I can be pretty cynical about "the homeless" and the pollyannaish approach to them by some of their advocates, but this seems pretty harsh even to me:
Feeding the homeless is usually seen as a charitable act beyond reproach. But three members of national activist group Food Not Bombs found themselves on the other side of the law in Orlando, Fla. Wednesday for doing just that in a public park, an act that violates a city ordinance.
The three were arrested for, according to spokesperson for the Orlando police, “intentionally violat[ing] the statute,” which bans feeding groups larger than 25 people in the park without a permit. Groups can apply for a permit for each location twice a year.
Douglas Coleman, a spokesman for the group, sees the issue differently: “They basically carted them off to jail for feeding hungry people.”
This sounds like the rules against feeding the animals in some state partks -- you know, because they'll get used to it and starve when we're not there to hand out the food. Don't feed those poor wretches (unless you send the 26th one on his way) -- it'll just encourage them! I can appreciate the necessity of crafting public policy to discourage undesirable congregations, but this goes at least a step too far. It's food, man.
