Only five homeless show up for feeding program near Lauderdale stadium
By LISA J. HURIASH Sun-Sentinel
July 20, 2000
FORT LAUDERDALE -- All his life, Arnold Abbott proudly proclaimed to be the man who stuck up for the little guy. After being banned by Fort Lauderdale from feeding the homeless on the beach, he took on City Hall in the courts and temporarily won the right to feed them where he wanted.
But on Wednesday evening, Abbott saw his weekly feeding program founder.
Five people showed up for the food in a field near Lockhart Stadium, compared with the 60 to 80 folks who would show up at Fort Lauderdale beach each week.
At the city's request, this was the first week Abbott moved the feeding program from the water's edge to the empty field near Lockhart Stadium, on Commercial Boulevard just west of Powerline Road. The stadium is about eight miles from the heart of where the homeless people camp out under bushes and bridges at the city's request.
The five homeless people who showed up on Wednesday evening feasted on helpings of stuffed sirloin, sausage, franks and beans, fruit salad including chopped strawberries, bananas and raisins, and a tossed salad.
But Abbott was crushed by the low turnout, saying that the homeless couldn't walk to the site and didn't have the money for bus fare. His feeding may have also been hampered by a brief storm, but Abbott said the homeless showed up to the beach, en masse, despite the weather.
"It's a piece of barren ground," Abbott said. "It's suitable for walking one's dogs, but not for feeding people. There's not a bench, not a table."
"It's kind of like the beach; we have sand," said Bob Semak, one of Abbott's supporters, while looking at the ground. "This hurts. Arnold was cooking at 8 o'clock this morning. And he's been collecting the food for two days."
Abbott, who has been feeding the homeless for a decade, sued after the city threatened him with arrest for providing the food service. City officials had said it is illegal for someone to perform a social service such as offering medical assistance, food or clothing outdoors.
Broward Circuit Judge Estella May Moriarty ruled last month that Abbott, who is Jewish, is "motivated by a religious belief" to feed the homeless, a motivation that is burdened by the city's permit requirement. The judge ordered the city to stop enforcing the regulation and said Abbott must be allowed to feed on the beach until the city either chose a different site on public property or amended its zoning codes.
So the city chose another spot, outside Lockhart Stadium. Last week Abbott unsuccessfully asked the judge to prohibit the city from enforcing the regulation.
Because he had cooked food for nearly 100 people, he packed the leftovers into his van and drove to the Cooperative Feeding Program on Broward Boulevard, where he sent homeless people to scour the streets with news that he was feeding dinner there.
Abbott said he doesn't know what will happen next. He said he'll go to City Hall and ask the politicians to choose a feeding site closer to downtown. If that doesn't work, he might just continue to feed the homeless at the stadium.
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