Breaking News

Florida Government Keeps Tuberculosis Deaths of "Poor Black Men" Secret as Disease Spreads

By B. Caplan Mon., Jul. 9 2012 at 3:41 PM
Categories: Breaking News, Fear-Mongering, Health, Homelessness, Investigations, Politics
tuberculosis poster.jpg
An outbreak of tuberculosis has spread from Jacksonville to as far south as Miami and was kept secret from the public, according to an expose by the Palm Beach Post.

The CDC team investigating the spread said it is the worst it's investigated in 20 years. At the time of their report in April, 13 deaths and 99 illnesses had been linked to the strain.

And yet, the public was never notified, and the information was kept from lawmakers. Rick Scott closed a state hospital specializing in the disease, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

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Jacksonville, Tuberculosis
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Homelessness

It's True: Those Plants in Stranahan Park Are Definitely For Keeping Out Homeless People

By Stefan Kamph Wed., May 30 2012 at 7:02 AM
Categories: Homelessness
fnb-stranahan-gazebo.jpg
Stefan Kamph
A couple months ago, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler was on the radio one fine Saturday, after spending the morning on his hands and knees along with local volunteers planting gardens of tropical foliage in Stranahan Park.

With Seiler's record of trying to get the homeless to disband from the park, saying they have an adverse effect on local business, one could have surmised that the plants were to hide or replace the people who typically hung out on the grass. Volunteers with Food Not Bombs certainly took it that way, displaying placards saying "People need services, not signs, flowers, and harassment" at an event there last week.

Now, workers have torn the grass out of a large section of the rest of the park, readying it to become a "botanic garden" instead of a grassy lawn. And the company that owns the building across the street says it donated money for the effort, because it's tired of looking at homeless people.More »

Tags:

food terrorists, gardens, Homeless Assistance Center, Homeless Task Force, homelessness, Jack Seiler, Stranahan Park
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Homelessness

Fort Lauderdale Panhandling Ban to Kick In Wednesday

By Rich Abdill Mon., May 14 2012 at 1:51 PM
Categories: Homelessness
panhandlingsignsmall.jpg
The new ordinance banning "aggressive panhandling" citywide and regular panhandling in specific places has been finalized and is set to take effect on Wednesday, at which time you will no longer be able to ask for money in bus stations, buses, city-owned garages, parking lots and parks, or within 15 feet of sidewalk cafes, businesses, ATMS, and parking meters.

Though it might help shove the homeless elsewhere, some South Florida homelessness advocates say it's the wrong move because it doesn't address the problem -- though the city encourages citizens to "contribute to the solution," those working closely with the homeless say the solution isn't around to contribute to.

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Homelessness

Panhandlers of Fort Lauderdale, Good Luck Figuring Out If You're Breaking the New Law

By Rich Abdill Fri., May 4 2012 at 1:12 PM
Categories: Homelessness
Thumbnail image for oliver-twist.jpeg
"Not within 15 feet of a parking meter, kid."
There's plenty to look into when it comes to  Fort Lauderdale's new anti-panhandling ordinance that was passed earlier this week -- how do business owners feel about it? How about panhandlers? Homeless people who don't panhandle? Advocates?

But there's one question we won't be able to answer for a while -- what the bill actually says.

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Homelessness

Fort Lauderdale's Anti-Panhandling Scheme Gets Attention From National Lawyers' Guild

By Stefan Kamph Thu., Apr. 19 2012 at 6:50 AM
Categories: Homelessness
Thumbnail image for feeding-homeless.jpg
A criminal?
There's a no-panhandling zone in downtown Miami, and Fort Lauderdale currently prohibits asking for change along the beach. But the Fort Lauderdale City Commission is considering some tough new regulations that would effectively ban panhandling in the entire downtown area. That's in addition to a proposed $26,000 campaign to tell people not to give money to beggars.

As expected, Mayor Jack Seiler -- who wants to keep hungry homeless people from gathering in Stranahan Park and was on his hands and knees planting shrubs there last month, perhaps to supplant these wayward souls -- supports the ban. "At the end of the day, it's a quality-of-life issue for residents, visitors, and even the individual out in the streets," the mayor told the Palm Beach Post.

Others are sounding less chipper about the plan. The National Lawyers' Guild, which frequently stands up for the homeless and organizations that serve them (like Food Not Bombs), sent out a statement condemning the ordinance. "Instead of seeking to address the issue of homelessness by offering housing or other forms of public assistance, the City of Fort Lauderdale seeks to simply force homeless residents out by criminalizing their very means of survival," the group says.
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Food Not Bombs, homelessness, Jack Seiler, Mara Shlackman, National Lawyers' Guild
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Homelessness

Crazy Amounts of Food Fort Lauderdale Could Have Purchased With the $26,350 It Blew on Anti-Panhandling Ads

By Chris Sweeney Thu., Mar. 8 2012 at 5:00 AM
Categories: Homelessness
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​Fort Lauderdale has decided to spend $26,350 on anti-panhandling ads. As discussed yesterday, the signs convey a sense that giving change to the homeless is similar to giving food to wild animals. 

The city argues that panhandling increases drug and alcohol abuse, distracts drivers, and leads to violent crime. In the proposal document, the city never once mentions that some panhandlers might put their money toward food -- a key element of staying alive. 

Rather than waste money on an ad campaign that won't do anything but make the city look like a bunch of stuck-up prudes, city officials should have just balled out at a grocery store or drive-through window.

Here, some food options you can buy with $26,350.


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food, Homeless Task Force, panhandling
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Homelessness

Fort Lauderdale to Blow Nearly $30K on Ads Urging Passersby to Stop Giving to Homeless

By Chris Sweeney Wed., Mar. 7 2012 at 5:00 AM
Categories: Homelessness
panhandlingsignsmall.jpg
Helping others is for suckers.
​Officials in Fort Lauderdale apparently think the city needs signs and ads urging passersby to stop feeding loose change to begging beasts homeless people.

On Tuesday, the city approved a $26,350 campaign to plaster the slogan "Panhandling: Don't Contribute to the Problem. Contribute to the solution" around the city. Accompanying the slogan is the iconic red circle and slash combination placed over a hand that's holding a cup with some change. 



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Homeless Task Force, Panhandlers
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Homelessness

Fort Lauderdale Commission Agrees to Cover One-Way Bus Tickets for the Homeless

By Matthew Hendley Wed., Dec. 21 2011 at 10:31 AM
Categories: Homelessness
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used-buses.net
Homeless-moving device.
The Fort Lauderdale Commission approved a $25,000 program yesterday to bus homeless people out of town, with the intent to get them back together with family and friends.

Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the "Homeless Outreach Unification Program," which uses funding from the state law enforcement trust fund.

As the vote implies, not everyone was on board with this idea.

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Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale Commission, Homeless Bus Program, Homeless Outreach Unification Program
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Broward

New Park Being Constructed Across Street From Stranahan Park Downtown

By Stefan Kamph Thu., Sep. 22 2011 at 1:52 PM
Categories: Broward, Homelessness
food-fight.jpg
​Every Friday, volunteers with Food Not Bombs lug food over to Stranahan Park, where dozens of homeless people while away the day to the chagrin of police, local businesses, and (we're told but haven't confirmed) Broward County Library officials. Until recently, the cops had a mobile "Skywatch" unit parked there to deter... crime? Loitering? In last week's feature story, we followed the group through a dinnertime "sharing" in the park. 

Now the park is getting a new neighbor -- thanks to the demolition of the low-slung building that stood on the southwest corner of Broward and Andrews, at the exact geographical center of the city. 

Today bulldozers are moving dirt, and
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Downtown, parks, Stranahan Park
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Activism

At the Beach With Arnold Abbott, Fort Lauderdale's Homeless-Feeding Advocate

By Stefan Kamph Thu., Sep. 22 2011 at 9:05 AM
Categories: Activism, Homelessness
arnold-abbott-2.jpg
Stefan Kamph
Abbott serves food to the hungry
​When we were reporting last week's cover story on Food Not Bombs, one name came up again and again as the man who had started the slow avalanche of legal decisions that made Fort Lauderdale think long and hard about its efforts to prevent large-scale meals for homeless people from occurring in public. 

Arnold Abbott has been serving food on the beach just about every Wednesday since 1991. When the city tried to shut down his beachfront operation in 1998, 

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Arnold Abbott, Food Not Bombs, food sharing, Fort Lauderdale beach, Maureen A. Abbott Love Thy Neighbor Fund
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