Las Vegas Sued Over Homeless Feeding Law (Get 'em, ACLU!)

[theHandpuppet]

(Cross posting this from GD)

YESSSSSSS! And this, my friends, is why I'm a supporter of the ACLU!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NO_FEEDING_HOMEL...

Aug 2, 10:50 PM EDT
Las Vegas Sued Over Homeless Feeding Law

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Activists sued Wednesday to strike down a new city law that makes it illegal to feed homeless people in parks.

The law violates free speech, free assembly and other rights, says the federal suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

The suit was filed on behalf of five activists and the local chapter of Food Not Bombs, a national organization that describes its objective as "sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty."

The group and its members regularly served meals to homeless people in a Las Vegas park, angering neighbors and sparking the debate that led to the ordinance, passed July 19.

(snipping)

Violators face a fine up to $1,000 and as many as six months in jail. Seven people have been issued summonses, and three have been arrested...

MORE

[MrSlayer]

1. Six months in jail for feeding a homeless person?

How could a law like this even get passed?

[WindRavenX]

2. we're in America, dude

:(

[MrSlayer]

4. Yes but I didn't think we could be that cruel.

How naive of me. Where is the harm in giving a hungry person a sandwich?

[theHandpuppet]

5. Oh the irony

So its okay for their casinos to give away unlimited free food and drink, but let someone give a poor person a sandwich and you'll get six months in the slammer.

Ain't America grand?

[pinto]

3. Cool.

:thumbsup:

[theHandpuppet]

6. Homeless & Housing Organizations in Las Vegas -- Links

http://www.volunteermatch.org/bymsa/m4120/c3/org1.html

Organizations in Las Vegas, NV-AZ
VolunteerMatch has 15 Homeless & Housing related community based organizations in Las Vegas, NV-AZ looking for Volunteers just like you. Click on any organization title to to learn more about how you can get involved now. (List and links to the various organizations are on this page. I didn't post them here because of possible copyright infringement.)