/21558.mp3 - danlovejoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I agree that this is heavy-handed. There don't need to be laws in place to fix every real and perceived social ill. People tend to go to government to pass laws as the first option. Laws restricting our freedom should be the last resort, not the first.
However, this headline is inflammatory and deceitful. It's not the act of feeding the homeless that's been outlawed. Feeding them in public parks has been outlawed. I don't think the law is right, but it's not as clear cut as "you a-holes have no humanity."
Please read up on these issues before making snap judgments. - Mesach, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5We will call your quotient the homeless half life.
Eventually only one homeless person will be left on the street, but how long will that take. - mfratt, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12I am very conservative, and opposed to most social service programs, but when I see a homeless person, I usually give him some money, usually $5, $10, or sometimes $20. Now, Nevada (I live in Mass) says I cant do that out of kindness, but rather they force it upon *everyone* (Read: Taxpayers) to pick up the tab. Absolutely rediculious.
- Dimensio, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Bury me
- duniyadnd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7@merc22
I've been robbed by people who I've known, should I stop making friends? Same way, robbed by one bum, doesn't mean all bums will rob you. Your logic is quite flawed. And helping someone in need for food (rather than give them money) doesn't mean that we are self righteous, some people just want to help other people, nothing wrong with that. - izzie2, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Once homeless for trusting the wrong woman,I need to say this.If you have never been there and been starving then you actually have no room to comment on homeless people and how they are.I happen to know first hand how hard it is to be homeless.You have to walk all day to get somewhere where you wont be hassled and then the fact that you have to carry whatever clothes you may have left everywhere you go adds to the problem..lets not mention if you are lucky enough to get a shower while the bible is being slammed down your throat,you still have no address to give an employer.Another non mentionable is the treatment like you have leoprosy from anyone who walks by.Granted there are good samaritans but most usually only come out to help when others are watching i.e. hurricane katrina.Under the smell and ratty clothes most times lies a PERSON(human being) who needs more than a meal and a dollar or 2.The bums that sit on the exit ramp are just that ..BUMS..Just my 2 cents worth.. save the penny, because my opinions are never worth a nickle :P
- billucf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Orlando just passed a similar law where people can not feed the homeless in city parks. To get around the law, the organizations are passing out the food from their cars parked on the side of the road next to the park. Since they are not in the park, the police can not stop them.
- danlovejoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3How, pray tell, is it unconstitutional? Which article or amendment does this law violate?
- Ag3ntOrang3, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Then why dont you pick them all up and keep them at your house mr humanitarian
- djNullSpace, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3RTFA idiots:
"Officials said the ban was not aimed at casual handouts from Good Samaritans, the newspaper reported, but at so-called "mobile soup kitchens"." - danlovejoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Yes, they're all software developers and assembly line workers. Not a drug addict or mentally ill person among them.
/sarcasm - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3We can give out food to the homeless here in Las Vegas just cannot not setup a huge event where the homeless gather....
- G_Raph, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3What vegas needs to do is provide food and shelter for all the homeless people, but have all these shelters outside the city so that they are far away from the slots, the dealers, and the alcohol. Its a win, win, win scenario then because the tourists are never exposed to the homeless people, the homeless people can now have a place to stay and eat for free and are not distracted by what vegas has to offer, and the police don't have to worry about handing out stupid fines for people giving the homeless goods.
- joeyjoeyjoey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Its pretty funny reading the comments here because over half of the comments are based on the digg title only. The article says nothing about individuals giving handouts or anything of the sort.
But I guess that is the power of digg.... only read the title. - osc1882, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Las Vegas.... like we thought any better of them. It's the only city I know that runs adds on the radio that pretty much says " Las Vegas come here and cheat on your wife ." You might be thinking " so what OSC? it's all a bunch of fun. " No, it's really not, that husbin will brake the heart of the wife who will then in turn become super bitch for the rest of her life,and rightfuly so. That husbin most likely has kids, who will quickly become very lost and won't know what a real dad looks like when they become married so they will POS husbin when they grow up as well.
Now on top of this Las Vegas says, oh yeah, don't feed the homeless.
Sold thier soul to satan for some money, gay as hell. - WarpFox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3What's wrong with giving a homeless person money for drugs or alcohol? I mean, that's what I was going to spend it on.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think that a great many people have bought into the idea that the homeless are the "nobel homeless" that they read about in "the Grapes of Wrath". This just isn't the case. Most of todays homeless are winos, junkies, ex-cons and the mentally ill. Anywhere they gather in numbers, they are a serious crime problem.
In my city they are a menece- aggressively panhandling at best, breaking into cars, homes and businesses and mugging people at worse. Ever step in a big human turd on the sidewalk? Thank the homeless.
Why do "the homeless" constutional right to be bums and a nuisance trump everyone elses right to go about their business without being harrassed?
Soup kitchens may sound like a good idea but they are self defeating. All they do is enable bums and winos to do nothing and get fed. They have no incentive to change their behavior. If you don't feed the homeless, they will move on to where they are being fed.
It sounds like Vegas is fed up with the homeless and I don't blame them. It's just common sense: if you don't want stray cats, don't feed them. - Amnesia10, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Whilst Americans seem to believe in self reliance that is not always possible if you are mentally ill or have some other problem. So in Europe we have a welfare system that takes care of these things just in case we lose our jobs in the form of a welfare safety net. Yes we pay for it via taxes, almost like insurance against extreme poverty.
The American solution is to push it out of certain areas, "ethnic cleansing anyone"? since you are more likely to be poor and homeless if you are black. I doubt that many Americans remember the Depression where soup kitchens were everywhere.
I would imagine that none of the previous posters have ever seen a homeless shelter, they can be pretty dangerous at times, hence some distance themselves from them. So if they are not allowed to get food at mobile soup kitchens then wait till the bodies are found on Rodeo Drive before the world pity Americans for starving their poor rather than help them. Why not cut out the delay and set up extermination camps if you hate the homeless so much.
- Dimensio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Athyrius: first you say people go to great risks to go to these soup whatchathings, then at the end you turn around and say that getting rid of them will kill people. "
You have misread Athyrius's statement. The 'charity center' soup kitchens to which the homeless are now directed are the ones that pose a risk, not the mobile feeding centers that this new law bans. -
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