Cities, volunteers clash over feeding in public

ATLANTA — When Adele MacLean joined others in an Atlanta downtown park to feed the hungry the Sunday before Thanksgiving, she left with a citation and a summons to appear in court.

The case was dropped when she showed up in court earlier this month, but she and her lawyers say the citation for serving food without a permit was improper and demonstrates callousness toward the homeless. The city and some advocates say feeding people on the streets can hinder long-term solutions and raises sanitation concerns.

“I’m still outraged this is happening,” MacLean said after her court appearance Dec. 14. “I’m concerned that the city, whenever they want to crack down on the homeless, they’re going to go after anyone that tries to help them.”

About 40 cities nationwide had active laws to restrict food sharing as of November 2014, and a few dozen more had attempted such restrictions, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Food safety, garbage and the human waste left behind when people are fed in a place with no bathrooms are also concerns, said Georgia State University police Sgt. Joseph Corrigan.

“We don’t want anybody to stop feeding people,” said George Chidi, social impact director for Central Atlanta Progress, a nonprofit community development organization that serves downtown Atlanta. “We just want it done in a way that’s connected to social services providers.”

MacLean doesn’t buy those arguments.

“Food is a human right, and you don’t force people to do what you want them to do by withholding food,” said MacClean, a volunteer with a movement called Food Not Bombs.