A group of activists in El Cajon say they were cited by police last weekend for nothing more than trying to lend their homeless brethren a helping hand.
The city says that’s not true.
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells is pushing back against a group of protestors recently cited for feeding the homeless at El Cajon Park in open defiance of a new city ordinance.
“That’s just a lie,” Wells said of accusations that the ban on public feeding in the park is aimed at pushing homeless people out of the city.
The issue, Wells said, is the spread of Hepatitis A which has sickened more than 500 people across the county. The ban on public feeding in the park is aimed at stemming its spread.
In fact, meals are being served to homeless individuals at organized events across the city, at churches and elsewhere, and Wells said he welcomes that. But public feeding in the park, where the disease is already rampant and public bathrooms are severely lacking, could mean further disaster for the city’s homeless community and residents at large.
Wells also said that the controversial citation of a 14-year-old protestor came at the insistence of his mother and has already been dismissed by the city.
The protestors say they plan to file lawsuits against the city.
Dozens of cities across the U.S. have some form of public food-sharing ban. Read more about them here.