The Place Where Ludington Talks
Police block Birmingham pastor from feeding the homeless
Birmingham , AL -
It's routine to serve the homeless every other Saturday for Minister Rick Wood with The Lords House of Prayer in Oneonta, but he was recently stopped by the Birmingham Police Department because of a new city ordinance aimed at regulating food trucks.
Wood says the incident happened two weeks ago and he was shut down by police because they didn't have a permit from the city to serve food in Linn Park. He was told he needed a food truck and permit from the health department.
"That makes me so mad," Wood said. "These people are hungry. They're starving. They need help from people. They can't afford to buy something from a food truck."
Wood lives by the scripture Matthew 25, 35-40, which he has posted on his truck.
"I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was naked, I was sick and in prison," Wood said. "When you do to them, you do to me."
In spite of being stopped by police to serve the homeless, Wood plans to continue anyway. He wishes the city would address homeless problem and not ignore it.
"I'm just so totally shocked that the city is turning their back on the homeless like this," he said. "It's like they want to chase them out of the city. And the homeless can't help the position they're in. They need help."
Starting Tuesday ministries will be serving food at The Church of the Reconciler in downtown Birmingham.
Mayor William Bell wasn't available for comment.
http://www.abc3340.com/story/25108865/birmingham-food-truck-ordinances-blocking-local-church-groups-from-feeding-the-homeless
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Comment
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Comment by XLFD on April 15, 2014 at 9:09am
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Local governments see these people as only liabilities to the community (like the personification of 'urban blight') and want to get rid of them to any other place. Problem becomes that other place's governments feel the same way, and so as far as government is concerned, their solution is to make these guys invisible and forever transients. If we look to a government more and more absolved from basic Christian charity for a solution to homelessness, the end result is not pretty. When the government goes after people trying to make a difference in these people's lives to achieve their own goals, it becomes anathema to the basic principles this country was founded on. The Birmingham mayor should be ashamed of himself, to borrow a phrase from our community leaders.
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Comment by Willy on April 15, 2014 at 1:44am
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I think they passed the ordinance to stop people from handing out food in hopes the homeless will move on to another city.
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It's sickening when the people that go out and beg for your campaign contributions and your votes go after people down on their luck in this way. It reminds me of our own hypocritical Attorney General Bill Schuette and his campaign against the poor folk trying to stay alive.
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Comment by AQUAMAN on April 12, 2014 at 11:58am
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Is there no low that government will stoop to just to get more money in the coffers? This sickens me to no end!
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