In First Vagabonds Church of God v. City of Orlando, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49314 (MD FL, June 26, 2008), a Florida federal district court rejected a challenge under Florida's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (FRFRA) to Orlando's Large Group Feeding Ordinance. The Ordinance requires a permit to feed more than 25 people in a downtown city park, and limits any group to two permits in a 12 month period. First Vagabonds Church of God holds services every Sunday in Orlando's Langford Park, and sharing food is part of the service. The Ordinance effectively requires that the Church rotate its services among downtown parks, or hold them outside of the downtown area. The court held: "Clearly, the ordinance places a significant burden on FVCG's services. However, it does not rise to the level of a substantial burden as defined by FRFRA." Last week's Orlando Sentinel reports that other counts alleging restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly remain to be decided. The Orlando Sentinel also covered some of the testimony in last week's bench trial of the case. (See prior related posting.)
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
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2 comments:
Nice. Sounds like a quality city ordinance that recognizes the harm these thoughtless do-gooder groups cause by luring the chronic homeless to a neighborhood by handing out free food. Of course afterward, the do-gooders commute home to their nice suburban homes, leaving the bag-people to poop, pee, vomit, loiter, screw, litter and degrade the downtown neighborhoods where other people have chosen to live.
Real thoughtful. God must be pleased.
Any thoughts on just where the homeless are to go would probably be useful to someone.
Or why not just come right out and say that we should deliberately starve them and then hound them to death. They are, after all, an embarrassment to the "land of the fee and home of the rave," and have no right to live, let alone do it among decent people.
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