Man Not Guilty In Homeless Feeding Case

[The Straight Story]

Man Not Guilty In Homeless Feeding Case

A man arrested for feeding homeless people in Orlando was found not guilty Tuesday of a misdemeanor charge against him.

Eric Montanez was arrested several months ago on suspicion of serving more than 25 homeless people, which Orlando police said violates a city ordinance forbidding large group feedings.

The ordinance states that a charity can feed up to 25 people at a time.

Montanez, the first person to be arrested under the ordinance, said he doesn't regret it.

"This is not about me. This is not about an iconic figure. This is about hunger and the homeless," Montanez said in an earlier report. "The people are hungry. That's the honest-to-God truth."

http://www.local6.com/news/14303982/detail.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. sanity, even in small doses, returns.

rAmen.

[gateley]

2. Who have we become? Don't feed the hungry? nt

[babylonsister]

3. Good. nt

[ManiacJoe]

4. Sounds like jury nullification strikes again!

B-)

[angrycarpenter]

5. I used to feed homeless people at my house

In west palm beach. I had 12 one night. People used to give me hell for letting hobo's in my house but I never had a negative experience with them.
I heard many stories of how completely society has turned its back on them.
Feeding the hungry should be the first duty of a citizen. Letting someone go hungry when you could have fed them is one of the worst things I can think of.

[tech3149]

6. I'm glad your experience was so positive

My paternal grandmother was raising a family during the last Republican Depression. They were doing OK. They had the garden in the back yard, a few chickens, and fruit trees. One day a young boy came walking down the road begging for food. She gave him two fresh apples and watched him walk down the road. As he took a bite of one apple and threw them both away, she made a mental note not to offer the same courtesy in the future. I would consider myself to be a bit more forgiving, but I expect in the next few years the waste not want not concept might make me a little colder to the needs of others. I have no problem with offering a helping hand to anyone who needs it, but if you don't use it fully or complain about the conditions of the offer made, I might not be likely to provide the same offer in the future.

[Name removed]

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[Raejeanowl]

7. Good For Him

Worthwhile civil disobedience. My hat's off.

What is the City of Orlando doing to help the homeless/hungry besides harassing the private citizens of conscience trying to help?

[Mojorabbit]

12. They are doing some things

but not nearly enough. We have around eight thousand homeless and only two thousand beds in the shelters. I think it is only going to get worse with the housing crisis.

[bbgrunt]

8. thank goodness

[fedupfisherman]

9. So he did not break the law or did he?

Stupid law to begin with

[Mojorabbit]

13. He did and they have it on film

so I am not sure how he got off. I am sure it will be in the paper tomorrow. We have been careful that each group out there is identified as a separate group so we can feed more than twenty five total.

[eShirl]

18. I believe it's called jury nullification

if the jury believes the law is unjust they can return a not guilty verdict, even if they believe the law was broken

[eShirl]

19. here's a link on it

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zenger/nullification.html

[mainegreen]

21. Yup. Jury nullification is a great thing.

True people power.
Probably why the powers that be are trying to eliminate jury trials as best they can.

[NanceGreggs]

10. What a statement about the state of our nation ...

"... arrested several months ago on suspicion of serving more than 25 homeless people."

Jesus wept.

[Usrename]

14. It's no longer just a crime to be poor here, it's a crime to help the poor.

Yes, Jesus wept;

[SeattleGirl]

11. Good news!

I'm so glad they found him not guilty.

What the fuck kind of country are if, if it's against the law to feed the homeless?

[Az]

15. There is still the question of what sort of country arrests a man for feeding the homeless?

Its good that the judiciary has some compassion. But what were the cops thinking?

[and-justice-for-all]

17. Are you fucking jokeing???

What the hell is wrong with this country? I mean really!. The guy should be given an award.

[varkam]

20. That settles it. We have officially lost our fucking minds.

We're locking people up for feeding the hungry? The fact that this man spent even one second in a cell is a travesty and an outrage! I hope he sues, and I hope he wins a lot of money that he can use to help even more people. We need to be putting people like him on pedestals, not on dockets.

:argh: