Ohio Town Declares War on Charity, Man Found Guilty of Helping the Needy

‘What started as just another ordinance in the war on the homeless and poor took a bizarre turn when journalist Virgil Vaduva sought to test the new rule that banned panhandling in the small town of Xenia, Ohio. The court decided that charities are prohibited from soliciting funds almost everywhere in the city.

Vaduva has made a name for himself locally by being unrelenting in his coverage and criticism of the town’s government. When he began collecting money for charity in front of the city courthouse, law enforcement and the prosecutor appear to have been so eager to strike back that they cited him for a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and then the ordinance was interpreted to pertain to collecting money for charity, despite the phrase “personal financial assistance” being in the rule.’

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