Are You Hungry?

Stop Mayor Michael Nutter's ban on feeding homeless Philadelphians on the streets. The policy prevents homeless persons, homeless veterans, disabled homeless veterans, and homeless families from receiving meals in public spaces. Since there has never been an epidemic of homeless persons being poisoned or becoming sick on the streets from receiving meals from churches, civic organizations, or non-profit organizations, the mayor's contentions that people can receive a safe meal in a confined space at the mayor's discretion is baseless, because there is no data that lends credence to this argument. The church started public soup kitchens and should be allowed to fulfill its moral and spiritual duties of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.

The mayor's actions are merely an attempt to persuade these organizations from feeding people who really need it. What is the mayor's plan to help these people beyond confining them in a space to eat? The homeless don't want to be confined to a space so that they can be served in an inhumane atmosphere while tourists can take pictures of them and the media can use this policy to take camera footage of them set up in an arena-like setting. These people are not refugees; they are Americans who have fallen on hard times. You can instead provide abandoned buildings to organizations who are trying to feed them and keep them off the streets, Mr. Mayor.