Fort Lauderdale Business Owners: We Back the City on Homeless Feeding Regulations
Although the issue of sharing food with the homeless is viral right now, when the TV news station vans drive off, the city's businesses in downtown will still be there.Haylee Becker
Some-business owners like Robin Merrill from the Upper Room Art Gallery are taking their support for the new food sharing regulations to the Twitterverse. Before Planting Peace President Aaron Jackson popped up in front of City Hall with 30 pizzas yesterday, Merrill posted a status backing the city.
See also: Fort Lauderdale's Controversial Homeless Feeding Restrictions Spark National Outrage
"I believe the Earth belongs to everyone, whether you have a roof over your head or not. But being a Good Neighbor is another thing. I would enjoy local homeless who are respectful and clean up and courteous," posted Merrill. "But most here are littering, relieving their body in front of our stores, and shunning any support services offered to them except food. I'm only talking about this street. The demographics of homelessness are very diverse, and we need to support the variety of outreaches we have."
On the status, Merrill commented with photos of the debris left in front of her business:
Later, Merrill, a Christian missionary who says she suffers lung and nerve damage from years of working with the poor in the Philippines, told New Times the issue goes beyond the right to be fed. "We did open-air feedings all the time in the Philippines, so why would I be opposed to it here?"
She added that the issue has "gotten blown out of proportion" and that the new regulations on outdoor food sharing are not enough.
"These laws are not strong enough," said Merrill. "We have some mentally ill homeless that have been there for over a decade. We're calling the police on literally the same people. Guys who are screaming death threats at the top of their voice... who refuse to get help."
The issue is nuanced for Merrill, who also blames the city for poor communication.
"The city has come at the issue too little too late, and that's for darned sure, and now they're really getting hit hard," Merrill said. "They're not blameless, but in this regard, I do fully support these ordinances, and I feel that they need to be tweaked, and the government has promised that they will. This is going to be a work in progress."
When asked if the city should provide a list of indoor places for the homeless to be fed, Merrill doubled down.
"People kicked the can down the road a little too long, and now that they're trying to fix it, there's a backlash. The city has big communication issues... It shouldn't be NGOs handing out lists of where to get fed."
In 2010, Broward County Public Schools' Student Services Department released a "Homeless Survival Guide" with a list of places to go for meals.
See also: Group Hunger Strike and Protest at Mayor's House Planned in Opposition to Homeless Laws (Video)
While 90-year-old Arnold Abbott was feeding the homeless inside the Fifth Avenue Temple Church of God after debating Mayor John P. "Jack" Seiler, the Riverside Market's Facebook page featured this November 9 status:
General Manager of the Riverside Market Julian Siegel agrees with Merrill about the city's handling of the issue.
"Everyone is working as fast as they can, as expeditiously as possible, to go ahead and resolve this issue. Personally, I'm not a fan of the feeding on the lawn by the library, because I have children and we like to ride our bikes to the library," said Siegel. "My theory, feeding is a Band-Aid, not a solution. These activists want to threaten my family and my business? Insane."
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