Philadelphia councilwoman: "You don't fight children trying to feed the homeless."

[Sapphire Blue]

(Edited to add: VIDEO: "Ain't no stoppin' us now" @ http://www.philly.com/philly/multimedia/8348356.html)

Students feed homeless despite officials' warnings
A lesson in fighting City Hall.
By Susan Snyder
Inquirer Staff Writer


CLEM MURRAY / Inquirer Staff Photographer
Saequoia Sutton, 9, a third grader at Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School , joins classmates handing out food to homeless men and womenat JFK Plaza. The Thursday night effort has come under fire from City Hall; city officials say it is not the best way to aid the homeless.


For nearly two years, students, parents and staff at the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School have handed out food and supplies to the homeless once a week on the sidewalk near JFK Plaza in Center City.

But last Thursday, the city's new managing director, Loree Jones, showed up and told the group to move the program elsewhere. The city in recent months has begun to discourage outdoor feeding of homeless people along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and in JFK Plaza.

Veronica Joyner, the charter school's chief executive officer, said police showed up a short time later and ordered the group to disperse, prompting 13-year-old Karima Mims-DeWitt to fearfully ask: "Are we going to go to jail for giving food to the homeless?"

No arrests occurred...

(snip)

But the children weren't listening, and last night they continued with their civics lesson.

In playful defiance of the managing director's objections, Joyner's troops showed up at the park to make their usual deliveries while a Philly favorite blasted through the boom box of their van: McFadden and Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."

(snip)

About 80 people gathered, as they have for more than a year and a half, as about 30 students and parents handed out not only food, but also sneakers, clothes, toothbrushes and soap.

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, long an advocate for the homeless, came along to make sure the city didn't disrupt the students.

"Well-intentioned and caring people should work this out," Blackwell said of the controversy. "I'm hoping this will quietly go away. You don't fight children trying to feed the homeless."

In the end, Jones did not show up, and police did not approach the students.


Continued @ http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_left_story/20070706_A_lesson_in_fighting_City_Hall.html

[depakid]

1. What's wrong with Philadelphia?

First, musicians:

Flutist, Singer Charged in Philadelphia

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/29/ap3870920.html

Now kids helping homeless people....

[Javaman]

3. Nothing like brotherly love, huh? nt

[EFerrari]

6. And this was supposed to be a model city for "solving" homelessness.

:(

[Dogmudgeon]

4. There's a crime wave -- and too many tough guys in Council

The homicide rate is, for some reason, very high.

Mayor John Street is hated, though three Republican investigations of him have failed.

City Council is filled with chest-thumpers.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has had a major pedophile scandal, and is responding by blaming it all on the gays, of which Philly has a large population. Justin Cardinal Rigali is another tough-talking macho.

The two big papers in Philly, The Inquirer and tho Daily News, were just taken over by a bunch of self-described "Republican activists".

It's a Perfect Storm ... only without the rain ... too bad the glory days of the hard-ass(hole) right are behind us now ...

--p!

[Bluerthanblue]

9. "Phillidelphia" isn't the problem- the "govern-ers" are-

Kids caring like this is exactly what "brotherly love" is all about-
And they are the leaders of tommorow-

I'm encouraged by the children- disapointed but not surprised by the 'leaders'.

A shoutout to the Kids and their mentors!! :hi:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Kudos to Councilwoman Blackwell

She made sure the kids could continue doing the right thing. Hope next time all the City Council is there.

[formercia]

5. Somebody named Blackwell doing something good in this World

I'm glad she shamed those NAZIs. All they need is Brown Shirts and Sam Brown belts to make it official.

Who's behind it? Those rich fucking lawyers, doctors and bankers that live in those row houses and don't want their poor little property values to suffer.

Fuck them.

[gatorboy]

7. There's 30% of this country that Doc Brown needs to stuff in his time machine

and send back to the middle ages where they'll be happy.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. then they'll become their own great great great great great great great great great grandparents

thereby ensuring they exist.

Nah, better send them a few quatrillion years in the future, when entropy has already destroyed everything and there's nothing left for them to fuck up.

[Sapphire Blue]

8. *** Video *** also posted in the Political Videos Forum...

Ain't no stoppin' us now: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x38790

[Le Taz Hot]

10. If the city "leaders"

are so hell-bent on encouraging the homeless to take advantage of mental health and other services, they can implement an outreach program whereby workers can go to the homeless instead of the other way around. However, if it's like most cities, that's not the real objection to feeding homeless, it's that they feel the homeless are a blight on the city -- makes 'em look bad and all that.