FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Police arrested two pastors and a 90-year-old man who were feeding the homeless, saying they violated a new ordinance in Fort Lauderdale that essentially bans public food sharing.
South Florida television station WPLG reports homeless advocate Arnold Abbott and ministers Dwayne Black and Mark Sims were arrested Sunday. They face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The ordinance took effect Friday.
Abbot runs a nonprofit group called Love Thy Neighbor, Inc. He says he was feeding the homeless in a park when a police officer told him to “drop that plate right now.”
Black pastors The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs.
Abbott says he won’t stop and plans to bring food for the homeless Wednesday.