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23 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 273 (2015-2016)
Food-Sharing Restrictions: A New Method of Criminalizing Homelessness in American Cities

handle is hein.journals/geojpovlp23 and id is 281 raw text is: Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy Volume XXIII, Number 2, Winter 2016 NOTES Food-Sharing Restrictions: A New Method of Criminalizing Homelessness in American Cities Jordan Bailey* INTRODUCTION Chico and Debbie Jimenez, founders of Spreading the Word Without Saying a Word Ministry, have fed homeless residents of Daytona Beach once a week for more than year.' Joan Cheever, operator of a non-profit food truck, has been serving homeless residents of San Antonio for ten years.2 Arnold Abbot, a ninety-year-old veteran, has been feeding the homeless people of Ft. Lauderdale for decades.3 In addition to feeding the homeless population, these individuals have something else in common: each has faced penalties, including jail time, in the past year for their charitable work.4 These penalties are a result of ordinances prohibiting food-sharing which cities have adopted at an increasing rate in recent years. Part of a larger trend towards criminalizing activities of individuals experiencing homelessness, at least sixteen cities have adopted these ordinances since 2013 alone. The adoption of these ordinances has been widely controversial. Cities often claim that these restrictions are implemented to ensure that the food that the homeless population receives is healthy and properly distributed.5 Others believe the food-sharing restrictions will encourage homeless people to seek food in * J.D. Candidate, Georgetown University Law Center, 2016; B.A. University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2012; Executive Editor, Vol. 23, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy. The author thanks his parents, David and Carolyn, his family, and his friends for their constant love and support. The author also thanks Professor Peter Edelman, Kristina Scott, and Dr. Robert Corley for their inspiration and mentorship. C 2016, Jordan Bailey. 1. Bill Briggs, Florida Couple Fined, Threatened with Jailfor Feeding Homeless, NBC NEWS (May 12, 2014, 4:35 PM), http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-couple-fined-threatened-jail-feeding- homeless-n103786. 2. Gilbert Garcia, Chef ticketed, facing $2, 000 fine for feeding homeless in San Antonio, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS (Apr. 14, 2015, 4:35 PM), http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/ Chef-ticketed-facing-2 -000 -fine -for-feeding-61 98766.php. 3. Eliza Barclay, FloridaActivistArrestedfor Serving Food to Homeless, NPR (Nov. 6, 2014, 4:35 PM), http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/11/06/362019133/florida-activists-arrested-for-serving-food- to-homeless. 4. See supra notes 1 3. 5. See infra Part IVA.