A ludicrous attempt to fix a legitimate problem

When in Las Vegas, be careful about showing compassion - you may be breaking the law.

The city's leaders have outlawed feeding the indigent in parks there. If you're caught, it could land you in jail for six months or cost you $1,000. But that's only if you offer your sandwich to someone whom "a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance."

So make sure you give your sandwich to someone who's well dressed, or even to a squirrel. Your civic duty is to avoid anyone who may actually need help, no matter what your Bible or preacher might have told you.

The ordinance is a ludicrous attempt by the city to address a legitimate issue. That issue is that many homeless people congregate in parks when mobile soup kitchens show up, and nearby residents complain that renders the parks unusable by others. It's no secret that many homeless people battle mental illness, and many have committed crimes.

But this ordinance won't fix that, and it's likely there will be many acts of compassion - civil disobedience - happening in Vegas parks on a daily basis. How would you like to be a police officer or prosecutor charged with enforcing the ordinance?

It's likely the time spent on the ordinance will go to waste if there's a court challenge, and with the vague wording and the potential for selective enforcement, that's very possible.

There are better ways to address the issue, and both the city and homeless advocates are to blame for not pursuing those options fully.

But restricting people from showing compassion toward others in need should never be on the agenda of a governmental body.