If they want to run a soup kitchen they should partner with a local church that already runs a program for feeding them, or obtain their own space, get the proper permits and run a proper soup kitchen in an area more suitable for such an activity. Setting up in a public park, a park BTW that was recently renovated with taxpayer dollars to make the park a safe and attractive place for the taxpaying residents; families and children to enjoy is being ruined by this couple by making into and promoting it as gathering place for alcoholic and crack and heroin drug addicted vagrants to gather and, no, not just on the Wednesday’s that the Jimenez’s and their volunteers are handing out free food, but now 24/7.
It is not the police hassling them for no reason, but in large part it stems from complaints by the local residents who are tired of being run out of their own park by the intoxicated and drugged “homeless”, who urinate and defecate where ever they want, leave trashed booze bottles and drug needles all over, not only in the park itself, but now in the surround residential neighborhood, and these “homeless” are now also harassing and begging for money from the park goers and committing car and home break ins and other petty crimes.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said Mr and Mrs Jimenez had been warned a week earlier to stop throwing their so-called 'birthday parties' for the homeless at the park after nearby residents complained about vagrants relieving themselves on the ground and stumbling around drunk.
In this picture, notice that these so called “homeless” don’t look like they are hard core and or actually “homeless” or starving, but they are type of people who want to stay drunk or high all the time and spend most of whatever money they have to stay that way and expect hand outs of food and money to support their habits. Also notice the play ground equipment in the background. Would any of you take your children to this park now?
If any of you think that what they are doing is such a great thing, I suggest you contact Debbie and Chico Jimenez and invite them to come and set up the same in your local park and children’s playground.
I will also mention that Debbie and Chico Jimenez named their “ministry” - “Spreading the Word Without Saying a Word”. So in other words, they seem to think that by just feeding these alcoholic and drug addicted vagrants, these leaches on society without saying anything about how they might not be in the position of needing a “free meal” or living on the streets in the first place (no judgments on why they are where they are) that by just handing out a meal to them, that will change how they are living or lead them to “God”.
No. what they are doing is called enabling. And I say that as someone whose ex-husband is a now recovering alcoholic so I am not without compassion. I got to know through AA, NA and Al-Anon meetings, a lot of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts who got clean and sober and now live very productive lives, are now fine upstanding and productive citizens who also try to help their fellow addicts. But in nearly all cases, they only got clean and sober by “tough love” and by hitting a “hard bottom” where they were no longer being enabled by well meaning people who fed and supported their addictions. Many I know are actually grateful that at some point, when they actually couldn’t find a free meal and warm place to sleep it off – that this was their “wake up call” that led them to getting clean and sober.
The problem of the homeless who are mentally ill, schizophrenics for example, is a whole other question. We as a society decided to close most of our mental hospitals and we no longer forcibly commit the seriously mentally ill to mental institutions, not only for our protection but also for their own good. Granted many state mental hospitals were poorly run and rife with abuse, real “snake pits” if you will, but on the other hand, turning these people out on the streets to fend for themselves is no better as a solution and IMO even crueler. For them, those who really can’t help their illness; there has to be a better answer.