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  • Why Were A 90-year-old Man And Two Pastors Arrested For feeding The Homeless In Florida?

    11.05.2014 | News | |

    Believe it or not, south Florida police officers arrested homeless advocate Arnold Abbot and ministers Dwayne Black and Mark Sims for feeding homeless people in a Fort Lauderdale park.

    The three men were reportedly in violation of a new city ordinance that restricts public feeding of homeless people.

    “One of the police officers said, ‘Drop that plate right now,’ as if I were carrying a weapon,” Abbott told WPLG. “It’s man’s inhumanity to man is all it is.”

    The three good Samaritans are now facing up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

    “I’m going to have to go back to court again and sue the city of Fort Lauderdale,” said Abbott who runs a nonprofit group called Love Thy Neighbor, Inc. “These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don’t have a roof over their heads. How do you turn them away?”

    “I’m trying to work with the city. Any human has the right to help his fellow man,” he said.

    Dwayne Black is the head pastor at The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale. Mark Sims is pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs.

    The city says there must be a toilet present whenever food is being distributed.

    Bottom line: Elderly men and pastors could be hauled off to jail for feeding the homeless just as historic numbers of Americans are living in poverty and as more people are on food stamps than ever before.


    Jerome Hudson

    Managing Editor

    Jerome Hudson has written for numerous national outlets, including The Hill, National Review, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was recognized as one of Florida’s emerging stars, having been included in the list “25 Under 30: Florida’s Rising Young Political Class.” Hudson is a Savannah, Ga. native who currently resides in Florida.

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