Homeless Man Arrested in Fort Lauderdale City Meeting to Raise Awareness for Homeless from Voice Media Group and Dylan Bouscher on Vimeo.
Ray Cox, a homeless man, was stopped Tuesday by police officers as he was entering a City Commission meeting, where commissioners were proclaiming November 16-22 "National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week" in the city.
After Mayor John P. "Jack" Seiler called the meeting to order, Cox walked up to ask Seiler why he was being harassed before taking a seat in the first row of the City Commission chambers.
"If you're going to disrupt the meeting, step outside," Seiler told Cox as officers approached and escorted him out. "You're welcome to come back in, when you're done."
See also: Fort Lauderdale's Controversial Homeless Feeding Restrictions Spark National Outrage
"This used to be the United States of America! This is Ferguson!" Cox yelled as he was being dragged out of the commission chambers.
Moments later, the officers arrested Cox on a warrant for a missed court date (see it all in the video).
Later, Broward Homeless Campaign activist Jeff Weinberger called for Seiler's immediate resignation, reading a statement about the city's proclamation from the executive director for the National Coalition for the Homeless, Jerry Jones, and the director of community organizing, Michael Stoops:
"Tonight's proclamation goes to show that talk is exceedingly cheap. What hypocrisy! It's a sham and a cover for the city's disgraceful attempt to push homeless people out of sight. The National Coalition for the Homeless has rarely seen a worse example of anti-homeless policies than the collection of ordinances passed by Fort Lauderdale this year. The truth is that no one cares what these politicians have to say about National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week when they continue to take food out of the mouths of people in need."
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