On the third Saturday of every month for the past three years, volunteers for the mission have handed out meals at places such as City Hall Park. The offering was in addition to the three meals a day they serve inside their building at 97 South Main Street.
“It was a service we were offering free of charge to be a blessing to the homeless,” said Executive Director Willie Parish, Jr. “All we were doing was just a continuation of what we do on a daily basis.”
In December, however, Parish said Seattle police told them they were no longer allowed to serve food at the park.
City officials say the restriction is nothing new, and that Bread of Life simply operated in the park for three years without being caught or reported.
Entire article by Brandi Kruse on new restrictions to feeding the homeless.
Thanks to Gerry Musgrave for the pointer.
City Hall probably doesn’t want Bread for Life encroaching on its territory. If any organization is going to create dependency, it needs to be City Hall, where the largess can be attributed to a benevolent government and used to buy votes!
The typical case of a good deed gone wrong..
If they had been doing that for three years, why come now and keep them from continuing offering food to these people? They are not doing anything wrong people!
This is so dumb. Further proof that the Government thrives on making people dependent on them instead of the other way around.
I really don’t like the police. This is yet another demonstration of people following through on flawed rules without thinking.
I find this absolutely perverse. The welfare aspect of the local government exists to augment care for the needy and indigent, not to crush operations of any Good Samaritans.
While I respect the City’s desire maximize aid to the homeless, and keep their parks tidy, this move epitomizes all that is wrong with the Nanny State.
Wow! I was saddened to read this. There is fine balance between when you should apply the letter of the law and when you should apply the spirit of the law.