Aaron Jackson, CNN Hero, Distributes Pizza to Homeless Outside City Hall

Aaron.jpg
Dylan Bouscher
Aaron Jackson was prepared to be arrested for handing out 30 boxes of Little Caesars pizza in front of City Hall yesterday.

Instead, Fort Lauderdale Police officers cited Jackson, the president of Planting Peace who is known as a "CNN Hero" for his work deworming kids in Haiti and for painting a house the color of a rainbow in order to combat the hateful Westboro Baptist church. Police also cited Jill Machonis and Larry Murphy, two volunteers from the Homeless Voice newspaper, with notices to appear in court. Jackson says he'll be back in front of City Hall today at 4 p.m., while Homeless Voice founder Sean Cononie will be picketing outside Mayor John P. Jack Seiler's home Wednesday at 10 a.m.

See also: VIDEO: A 90-Year-Old and Two Clergymen Cited, Face Possible Jail Time, for Feeding the Homeless in Fort Lauderdale

"They want all people to be fed on the inside," says Jackson. "The reality is, a lot of homeless people have schizophrenia and things of this nature, and they don't want to go inside, so how do we deal with those people? They should have the right to be fed."

At 33, Jackson is also a former director of the COSAC Homeless Shelter, where the Homeless Voice operates. He expected the 30 pizzas to feed about 200 people in the area, while paper cups filled with electrolyte-infused Gatorade were offered to help the homeless wash down their dinner. "We can't disenfranchise those people; we must serve them... it should never be a crime to feed people, so if they choose to arrest us today, that's just how it'll have to be."

James Bonin, 55, has been homeless three years and was just walking past City Hall when he found out pizza was being handed out after spotting the news cameras.

"We don't have a list of the churches we're going to; nobody knows where to go to, to eat," Bonin says. "It's just not right what they're doing... The mayor ought to have more compassion for the people that are hungry. This is America; this isn't a third world country. Why are we letting people go hungry? ... It's just amazing that the city would go along with such a thing."

See also: Group Hunger Strike and Protest at Mayor's House Planned in Opposition to Homeless Laws

An hour after the popup handout began, there were roughly five boxes of pizza left.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler has been caught off-guard with the worldwide media attention the past week and has tried to publicize his point of view, and the city has set up a webpage called "Setting the Record Straight" in which Seiler writes:

Contrary to reports, the City of Fort Lauderdale is not banning groups from feeding the homeless. We have established an outdoor food distribution ordinance to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our community. The ordinance does not prohibit feeding the homeless; it regulates the activity in order to ensure it is carried out in an appropriate, organized, clean and healthy manner.

Still, Peter Paul Christian, 72, has been homeless 60 weeks and calls the new ordinance regulating food sharing inhumane.

"The mayor? Here, go fuck yourself," says Christian, raising his middle finger as he downs another bite of his cheese slice. "Young punk thinks he has it all figured out, doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground... Hey, pal, maybe you'll be homeless in three years, or in jail."

Food Sharing Protests:




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25 comments
frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

...............yeah those damn HOMELESS are always in the way:


A drunk 22-year-old girl crashed her Porsche Panamera into a parking lot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last month, killing two homeless men sleeping there. She then reportedly planned to flee the country.Alyza Russell lost control of her 2012 Porsche on the night of June 12th, screeching through an intersection, crashing through tall shrubs, and running through a parking lot. She struck two homeless men sleeping there, killing them both. It is unclear if she deliberately tried to flee the scene of the crime, according to grisly accounts of the scene. One man described the events toLocal 10 Newsas "something out of a movie."I thought it was a clump of dirt under the car, but it was who we call Slim. She went over here and stopped and then she started peeling out, it looked like. She was smoking her tires but she couldn't go anywhere because one guy was locked in the wheel.A toxicology test later discovered the art student living with parents had a BAC of 0.17, just over double the legal limit in Florida. The police had let Russell go home while they ran the test, and she allegedly planned to flee the country.Local 10 Newsreports that she told a coworker she was going to flee to Ireland, and the prosecutor in the case stated she made a payment to the British consulate equal to what you need to renew a passport. She has dual citizenship and her family had been planning a vacation there since before the crash.


Rj Petrucci
Rj Petrucci

thanks for making the problem worse Aaron for those of us that live in the downtown area -- nobody is saying not to feed the homeless just cooperate at do it in approved areas that do not create additional problems for those of us who live in Fort Lauderdale's downtown area.

Aaron James
Aaron James

I must say, I do enjoy being yelled at by someone that hasnt showered in a year when I am at a stop light. Even better when they start pounding on the windows and kicking my vehicle. And even way better when they are doing it to the guy in front of me and I can watch.

frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

Yup, there it is, the MAYOR kicking the homeless could only have been more picture perfect if ARNALD THOMAS-DARRAH did it !

What a show this is ! ..and with ABC News and CNN and PEOPLE magazine providing national coverage !.....just in time for SEASON !

The ft liquordale redneck good olde boyz should have NEVER built a luxury high-rise rental on the SOUTH side of the river = period = and they should have stuck to their PREDATORY TOWING schemes and under-the-table deals with the ft liquordale police in their restaurant and bar scams, many to screw-the-tourists every season, the simple local-yokels they are,  instead of trying out as wanna-be real estate developers like FORMAN and HUIZENGA

Perez is getting a good laugh out of this mess while he bulldozes STRANAHAN HOUSE in all the confusion

While the homeless will be well-fed for the short-term, the MAYOR will be on a steady diet of CROW for quite a while  !

frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

.......................actually the homeless have been here in ft liquordale for at least as far as i can remember going back to the mid-70s


THIS IS A REAL ESTATE PLAY - since new rentals downtwon have gone on-line to be marketed and promoted to this seasons snow-birds = period


typically the beach was the main attraction, and also LAS OLAS, but here in ft liquordale the redneck good olde boy local yokels in charge of the MAYOR have built a few buildings and now want downtown cleaned up so they can CASH IN on the snow-bird migration (certainly few year round residents can afford the luxury level rents approaching $4,ooo or more per month)

frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

The MAYOR kicking the homeless could only have been more picture perfect if ARNALD THOMAS-DARRAH did it !

lonianderson1979
lonianderson1979 topcommenter

I think people are overreacting to this ban. You can still feed the homeless just restricting the areas it's done. It would be nice if we could enjoy downtown instead of the park being used as a toilet.

wendymermaidart
wendymermaidart

Please explain how Aaron has made it worse.... and what he has made worse. There are laws in this country that prohibit targeting groups of people... that includes homeless people. If the mayor would like to arrest everyone sharing food in the parks and beaches during birthday parties, reunions, etc, then he is not targeting homeless. This is a smoke screen to keep what he feels to be undesirables hidden. I hope you never find yourself homeless.

frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

downtown has ALWAYS had homelessness, even before there was a defined "downtown",  and no one actually lived downtown primarily because of the COUNTY JAIL,  and of course,  because it was nicer to LIVE on the beach or the inter-coastal waterway and the homeless were "downtown"


then interst came to LAS OLAS, and north of the New River became popular for both residential and retail but the homeless then lived under the LAS OLAS bridge that has since become a MARINA sending those homeless into downtown


"downtown" was never intended to be residential because the JAIL and County Courthouse attracted a continual and dangerous element of criminals and hobos and vagrants and miscreants - BUT slick real estate developers conned people into "downtown" which was a BIG MISTAKE


then, of course, came the "downtown" night-life and another entire population of undesireables of loud and dirty drunk and puking masses,  driving in and out drunk,  which is why any residential units are aimed to snow-birds and tourists and other partying visitors - not year round occupants who seek quiet enjoyment


not even those who WORK downtown want to live downtown - they know better DESPITE the horrors of commuting by car = period

whateveryousay
whateveryousay topcommenter

He was handing out pizza.  Should they arrest the next person handing out pizza at a birthday party in a park or at City Hall?

whateveryousay
whateveryousay topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 So you are okay with making it a crime for one US citizen to feed other US citizens on public property without a permit?

These are people who have rights as US citizens. They are not some lesser class of US citizen.  If it is a public place they are allowed to be there and last I checked they were allowed to eat.  

What next?  Is the Mayhole going to make them get a permit to breathe, drink, sleep or any other necessary function of life?


whateveryousay
whateveryousay topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 How is feeding homeless people pizza any different than a parent feeding kids pizza for a birthday party in the same park?

whateveryousay
whateveryousay topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 @whateveryousay It will become an issue when someone calls the cops on a kids birthday party for not having the proper permit to distribute food in a public place.  When the law is not applied uniformly it is considered discriminatory and the ACLU will sue on behalf of the homeless.  Just google search Laguna Beach California Homeless Shelter Settlement.
Your Mayor is doing you a disservice.

frankd4
frankd4 topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 @whateveryousay


then WHY NOT close every BAR after say 11PM ?


and while we are at it,  WHY NOT move the COUNTY JAIL that releases a significant number of these hobos and vagrants and miscreants INTO the downtown area ?


HUH ?

DonkeyHotay
DonkeyHotay topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 ... and where, exactly, should homeless people piss and defecate? ... or get drunk and do drugs?



whateveryousay
whateveryousay topcommenter

@lonianderson1979 @whateveryousay This is about food. Just simply feeding people.  

All of those things you mentioned are covered by laws addressing those things.  If someone does drugs, defecates or harasses people in the park they should be arrested or cited.  

lonianderson1979
lonianderson1979 topcommenter

@whateveryousay @lonianderson1979 "This is about food. Just simply feeding people." No it's not. There are soup kitchens and outreach centers that can feed people and help connect them to programs. Nobody is stopping them.

If someone would be bring me free meals to my bed I would never get out of it.

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