Wednesday, November 5, 2014

15. 90-year-old Florida man faces jail time for feeding homeless

Arnold Abbott and two other pastors are about to face 60 days in jail and a $500 fine for feeding a homeless person in public. “I was arrested for feeding the homeless and received a citation to appear in court. However, only 4 people were fed before an officer told me to, ‘Drop that plate immediately!’As if it were a weapon I was holding, and to go with him to the police car.” He later explained that the same cop that arrested him allowed him and the pastors to relocate and continue to distribute food. On October 22nd, a city commission was put into place regarding when, how and where outdoor feeding could be allowed to happen. It all came down to the size or amount of the homeless population. This commission also made it illegal to sleep in public places and beg for money. Abbott runs nonprofit group Love Thy Neighbor, and is advocate for homelessness issues, this is not his first time encountering the law.

The author of this article, Joanna Rothkopf, is very brief in her explanation of what happening to Arnold and she uses informal language throughout her piece. The purpose of her essay was to inform, however, it felt a lot more as if she were telling the reader a story rather than informing about a recent event. Her tone is a very strong and confident tone; although, I did not personally like her article, the reader can sense throughout the article that she knows what is talking about. This essay had the intention to reach out for an audience such as Habitat for Humanity; community service, volunteering centers or people who are just willing to volunteer for things like distributing food. Joanna got sources from both sides of the story: from Arnold Abbott and Commissioner Dean Trantalis. Her comparison was well thought of and used. This article compared to others is relatively small, however, it is a perfect example that a good essay does not necessarily need to be a long and full of descriptions.



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