"LA Officials Crack Down on Skid Row"

A recent article in the LA Times discussed groups coming to skid row with meals. It hit home as I often have to explain to groups why we don’t condone feeding in our city parks. Why would the leader of the Long Beach Rescue Mission have a problem with feeding the homeless and destitute people on the streets, you ask? That’s a dichotomy to some, I realize; but there's a good explanation.

There've been news reports across the country of cities passing ordinances to ban feeding in parks. The voices attempting to protect this activity protest that cities are trying to force the homeless out of public parks, hide the homeless from public view, and are violating the 1st Amendment rights of individuals and churches. The ACLU is now involved in numerous suits to protect the right to provide food in public places.

The cities are saying they need to ensure that health codes are followed and social services are strategically coordinated; that feeding in parks encourages homeless to congregate; that it removes the incentive of homeless to seek services; and hinders the public from using the parks. Driving by Lincoln Park, our civic center park in Long Beach, will confirm that it is primarily homeless people using the park as their lunch-hour venue.

In my line of work – as do many of the groups feeding in parks – we use the example of the Good Samaritan as we provide emergency services of food, showers, clothing, shelter, and counsel to those coming through the doors of the Rescue Mission. I like to say that we “give a hand out to offer a hand up.” As people are drawn in for emergency services, they’re offered a menu of services and referrals that can help lead them off the street and back into successful lives in the community. A daunting task for ministries and agencies as the Rescue Mission, but we do see life-changing success.

That leads to the question: “are the efforts of food distribution in parks a valid expression of Christian and social action?”. . . That’s where my job becomes difficult. I believe there needs to be collaboration between our ministry efforts to individuals and the needs of the community at large. As I spoke to a group recently in our 14th Street Park, I attempted to explain how bringing their efforts into existing programs can increase that program’s capacity and draw the homeless in for other services; and that their efforts of one-on-one street outreach to the homeless could just as well be augmented by a fruit bar and juice, rather than a large bag of food that actually enables the homeless to camp out, litter, and continue to ignore services . . . and that even the Good Samaritan took the beaten man off the street and into a shelter.

I then joined hands with them in prayer as they sought God’s blessing on their efforts. As I departed, police and community leaders from the 14th Street Park Cleanup Day arrived to encourage them to move on; undoubtedly leaving them with frustration and disdain at the city for disallowing their Christian duty.

The question remains: “What is our personal, civic, and spiritual duty to those homeless and needy in our midst?” 1 Corinthians 12 states that those weaker among us are worthy of more honor – let’s remember that as we struggle with the dichotomy of personal charity and civic responsibility as we seek to provide quality of life for both the homeless person and the community.