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[houstonchronicle] In first trial for feeding homeless outside Houston library, jury finds Food Not Bombs not guilty (archive.today)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Food Not Bombs, a volunteer group that feeds the homeless, was issued tickets by Houston police for distributing meals outside the Central Library in violation of a city ordinance. At the first trial for one of the volunteers, Phillip Picone, the jury found him not guilty. The city claims the ordinance is meant to connect homeless people with social services, while Food Not Bombs argues it violates their freedoms and rights. During the trial, the police officer testified that he issued the ticket but that he also likes feeding the homeless. In his closing argument, Picone's lawyer argued there was reasonable doubt since the group had been feeding people there for years with the city's permission. The jury unanimously found Picone not guilty, which his lawyer saw as confirmation of his faith in doing good for the poor.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Typical red states. The cruelty is the point.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

Here in New York City folks were distributing free bagels to the homeless. Out of concern for the food safety aspect of it all, our government helpfully disrupted the work and dumped bleach over the bagels to protect the needy from potentially unsafe food.

When the authorities finished their good work, the hungry folks proceeded to eat bleach-tainted bagels.

Governments don't need to be red to do awfully stupid awful things.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I agree with you, but that line of thought doesn't apply here. Houston is famously one of the big three blue bastions in Texas, arguably the bluest, and this is a city ordinance. As a Texan, I'd expect this ordinance literally anywhere except Houston, honestly (and possibly Austin).

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but Houston's approach to homelessness is considered by some to be one of the most successful in the nation, and one of the components as I understand is to coordinate care for the homeless through a central agency, which then refers individuals to other programs and agencies. The idea is that it reduces duplication of effort. I'm not sure if this ordinance is related, though.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, in that case, it seems to me that the right move is to add Food Not Bombs to the network and allow the city to refer people to them. This is a group of people who clearly care about their community, and they should be given every tool to help them succeed.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah absolutely. Please don't take from my earlier comment that I agree that this group should have been ticketed.