Church Group threatened with arrest for helping homless

[RachelB]

RachelB, all you said. Other things the homeless aren't allowed to do:

Sit too long in one place (if you sit in a park because you enjoy the happy atmosphere and you're a homeless man, you're making people feel threatened/might be a paedo, and if you sit in a city centre and you're a homeless woman, the police will move you on for begging and making people feel threatened).

Sleep outdoors peacefully (The police will move you on if you're visible)

Go into a shelter if you have a pet (no pets allowed even if they give you the only comfort and companionship you get)

Beg (aggressively is scary for everyone, but even non-aggressively is verboten because it "upsets tourists" and "drives down profits")

When you get some money, buy something you would like to have (well-dressed, nice people are allowed to buy what they like, people who smell less than gorgeous and don't look like they dressed for the occasion of going to the local shop, not so much)

It'll only get worse. I'm not expecting a wave of compassion and redistribution of wealth to come about right now, and if there was a bitter grin smiley, it'd be here.

Do not get me started on Sit/Lie laws. I will continue ranting all night. (One part of San Francisco where those laws are not enforced? The farmers' market. There's never enough seating around lunchtime. But the police aren't about to arrest tourists-- they might tell other people not to come to town and spend money.)