Myrtle Beach Limits "Mass Feedings"

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-06-11 04:32:00 UTC
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Thanks to a new ordinance passed by the Myrtle Beach City Council, any group wishing to serve a meal to homeless individuals in a city park must apply for a permit. What's more, the total number of "mass feeding" permits is limited to just four per year.

If you think this sounds ridiculous, it's because it is, in fact, ridiculous.

Sadly, the ordinance was created because of one woman who wanted to serve her community... literally. Carol Stallings has served a free community breakfast every Sunday for nearly 10 years. She says that some people wouldn't eat all weekend if not for the meal, since some shelters are only open during the week.

Now, with the new ordinance in place, her weekend meals will have to end. But, as she told the Sun News, this probably isn't going to solve the neighborhood's crime problem:

She knows some people think if she and others stopped feeding [the homeless], they would go away, but she said that's not true because she hears their stories - how they have nowhere to go, haven't talked to their families in years and they think no one wants them.
"They are human beings," she said.

Indeed, the impetus for the ordinance was the perception among neighbors that Stallings' weekly meal was attracting about 100 homeless people each week, which they insisted caused an uptick in neighborhood crime. According to WMBF News:

Those who support the ordinance say there are better places than public parks to feed those who are without food and shelter, but those opposing Myrtle Beach's newest ordinance argue crime and homelessness are not related.

It's unfortunate that Myrtle Beach city officials have chosen to address the neighbors' concerns about crime with an unfounded city ordinance that in turn eliminates a valuable service to the homeless. If they truly believe that homeless people are responsible for crime, perhaps they should be more proactive about creating affordable housing rather than crafting bizarre city ordinances.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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