Crime & Safety
CA Police Give Child, 11 Others, Citations For Feeding Homeless
The citations were issued in El Cajon after city leaders passed an ordinance prohibiting sharing food, according to a report.
EL CAJON, CA -- A child and 11 other people were reportedly given citations after offering food to homeless people in El Cajon. NBC7 reported the 12 people are now facing misdemeanor charges.
The news station reported the incident happened on Sunday when volunteers went to Well Park to give the homeless food and other necessary items. But the kind gesture was apparently against a city ordinance.
"Back in October, El Cajon City Council passed an ordinance that restricts residents from food sharing. The ordinance came at the height of the Hepatitis A outbreak," NBC7 reported.
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El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho defended the ordinance to NBC7.
"What we're saying is feeding them at city parks is a bad idea given the situation that we're in with the Hepatitis A outbreak and the fact that it makes the place completely messy afterward," Kalasho told NBC7.
Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The ordinance comes after hundreds of people in San Diego County have been infected by Hepatitis A. As of Monday, 577 cases and 20 deaths were reported in the region.
KPBS reported the city of El Cajon has the highest poverty rate in the region with 323 homeless people.
--Photo via Shutterstock
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