NYC Bans Food Donations To The Homeless

[babylonsister]

Bloomberg Strikes Again: NYC Bans Food Donations To The Homeless
Has The Mayor Totally Eaten Away At The Public's Desire To Do Good?
March 19, 2012 8:33 PM


NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s food police have struck again!

Outlawed are food donations to homeless shelters because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

Glenn Richter arrived at a West Side synagogue on Monday to collect surplus bagels — fresh nutritious bagels — to donate to the poor. However, under a new edict from Bloomberg’s food police he can no longer donate the food to city homeless shelters.

It’s the “no bagels for you” edict.

“I can’t give you something that’s a supplement to the food you already have? Sorry that’s wrong,” Richter said.

Richter has been collecting food from places like the Ohav Zedek synagogue and bringing it to homeless shelters for more than 20 years, but recently his donation, including a “cholent” or carrot stew, was turned away because the Bloomberg administration wants to monitor the salt, fat and fiber eaten by the homeless.

Richter said he was stunned. He said his family has eaten the same food forever and flourished.

“My father lived to 97; my grandfather lived to 97, and they all enjoyed it and somehow we’re being told that this is no good and I think there is a degree of management that becomes micromanagement and when you cross that line simply what you’re doing is wrong,” Richter said.

more...

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/03/19/bloomberg-strikes-again-nyc-bans-food-donations-to-the-homeless/

[hifiguy]

1. Jebus riding a unicycle backwards to the Carnegie deli!

I mean really,

What's with "monitoring the salt, fat and cholesterol eaten by the homeless"? What conceivable reason could there be for this? Hell's bells these are homeless people who are hungry and need food!!

[Life Long Dem]

40. Yeah, just send them the scraps off the table.

They are homeless and hungry. So screw their health because they are homeless and hungry. Forget about name brand foods. Only generic food for the homeless, since they are hungry.

[saras]

2. It's to make sure the homeless don't GET ANY salt, fat, fiber, protein, carbs, vitamins, etc.

[lpbk2713]

3. Two choices ...

Either the lucky few get a balanced nutricious diet ...

or like most they starve to death.


Unfuggenbelievable.

[HockeyMom]

4. Hello, the man is Jewish? Let's put all the Bagle stores with their Salt Bagles out of business

Katz and Ratners with their Pastrami and Corned Beef out of business too? Oh then look at all the Jewish PICKLES with all that SALT!

His ancestors must be rolling over in their graves.

[barbtries]

5. this is incredibly difficult to understand.

it's almost like someone would prefer the people starve.
i think i can't be shocked, but then i am.

[ceile]

6. I don't understand.

I read the article, but I don't see any reason for doing this...Am I missing something?

[TheKentuckian]

9. To cause pain and hardship for those who see the most of such already.

It is the "don't feed the strays and they'll go away" bullshit dressed up in a bogus health concern which tends to be attractive to nannystater neoliberals.

[ceile]

18. that's what I was thinking.

there's just no good reason for this..

[Jennicut]

20. It is exactly what he is doing.

It's so fake and obvious what he is trying to do.

[ChazII]

51. Nanny state is right.

This is almost unbelievable.

[Zalatix]

7. Defy the law. Damn, I wish I lived there.

It's time to engage in some civil disobedience.

[ananda]

17. Absofuckkinlutely.

Civil disobedience is the only option here... for humans
to retain their humanity that is.

[daleanime]

26. Hell yes!

And if some one gets in your way, shove a bagel in his pie-hole.

[SpartanDem]

8. nanny state run amok

[TheWraith]

11. Bloomberg sits at the very apex of "nanny state."

He lives to embody pretty much every authoritarian and paternalistic impulse present in either party. The asshole truly believes that he's entitled to do just about anything he wants, anywhere, because he runs New York City and NYC is the center of the universe.

[PotatoChip]

14. This is ridiculous, not to mention pointless.

Bloomberg is just doing this to be an ass. I see no other reason for it beyond that.

ETA: This was meant for the OP, but seems to fit ok here too. Wraith

[NCcoast]

30. Don't fall for that nanny state BS

Don't buy it. This makes it look like their hands are tied by over regulation. Get rid of the homeless while vilifying government regulation. Clever. Despicable. They want to move the homeless out of the city so they're making it inhospitable for them.

Taking away the right to give food to the hungry, that's pure right wing nuttery. Sociopathic government. Salt, fat and fiber... ridiculous.

[bigmonkey]

42. You're correct.

Perfect right-wing double whammy. The homeless get starved out, and people blame over-regulation. Inhuman behavior on Bloomberg's part.

[Puzzledtraveller]

44. Well, he sure has played the field.

Political party Democratic Party (until 2001)
Republican Party (2001–2007)
Independent (2007–present)

[TheWraith]

10. In case I hadn't mentioned this lately, FUCK MIKE BLOOMBERG. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

12. I find this to be ironic.

I've volunteered to serve meals at Eva's Kitchen in Paterson, NJ for homeless people. The plates are loaded up with carbs: 2 rolls, a slice of pie, 2 cookies, jelly donuts. They can only use what's donated and baked goods are by far the majority of food available. Yeah, it may impact their health, but they're ALIVE for yet one more day.

[TheWraith]

43. For that matter, there's nothing wrong with carbs.

People wet their pants these days about carbohydrates, but the fact is that there's nothing wrong with them alone. Bread has been a staple food for millennia, and the human race is still around. It's only overeating combined with lack of exercise that makes it problematic.

[starroute]

13. Occupy Philly has been protesting restrictions on feeding the homeless

Maybe Occupy Wall Street needs to get into this issue as well.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Groups-Say-They-Wont-Stop-Feeding-Homeless-in-City-Parks-143069006.html

The announcement was made with little fanfare on Wednesday, Mayor Michael Nutter introduced a series of actions designed to encourage hungry Philadelphians, and those who feed the hungry outdoors, to move to indoor locations over the next year.

Since Wednesday, the leaders of several organizations that feed the hungry have angrily spoken out against it, publicly stating they plan to defy the regulation, that's set to take effect next month.

Mayor Nutter defended it, saying the new policy initiative is aimed at increasing the health, safety, dignity and support for those vulnerable individuals who now gain their daily and often less than daily sustenance from well-intentioned people distributing food on city streets. . . .

But critics of the ban claim it has less to do with ensuring a healthy environment for the homeless and more to do with removing them from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Love Park and other city venues popular with visitors.

[FailureToCommunicate]

21. Occupy the Mayor's mansion! If Bloomberg and Mayor Nutter want the homeless out of sight

from uncomfortable tourists, why not invite them over to a few large, mostly empty mansions?

A win win for all concerned

[Lucky Luciano]

34. Bloomberg turned down his right to live there.

He prefers his penthouse....Gracie Mansion is beautiful though. It just doesn't seem possible that it can be in manhattan.

[markpkessinger]

48. The mayor prefers his opulent penthouse to slumming it in Gracie Mansion n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

49. Thanks. That's why I knew it was available.

[libinnyandia]

15. Let them eat cake. Oh wait, too much sugar. His Excellency Mayor bloomberg has spoken.

I never thought I would despise Bloomberg more than Giuliani, but I'm starting to think about it.

[Snake Alchemist]

16. When will they ban pepperoni and salami on pizza in NYC? nt

[siligut]

19. Reading the comments, one person suggested that people pay in pennies

Buy the bagels for a penny, sell them to the distribution centers for a penny. See, no more charity, it is all bought and paid for. They also suggested giving each person a penny, to pay with, as they enter the soup kitchen, that way, they are paying too.

[bluedigger]

22. I wonder who has the contract to provide food to the homeless shelters in NYC?

Always follow the money.

[Zalatix]

39. Bingo! Hit it right on the head!

[onethatcares]

23. so he opened testing labs?

or is he going to taste every bit of what one gives and make a decision then?

Jesus wept. Can you imagine what would have happened with the loaves and fishes without refrigeration yet, Oh Vey.


The police did a similar thing here in Orlando against Food not Bombs. The edict read that up to 35 people could be fed without a permit and the 36th always seemed to be an undercover cop for some reason.

[Snake Alchemist]

24. When they came for the smokers, I said nothing. When they came for the transfats, I said nothing

When they came for the homeless' unhealthy food....

[Swede Atlanta]

25. Look, I am all for providing nutritious food to the needy but.........

is it better for the homeless to eat what they can find in garbage cans and what people leave sitting out than food that is subject to chain-of-control and is at least more likely to be clean and not spoiled?

Bloomberg for being an "independent" Republican certainly loves the Nanny state.

What a tool this one is.

[markpkessinger]

47. He's a self-serving billionaire with a Napolean complex...

...political labels are irrelevant.

[piratefish08]

27. but it is perfectly

okay for those who can afford it to be completely unhealthy and eat tons of processed GMO foods, thus causing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, increasing health insurance costs. etc. etc. etc. that keeps the free market economy going....

[Snake Alchemist]

32. All the kings horses can't buy transfats in NYC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16051436/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/new-york-city-passes-trans-fat-ban/

[Muskypundit]

35. Good. Transfat is fucking dangerous and totally unneeded.

[Snake Alchemist]

37. About as necessary as cured meat full of sodium and saturated fat such as pepperoni, pastrami, and

salami.

[Muskypundit]

38. The body cannot process transfat at all.

While saturated fats and sodium are very unhealthy in large quantities, the body can eventually process it. Transfat will stay in the arteries forever.

[Snake Alchemist]

41. Transfat is digested like other fatty acids, but unlike cured meats carries less risk of .

hypertension. Both are of the same ilk and will kill you if ingested too frequently. Don't get me started on hot dogs or smoked meats.

[OPOS]

28. Typical Lord Bloomberg

He makes sure the serfs get only what he wants.

[guardian]

29. Society should be doing more to feed the hungry

not putting restrictions on those trying to help them.

[marasinghe]

31. don't be duped by this elitist scumbag's pseudo health kick.

he's doesn't give a shit about the health of the homeless.

this is the same PoS who tried to shut down the City's largest homeless shelter at Bellevue hospital, in the dead of winter, and throw the residents out into the cold. when his brilliance was shot down by the city council & by protests from New Yorkers, he waited until the next summer -- when people were away on vacation & the weather was good -- and shut it down anyway; throwing a major number of people onto the streets. IMO, Bloomberg's health food fad is just another of his convoluted ploys, to harass the homless & drive them out of the City; so he can turn it into his vision of the American Riviera.

i wonder what happens now, to all the food which City Harvest reclaims from restaurants & supermarkets, for soup kitchens. many, if not most, New Yorkers are pretty decent in trying to help the destitute. But this arrogant puke is determined to turn this City into frikkin Monaco, under the cover of his facade of fake civility.

freaking sociopath.

[KamaAina]

33. Will the homeless now be crowding PATH trains

to get fed in Hoboken or Jersey City?!

[varelse]

36. the war on the poor continues

with a surgical strike against dignity and compassion.

[Odin2005]

45. *boils over in rage*

[Tabasco_Dave]

46. Let them eat Tofu!

He really does have a food fetish.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. Bloomie you ae so wrong it's not evn funny.