City That Arrested 90-Year-Old Man 3 Times to Begin Busing Homeless Out

Fort Lauderdale outlawed feeding homeless people in public places.

That effort sparked national outrage following three arrests of 90-year-old homeless advocate Arnold Abbott. It also prompted legal action against the city’s ban on public feedings courtesy of Abbott, who is on a mission to not only help the homeless, but raise awareness about their plight.

Now, Fort Lauderdale wants to try a new tactic to cut down on its homeless population by encouraging the needy to move onto greener pastures.

The city is even willing to pay.

Fort Lauderdale has set aside $25,000 to buy bus tickets for homeless people who have friends or relatives elsewhere that are willing to take them in, the New Times reported. Homeless who undergo a background check, have someone willing to take them in and who answer a few questions will get a bus ticket out of town courtesy of the city’s police department.

This isn’t the first time the city has tried such a program, the paper pointed out. It ran a similar effort back in 2012. Back then Mayor Jack Seiler insisted the city wasn’t trying to push homeless out. Rather, it wanted to connect homeless with people willing to provide a network of support.

See Also:

• 3rd Arrest for 90-Year-Old Man Who Feeds Homeless
• 90-Year-Old Florida Man Arrested for Feeding Homeless
• Sarasota Plans to Bus the Homeless Out of Town

Fort Lauderdale isn’t the only Florida city paying to bus homeless out of town either.

Sarasota announced a similar program earlier this year. That program is a joint effort between the city, the Resurrection House and the Salvation Army. The hope there is to obtain donations to fund the effort rather than use taxpayer dollars to fund the venture.

While Fort Lauderdale says the program will ultimately help the homeless, Abbott sees the city’s intentions differently.

“Some cities compete with urban splendor sublime, not so in Fort Lauderdale where homelessness is a crime,” he wrote in a poem on his Facebook page. “The goal is obvious, this city’s heartless plan – Number One in Man’s Inhumanity to Man.”

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Photo Credit: Arnold Abbott has received three criminal citations for feeding the homeless in Fort Lauderdale/Facebook