Feeding Homeless

“Jail or No Jail, ‘Outlaw Cook’ Will Feed the Poor” (Part I, July 9) describes a Santa Cruz woman, who is an antique store proprietor, convicted for feeding our hungry in an open-air mall without the appropriate “permit.”

I guess it is OK to “permit” the hungry to go hungry, and the homeless to remain homeless. It seems inconceivable to punish a person who performs golden humanitarian deeds, and “permit” criminals all sorts of rights, including suspended sentences, pardons, etc.

Shame on us! As a country that advocates human rights for others, whatever happened to ours?

SYLVIA GRAHAM

Los Angeles