Similar to laws which some cities have in place for pigeons, Las Vegas has made it illegal to feed homeless people in city parks. The ban was called into action by residents in close proximity to parks that had complained about large numbers of homeless people gathering in public areas. The law targets mobile soup kitchens, and has a maximum penalty of a $1,000 and 6 month in prison. David Riggleman, a city spokesman said, “by shutting down such soup kitchens, homeless people will be encouraged to go to a centre or a charity that offers services such as mental health evaluations or job placements.” The new law was also met with criticism. Gail Sacco, who operates a mobile soup kitchen, said the city does not have sufficient services for homeless people. “There’s no way for people to get out to those services in triple-digit weather,” she said.

According to the law, a homeless person is someone ‘whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance’. Allen Lichtenstein, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the law is unenforceable. “The ordinance is clearly unconstitutional and nonsensical,” he said. “How are you going to know without a financial statement who’s poor and who’s not poor? It means they can discriminate based on the way people look.”

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