Miami Considers Ban on Feeding the Homeless Without Training. . . .

According to foxnews.com:

The Miami City Commission is set to consider a proposal next month that would prohibit unauthorized people and groups from feeding the homeless downtown, an ordinance proponents say will cut down on litter and ensure the safety of the food the homeless do eat.

Miami residents may have to think twice before giving up their leftovers to the homeless.

The Miami City Commission is set to consider a proposal next month that would prohibit unauthorized people and groups from feeding the homeless downtown, an ordinance proponents say will cut down on litter and ensure the safety of the food the homeless do eat.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority recently approved the measure, sending it up to the commission.

Though the change could draw objections, David Karsh, spokesman for Development Authority Chairman Marc Sarnoff, said the rule isn't a blanket ban. He said that anybody would be able to feed the homeless, but they would have to go through formal training first -- amateurs couldn't just give up part of their lunch to help someone they meet on the street.

"The ordinance is not by any means meant to discourage people from feeding homeless people," he told FoxNews.com, adding that homeless advocacy groups support the measure. "Anybody can do it."

The training would cover two main lessons: how to ensure the food is safe to eat, and how to clean up the mess afterward.

"The business owners and residents in the area are complaining that there's just an incredible mess in the area once the group leaves," Karsh said. "It really is an immense mess that's left behind."

If the ordinance passes, anybody who breaks it would first receive a warning and then fines up to $300 for subsequent offenses.

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I became leary of eating food others fixed after encountering the cat lady I worked with that had over 50 cats roaming around her house. A homeless person that digs through trash to find a two day old sandwich isn't quite so picky and this is just another pathetic government solution . Are they making this the equivalent of putting milk out for the stray kitten and if you do it will never go away?

There is a whole variety of people that are homeless. . . .some by addictions, mental illness and many nowadays are just unemployed.  These are tough economic times, but for the Grace of God many of us are just a couple of paychecks from begging in the streets ourselves.

BTW I cannot imagine what training the city can provide to the big hearted Americans that would ensure their safety after going into the dangerous areas where most homeless congregate and having them hang around long enough to see "how to clean up the mess afterward".