The City of Fort Lauderdale is quietly passing a revised version of its infamous 2014 sharing ban on Tuesday, August 22nd, its next City Commission meeting. If passed, it will go into effect immediately. The first reading occurred at approximately 3 am at the last meeting on July 12th, with no discussion from Commissioners.
The original sharing ban, which repeatedly targeted homeless aid groups Fort Lauderdale Food Not Bombs and Love Thy Neighbor, brought international scorn on the City of Fort Lauderdale. Due to the extreme lack of attention this new law has gotten, it seems probable that they may again attempt to enforce this sharing ban law against homeless aid volunteers in the near future.
The City also recently raided Stranahan Park's camp and displaced it, and they are subject to yet another lawsuit over this egregious rights violation. Even more recently, it has also installed more foliage in the area of Stranahan Park. The intent is to try to continue to push the homeless people onto the Broward Main Library property, to absolve themselves of any responsibility.
Fort Lauderdale Food Not Bombs is hosting the following activities over the following week to raise awareness and show opposition to the City's insistence on passing wave after wave of anti-homeless laws, that have done little to change homeless problems in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Saturday, August 19th, 4:30 pm
at Stranahan Park, 10 E Broward Blvd, Fort LauderdaleProtest Homeless Hate Laws! Rally and March to Resist Homeless Hate Laws
at Stranahan Park, 10 E Broward Blvd, Fort LauderdaleProtest Homeless Hate Laws! Rally and March to Resist Homeless Hate Laws
Tuesday, August 22nd, 6 pmat City Hall, 100 N Andrews Ave, Fort LauderdaleSpeak Out at Final Sharing Ban Hearing
Thursday, August 24th, 8:00 amat 11th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, 56 Forsyth St NW, Atlanta, GARally before Oral Arguments for Fort Lauderdale Food Not Bombs vs. City of Fort Lauderdale Appeal
As it turns out, the appeal hearing for our federal lawsuit against the Fort Lauderdale sharing ban occurs two days after the passing of this new sharing ban law.
Food Not Bombs will also be sharing, as usual, at 4:30 pm at Stranahan Park on Friday, August 25th. At this time it is unclear as to what immediate effect the passage of the new sharing ban law will be on ours, or other sharings, occuring after August 22nd.
