The article doesn't cite what laws or codes where violated, but I do not believe their court case will bode well for them. Maybe some good can come of it.
And WTH is the Police Chief Mike Chitwood thinking with his comments?
In all, police officers ticketed six people, including four volunteers who helped the Jimenezes on Wednesday – one of them, a man in a wheelchair who recently escaped homelessness and participated “to pay it forward,” Debbie Jimenez said. The fines levied by authorities total $2,238.
But Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said the Jimenezes had been warned one week earlier to stop their weekly feeding sessions after local residents complained that some homeless people gathering in the park were defecating and urinating on the grounds, and that some were showing up drunk at dawn.
"We as a city have spent millions of dollars to turn that park into a place for families, kids and dog lovers," Chitwood said. "We have an ordinance that says when people want to perform acts of kindness or charity that they must coordinate with our local social service agencies.
"They were told (the previous Wednesday) that if they come back there, they would be cited and they could risk going to jail," Chitwood said. "There is a segment of the homeless population that is homeless by choice. I don't want to impugn them all. But some are homeless because they are sex offenders, substance abusers and bank robbers. That's why we ask (Good Samaritans) to coordinate with our social service agencies, because they know who needs to be served."
"We as a city have spent millions of dollars to turn that park into a place for families, kids and dog lovers."
The big-buck investments made by Daytona Beach to rebuild Manatee Island Park include boat docks, kayak-launching sites and spots to view families of manatees - plus playgrounds, picnic areas and a dog area, Chitwood said.
The Jimenezes contend they never were warned to stay away.
Florida Couple Fined, Threatened with Jail for Feeding Homeless - NBC News.com
See also: Police halt homeless feedings in Daytona Beach park
This article offers a bit more back story, though I still find it troubling. I am smelling partisan politics with a tinge of profitability through privatization.
“The ordinance is there, so if we catch you, we're going to cite you,” Police Chief Mike Chitwood said Thursday. “If you want to feed people, and you want to do a good, Christian act, we encourage you to coordinate with the social service agencies.”
[,,,]
Each case pits the case for charity against city governments that are trying to keep parks from becoming regular destinations for the homeless. That is especially true in Daytona Beach, which recently hired a nationally known consultant, Robert Marbut, to work on plans for Volusia Safe Harbor, a proposed transitional shelter that would become the central place for the homeless to stay, eat and seek help.
“We've always done it,” Chitwood said of enforcing the no-feeding law, “but clearly we're hoping we're on the threshold here of making this Safe Harbor project come through. There's plenty of places and plenty of ways you can do acts of charity without violating an ordinance.”
Marbut has told city leaders that feeding the homeless in parks or handing out supplies under bridges worsens the cycle of homelessness because it doesn't get people the lasting help they actually need.
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