Minister and World War 2 Veteran Arnold Abbott
90 year old arrested for feeding US homeless faces 2 months jail
Mr. Abbott has virtually gone viral overnight by defying a city ordinance and continuing his weekly meals which serve the homeless community of Ft. Lauderdale. Minister Abbott has served these weekly meals for nearly 20 years and won his case against the city in 1999, the city however, responded to his victory by creating ordinances which require portable restrooms and running water, making Mr. Abbott's meals illegal.
There are 10,000 homeless people living in the City of Ft. Lauderdale, according to the city, these weekly meals have become an "eyesore". Despite being arrested Mr. Abbott has vowed to continue his mission and stated that he will do so "as long as there is breath in my body". Mr. Abbott faces up to 60 days in jail and re-occuring fines of up to $500.00 every time that he is cited. The mayor of Ft. Lauderdale has stated that the city does not feel a piecemeal approach to helping the homeless is effective; while supporters maintain that the minister has provided these meals for 20 years.
The arrest of Abbott has garnered international attention, and individuals across the country have created various crowdfunding campaigns like this one http://igg.me/at/arnoldabbott across the country. Facebook posts regarding the events in Ft. Lauderdale have flooded the net, and many posts are in excess of 100,000 comments.
How the situation will end is unclear, Mr. Abbott has expressed his intention to continue serving the homeless community, and the city has offered no concessions, maintaining that these ordinances were voted in by the local community. The next scheduled feeding is set to occur on Wednesday November 19th.
If the battle between homeless advocates and the city comes down to financing and publicity, the city may have a lot of PR work on their hands; and future political opponents of Mayor Jack Seiler will no doubt capitalize on this unfortunate circumstance.
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Source: EmailWire.Com
