On July 19, 2006, the Las Vegas City Council unanimously passed a law making it a crime to feed homeless people in city parks. Anyone caught giving food or drink to a homeless person could suffer a $1000 fine and six months in jail.

While many U.S. cities have laws that prohibit homeless people from congregating in certain areas, no city until now explicitly prohibited sharing food with the poor. Las Vegas now ranks as the No. 1 “Meanest City for the Homeless,” according to the August 2006 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

As a point of comparison, Nashville, which became the 13th “Meanest City” in 2004, has since fallen from the top 20 list. The improvement is due in part to the united efforts of Metro Police, homeless outreach workers and local business owners. In March 2005, the Homeless-Police Relations Working Group formally proposed suggestions to improve cooperation between homeless outreach workers and the Metro Police. In May 2005, Metro Police and business owners began a joint campaign to address panhandling downtown.

The Las Vegas legislation arose from complaints by neighbors of the downtown Huntridge Circle Park area who said that soup kitchens distributing food in the parks attracted homeless people and made the parks unsuitable places for families. The city argues that offering food in the parks only draws homeless away from social service providers who can try to eliminate the causes of homelessness as well as provide meals.
"This is not a punishment; this is to help people," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. "The people who provide sandwiches have good intentions, but they're enabling people not to get the help that is needed."
Granted, distributing meals to the homeless in parks will not solve the problem of homelessness. According to the 2003 Annual Performance Plan by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the first goal in the process to end homelessness is to “make the homebuying process less complicated, the paperwork less demanding and the mortgage process less expensive.”

Currently, this first step of providing enough inexpensive housing presents a serious problem in Las Vegas since there is a severe shortage of safe, affordable housing for low-income people. Many minimum wage workers and others with limited incomes must live in places not considered habitable. Housing units often close immediately upon failing to meet standards, leaving the former inhabitants on the streets.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Timothy Pratt interviewed residents who were worried about ending up homeless, despite the fact that they had incomes. If minimum wage earners are in danger of losing a home, consider how much more desperate those without jobs are. Recall that 46 percent of homeless adults report long-term physical illness or disabilities, according to 2001 research published by the Urban Institute. From 2000 to 2001, 75 percent of homeless people reported some kind of mental health or substance abuse problem, increasing the challenge of keeping a job and earning a steady income.

The homeless must be temporarily provided for until the city can create enough inexpensive but well-maintained housing. Soup kitchens such as the local Las Vegas organization Food Not Bombs prove lifesaving as they fill in the resource gaps of social services.

Already social rights activists have opposed the new law. On Aug. 10, Food Not Bombs gathered at City Hall to protest before moving on to Frank Wright Park, where they openly defied the law by offering food. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police officials, saying that the law violates free speech, free assembly and other rights.

“I don’t want (the homeless) there. They’re not going to be there. I’m not going to let it happen,” Goodman said. “They think I’m mean now; wait until the homeless try to go over there.”

Yes, he is mean. Until Las Vegas social services can provide enough housing and other services to solve the homeless problem, refusing to allow people to freely give food to the poor in order to prevent hunger is cruel.

Katie Vick is a junior in the College of Arts & Science.