Academic

Should attacks on the homeless be added to Florida's hate crimes law?

Posted on July 10, 2009
A bill that would add crimes committed with malice against the homeless to Florida's list of hate crimes has been filed."Homeless men and women are often sought out as easy targets," said state Rep. Ari Porth, who's a prosecutor in the Broward State Attorney's Office when the Legislature isn't in session...

Another voice for the homeless joins the blogosphere

Posted on July 07, 2009
The National Alliance to End Homelessness has launched a blog which will cover some broad themes of homelessness, including different subpopulations, federal legislation, data and reports, and other similar topics. The blog will also cover topics related to developing issues in homelessness, including specific demographics, new information, the relationship between homelessness and poverty, as well as different advocacy groups and agencies...

Homeless sex offenders don't have to register, state court rules

Posted on July 03, 2009
Convicted sexual offenders cannot be held subject to Megan's Law registration requirements if they are homeless, a Pennsylvania court has ruled.Because he could not find a home after being released from prison in 2007 on sexual assault charges, William H...

Teen gets life in prison for killing homeless man

Posted on July 02, 2009
A Texas teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for beating a homeless man to death in a trash bin.Sixteen-year-old Michael Martinez Jr. of Abilene was tried as an adult in the 2007 death of 48-year-old Eric McMahon.Martinez received the maximum sentence and will be eligible for parole in 30 years...

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Police officer quits after he slashed homeless man's bike tires

Posted on July 01, 2009
A police officer resigned this morning from the Tarpon Springs Police Department after an internal investigation determined that he slashed the bicycle tires of a homeless man.Officer Jeffrey Robinson had retaliated for the homeless man's use of racial slurs Jan...

Teen convicted of killing homeless man

Posted on July 01, 2009
A jury took less than two hours to convict an Abilene teenager of murder in the beating death of a homeless man in 2007.Sixteen-year-old Michael Martinez Jr. could face up to life in prison.Eric McMahon, 48, was killed when he was hit by cinder blocks and kicked...

An invisible woman will be laid to rest

Posted on June 28, 2009
For most of her adult life, 48-year-old Marcia Powell was invisible. Then she died, and slowly came into view.Powell had been in and out of jail for decades, unable to overcome mental illness. She roamed the streets and had been in and out of jail for decades...

City Hall garden feeds the homeless

Posted on June 28, 2009
Ursula Sheffel helps harvest an early crop of vegetables, planted in front of Baltimore City Hall, for delivery to a homeless resource center.The vegetable gardens planted around Baltimore's War Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall have produced more than 1,500 pounds of vegetables for the kitchens of Our Daily Bread, which feeds the homeless...

It's okay to sleep on the beach again

Posted on June 27, 2009
Police will no longer arrest, cite or harass people under state law for sleeping in public places in Laguna Beach, California, as long as there are no public health or safety concerns.In settling a lawsuit, the city also agreed to ?seal, expunge or destroy? citations that were written, and convictions obtained, under the city?s own ?anti-sleeping? ordinance...

Mango and raspberry dressing

Posted on June 24, 2009
A little breeze made tonight's dinner even better. It's been oh so hot lately.On the Food Not Bombs menu at Orlando's Lake Eola Park: mango-raspberry dressing on spinach leaves, black bean soup, Mexican rice, roasted asparagus, green bean casserole and strawberries and blueberries for dessert...

"Hunger can be a positive motivator."

Posted on June 24, 2009
Only someone who has never been seriously hungry could say that.The quote comes from state representative Cynthia Davis, who serves as chairwoman of the Missouri House Special Standing Committee on Children and Families.She was criticizing a summer program that will provide free breakfast and lunch to needy children because it costs money ("increased government spending")...

Forget about compassion. This makes economic sense!

Posted on June 21, 2009
Kelly Hall, a new shelter in Punta Gorda, embraces a controversial model of allowing residents to continue drinking and using drugs during their stay for up two years."It goes against conventional wisdom," said Jerry Thompson, president of Coastal Behavioral Health Care, the nonprofit group running the program...

Still in limbo

Posted on June 20, 2009
Paulla Anderson lived for a year and a half in Gainesville's Tent City and is now looking for a place to live. "We've had to move three times this week, and we still have nowhere to go," she said.The deadline for residents of Tent City to get out or be charged with trespassing was generally observed, Gainesville police said...

Dumpster diving for cardboard and other adventures on the street

Posted on June 20, 2009
Over at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Alan is sharing the experiences of the folks doing a Street Retreat.A group of men and women from different backgrounds and different walks of life set out for 72 hours on the streets with no food, water, telephones, credit cards, or cash...

Take a tour of Nickelsville

Posted on June 19, 2009
My colleague @hardlynormal shares the story of Nicklesville, a real community of homeless people.Hardly Normal is at Nickelsville in Seattle. Day 1Thanks for sharing this powerful story. Don't ever stop, Mark.

Homeless man in wheelchair burned to death

Posted on June 19, 2009
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man whose partially burned body was found in a wheelchair.Los Angeles police received a call around 2:50 a.m. Friday from someone who spotted a small fire in a strip mall near a pizza parlor.The victim, a homeless man, was on fire and his body was badly charred...

Teens pretended to be cops, harassed homeless man

Posted on June 18, 2009
Two teenage boys have been arrested for posing as law enforcement officers and accosting two men -- one of them homeless.The two and a third teen approached a 56-year-old homeless man and a 20-year-old man in Wichita, Kansas, claiming to be police. Two of the teens were dressed in dark pants and black T-shirts with the word "Sheriff" printed on them, the victims told police...

Homeless men deny guilt in firefighter's death

Posted on June 16, 2009
Two homeless men charged with murder for allegedly setting a fire that resulted in the death of a veteran firefighter have pleaded not guilty.Lawyers for Emilio Vasquez and Jose Flores say their clients did not intend to kill firefighter Gary Stephens, a 28-year veteran...

"In 16 days, my son and I will be homeless ..."

Posted on June 15, 2009
"I?ve been without work for 3 years," writes Stephanie Ericsson. "Lost my house, my garden, my bank account of 30 years, and -- almost -- my self-respect. Lost a few friends and some family too (becoming homeless will re-write your address book for you) and discovered the extremes of, both, the lengths some people will go to in order to help and the depths some people will go to in order to take advantage of you...

Did the deputy mayor really encourage homeless people to sleep in the parks?

Posted on June 14, 2009
"In doorways of shops in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., one finds people sleeping and urinating amid piles of filthy blankets and empty bottles," the USA Today article begins.The article looks at efforts in many cities throughout the country to get tough on people they describe not as homeless but as beggars...

"My ten hellish days living on the streets"

Posted on June 14, 2009
Former British tennis star Annabel Croft spent 10 days on the streets of London, living among alcoholics and drug addicts, sleeping in the doorways of haute-couture fashion shops and eating charity handouts.She was stunned by the generosity and love shown by strangers willing to share what meager money or food they had...

More of Gainesville's tent city to become off limits

Posted on June 12, 2009
Gainesville police will soon begin enforcing trespass laws on another, larger section of land that has been used as a homeless camp.Police advised the owners of the property, which has become known as Tent City, about a stabbing at the camp and were asked to start enforcing trespass laws...

No options for residents of Gainesville's tent city

Posted on June 11, 2009
Eleanor Briseno, an advocate for the Tent City residents, questions police on the decision to remove all the residents from the area.The homeless people living in Gainesville's tent city will be forced to leave this morning or face arrest for trespassing, city officials say...

10 facts you should know about hunger in America

Posted on June 11, 2009
How many additional pounds of food would it take to feed every hungry American three meals a day for a year?42 billion poundsHow much food is wasted each year?96 billion poundsFor more facts you should know, check out the interactive Hunger Fact Map here.

Another city limits feedings of homeless people in parks

Posted on June 10, 2009
Groups that frequently provide food to the homeless in city parks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will be limited to four in-park feedings a year.The City Council voted 6-1 for the new law after some heated debate. Dozens of residents spoke on the matter, and most said they think the feedings bring more crime...

Outpouring of donations saves Holy Ground

Posted on June 09, 2009
An unemployed woman gave $5. Another woman sold her belongings at a yard sale and donated the $200 profit. Churches pitched in, too.As word spread that Holy Ground Homeless Shelter was facing eviction, scores of people dropped by Pasco County's only all-inclusive homeless shelter to give whatever they could to keep the doors open...

Palm Beach County not violating church's religious freedom by denying homeless shelter, appeals court says

Posted on June 09, 2009
Palm Beach County did not violate the religious freedom of Westgate Tabernacle Church's leaders by refusing to let them operate a homeless shelter without a permit, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.The church has been in a prolonged legal battle with the county for housing homeless people...

The oddly attractive and seductive part of being homeless

Posted on June 07, 2009
Car Camper tells us about a "typical" day in the life of a homeless man.And he observes:One of the oddly attractive and seductive parts of being homeless is that you are, within financial means, "master of your fate, the captain of your soul." Less poetically, but more practically, you are free to follow your whims far more than when you are lashed to a desk or other job container all day long...

Homeless people told to leave Gainesville tent city

Posted on June 06, 2009
People living on private property in a section of the Gainesville homeless encampment known as Tent City will have to move by next week.The decision came just after police arrested a man twice convicted of homicide and released last year from a Florida prison, who they allege stabbed two men at the camp...

Tampa cops take a closer look at hit and run that killed a homeless woman

Posted on June 01, 2009
Sticks of Fire comments on the Tampa Police Department's decision to work a little harder on the case of the hit-and-run crash that killed Melissa Sjostrom, a homeless woman. Read the post here. And see the 13th juror's previous post here.

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