Commissioners Speak Out On Homelessness
September 22, 2023
9/18/2023 City Commission meeting started at the usual time 5:00 PM and ran late ending at 10:00 PM. After a 5 hour meeting people were tired and hungry.
Comments from the public start time 3:56:38 end 4:27:41
Comments from the Commission start time 4:27:46 end 4:47:56. All 5 commissioners spoke on the homeless situation. Video of the meeting can be found below.
Commissioner Fox’s statement reads in part. “I have no doubts that you have good intentions but what I haven’t heard from anyone that has been coming to talk about the one meal a week that they’re not allowed to provide. I’ve never heard anyone say Oh, I instead offered to pick up the homeless and take them to your home or to take them somewhere else to another city in order to feed them. I haven’t heard you invite them to your guest rooms. I haven’t heard you offer any other comprehensive plans and while I do know that you have the best wishes at heart one meal a week is is not really a humane way to think that this is a comprehensive approach to our homeless situation what we’re looking for in the city is to try to find housing to try to find services to try and find jobs and meals and so I appreciate all that you’re doing and coming to us to talk about the things that you think that we’re not doing but I can assure you there is no topic that I spend more time talking about, thinking about worrying about than this topic.” Fox start time 4:38:33 stop time 4:41:24
Sandy’s response to Commissioner Fox. Speaking for myself, I understand some of the Homeless population have substance abuse issues, living with mental illness and I have no training on how to help the unfortunate souls, so bringing the homeless into my home is not an option for me. One thing I am able to do is boil eggs and donate them. The City Commission meeting which ran for 5 hours, as I stated above people were tired and hungry. How many Commissioners ate dinner after the meeting? Did the one meal make a difference?
Commissioner Peduzzi. I’m not sure Peduzzi believes what he stated or trying to appease the mayor, as he read from a prepared statement, not once picking up his head and looking at the audience or camera. His 3 minute comment I found extremely offensive. start 4:41:30 end 4:44:32
Mayor James statement reads in part. “People would try and shame us, don’t get up here and throw shame at me, my administration and my commissioners, come here every other Monday and throw shame at me, it’s not going to work. And if you thing feeding someone once a week is curing the homelessness problem that is ridiculous. Don’t come here and try to make me feel bad or my administration feel ashamed because you can’t feed somebody once a damn week. Now let’s move onto something more productive.” Like Peduzzi’s statement, I was again offended. start time 4:47:59 end time 4:57:21
James mentioned “shame” 4 times, and what popped for me was his statement “come here every other Monday and throw shame at me, it’s not going to work.” Onto Google with the question “why do some people not feel shame? There is volume’s written on shame,and below is the first on the list, and that’s what I will use.
Sociopathy and psychopathy: “Both are characterized by a lack of empathy, shallow emotions, and manipulative behavior. Shame, as an emotion, is often foreign to them. Their lack of remorse or shame is not out of resilience or narcissistic self-perception but a result of these severe mental disorders.”
OLD NEWS
WPB bans begging, panhandling and loitering. West Palm Beach, three homeless people sued the city to overturn similar rules to those in the Lake Worth Beach case. ” FJI also participated in a lawsuit against the City of West Palm Beach over a similar ordinance, after which the City repealed the ordinance and settled the case; that case is Williams v. City of West Palm Beach, Case No. 21-CV-81537
Does the First Amendment protect panhandling? “Yes. As the Willis Court explains, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment covers “charitable appeals for funds.” Because of this, panhandling, solicitation, or begging are protected speech under the First Amendment.”
“The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
CC meeting: Video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnFz6-EzURo
There is to be a follow up story on who is really helping the homeless in WPB along with the arrest of 3 members of FNB (Food Not Bombs) and myself for the charge of “Feeding large group 25+” Special to readers I will include my Arrest Notice to appear at the CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMPLEX on 9/26/2023 @ 8:00 AM. to answer the charges. If found guilty I can receive a $500.00 fine and or 60 days in jail.
The end? –no