Tampa - Feed the homeless and get arrested

[Florida_Geek]

This is done in the normal Dan Ruth style :)

Apr 7, 2004

Don't You Even Think About Helping Others
DANIEL RUTH


Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio may well have the law on her side, but when you start arresting people for committing the Beatitudes in the first degree, you have a public relations disaster on your hands of ``Gigli''-like proportions.
There's no question when you have a vision for the city that might be best described as Bubba goes to Paris, having a bunch of homeless folks meandering hither and yon around your downtown area sorta throws a Joad family- like kink into the chichi, frou-frou big picture.

Then again, you could argue, with a downtown core that has all the insouciant joie de vivre of Stalingrad circa 1942, Iorio ought to be grateful that at least the homeless are actually taking advantage of the public spaces.

But apparently not.


Drop That Hoagie!!

A few days ago, Tampa police started arresting members of a group called Food Not Bombs for having the audacity to provide vittles to the less fortunate who had gathered at Massey Park.

How insane in this?

You could almost imagine some Tampa cop, weapon drawn, ordering a miscreant do-gooder to: ``Freeze, Sucker! Drop that hoagie, now, or I'll blow your brains out!!!!!''
..more http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAO71NSQSD.html

That is Pam Iorio, former Supervisor of Elections who pick Touchscreens over Optical Scanners and gee got elected mayor on the first use of the new Touchscreens