In the film Taylor’s Campaign (1998), the Santa Monica City Council is shown passing a city ordinance forbidding the passing out of food to homeless in local areas. I personally found myself in shock by this horrific and inhumane move by a government body whose purpose is to “serve the people”, not watch them starve out on the streets. A few days after watching the film I found myself sitting outside of the local Costco eating a few large hot dogs. As I have since I was a young boy, I began picking off pieces of the bun and tossing them to the seagulls, who are regular visistors at Costco benches across the country. As is the usual reaction to such actions, the manager came over and asked me to cease fire. This time, however, my mind went somewhere other than my usual rationalization that feeding the birds mean more birds would flock to the benches and negatively affect business. No, this time my mind went straight to the homeless in Santa Monica and that controversial city ordinance.

How demeaning must it be in the first place to have to beg for food? How dehumanizing must it be to have someone tell you that you’re not allowed to be fed in public? If a mother feeds her daughter in the park, no one will be arrested. If a dog owner gives his pet a treat while they’re on their morning walk downtown, no one will be arrested. If we are supposed to treat everyone line family, with love and respect, why are we not allowed to feed our brethren when they are starving right in front of us?