Local community
supports Food Not Bombs
21 arrested for sharing vegan meals to the hungry in Orlando, Florida.
RESPONSE TO ORLANDO MAYOR DYER
Photos of the arrests of volunteers sharing meals with the hungry in Florida
Arresting Volunteers for Sharing Food with the Hungry is Criminal (tikkun.org June 20, 2011)
Operation Orlando Release One (by Commander X on June 21,2011)
Hackers crash web sites to protest Orlando's homeless feeding restrictions
FLORIDA CIVIL RIGHTS ASSOCIATION LETTER TO MAYOR DYER
Orlando Food Not Bombs attorney Shayan Elahi makes important statement to the media on June 16, 2011
Anonymous Plans Attack on City of Orlando Website, IRC Chatter SuggestsJune 16th PC World)
Terrorists Attack Orlando with WMD Reporter T.J. McCarthy IV June 8, 2011
Three more volunteers arrested sharing breakfast Monday morning June 13th.
Five more volunteers arrested sharing dinner Wednesday evening June 8th.
Students rally for end to the arrests at the University of Central Florida.
Radio host Malloy on the arrests in Orlando
Pancakes, doughnuts and more arrests at Lake Eola
Food Not Bombs Serves Up Food Again (Five more volunteers arrested)
If you live in Orlando invite our Please print this flyer and pass it on to everyone you believe would enjoy a free meal.
4 more homeless activists arrested in Orlando
Food Not Bombs founder lives his philosophy
SOLIDARITY ACTION IN DETROIT(video) Thanks Detroit Underground.
The October2011 Coalition supports solidarity with Food Not Bombs
POST YOUR IDEAS ON HOW TO DEFEND OUR RIGHT TO SHARE FOOD AND INFORMATION IN ORLANDO
Add your voice to the conversation. We need your help!
A Day Without Food - Fast and call- in Wednesday, June 29, 2011
FOR ONE BILLION PEOPLE JUNE 29th WILL BE A DAY WITHOUT FOOD Join our fast, join us at Lake Eola Park and call Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at 407.246.2221
Nearly 1 billion people face a day without food every day. Over 25,000 die each day from hunger. Hunger is not limited to less developed countries, with over 15 percent of Americans going with out food each month. Federal authorities report that 387,849 new recipients were added to the food stamps program in March 2011. Over 44 million Americans rely on food stamps to feed their families. The City of Orlando started arresting people for sharing meals with the hungry on June 1, 2011. The city arrested 12 volunteers by June 8th. The 11th Circuit Court ruled that the city could restrict Food Not Bombs to sharing only twice a year per park. The law is not limited to Orlando, Gainesville, Fort Lauderdale, Saint Petersburg, and other Florida cities are also introducing laws restricting the sharing of food with the hungry. We encourage you to participate in these three actions in Orlando. If we defend the right to share food in protest to war and poverty in Orlando other cities will withdraw their anti-feeding laws.
PRINT OUT A DAY WITHOUT FOOD FLYER
HUMAN NEEDS NOT CORPORATE GREED!
THE CAMPAIGN TO END THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POVERTY
Five more volunteers arrested sharing dinner Wednesday evening June 8th.
Five more volunteers were arrested for sharing dinner with the hungry in Orlando, Florida on June 8, 2011. Hours before ordering the arrests Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he is fed up with the Food Not Bombs group. Dyer has been quoted calling them "food terrorists." Food Not Bombs calls on Americans to join the peaceful anti-austerity protests that are sweeping the world. Please come to Orlando and join our Risk Arrest One Day a Month Program. We will add your picture and name on our Wall of Compassion Website. Local support in Orlando is huge with police officers, jail guards, inmates, union organizers and the regular person on the street telling us to keep it up. Rise up America, this is your turn to join the global protest against austarity.
TAKE ACTION TO END THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POVERTY
Sign the online petition calling for an end to the arrests.
I'm going to Disney World! ...to get arrested for sharing food with the hungry Our campaign inviting all to come to Orlando to risk arrest.
Join the Wall of Compassion by risking arrest sharing free vegan meals with the hungry
WRITE A LETTER CAMPAIGN Ask human rights groups and city officials to end the arrests!
Participate or organize a first of the month vigil at city hall.
If Joblessness and Hopelessness Undermine Democracy in the Middle East, What About Here at Home?
On May 25, 2011 Heather Fagan (Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's press secretary ) hinted that police may gather evidence that could be used to arrest activists later, perhaps at their homes or workplaces away from the news cameras. Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel May 25, 2011
The city did not make arrests at home or at work but rushed up to the June 1st dinner and arrested three volunteers in the first of this new wave of city attacks. Officials continue to make arrests at each meal.
FOOD NOT BOMBS TELLS ORLANDO SENTINEL WHY IT PLANS TO CONTINUE DEFYING NEW LAW. (Video)
JOIN US RISKING ARREST FOR SHARING VEGAN MEALS WITH THE HUNGRY
Join us by risking arrest in Orlando Mondays at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 5:30 PM at Lake Eola Park.
This law must be stopped in the wake of the failing economy. Defend the right to organize against the global austarity program.
if you can't come to Orlando please share free vegan meals outside your local City Hall, Federal Building, U.S. Embassy or Military Base on the first of each month. Food Not Bombs was able to end the city of San Francisco s campaign by risking arrest and asking for international and local support. Unions, clubs and other organizations were invited to risk arrest one day a month and Amnesty International and the United Nations responded to our letter writing campaign. They agreed to support our right to share food in protest to war and poverty. The city made over 1,000 arrests and spent several million dollars but gave up because of global political pressure. Please join us in this campaign.
SEE WHO IS ON THE WALL OF COMPASSION The people that have shared vegan meals and have been arrested.
Protest outside the American consulate in Milan, Italy in solidarity with activists Food Not Bombs Orlando!
WRITE A LETTER CAMPAIGN
URGENT SIGN OUR ON-LINE PETITION AND WRITE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, THE UN, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA (PLEASE PASS ON THIS WEBSITE!)
SIGN OUR PETITION
If you try to feed him in Orlando, they will put you behind bars. (Initiated by Sanya at Ikoi in Tokyo, Japan)
Police detectives video taped the June 1st dinner before Orlando police cars rushed to the meal at Lake Eola Park arresting three for sharing food. More protests planned. Please join us. Come to Orlando as soon as you can, participate in the July 1st Human Needs, Not Corporate Greed Tent City vigil at your local city hall and write letters to Amnesty International, the UN and Obama's Justice Department.
Riseup America. This is our time. Feeding the hungry is our "crime." Join us in Orlando.
People are rising up all over the world this summer protesting the transfer of our resourses from the public to the super weathly. Now it is time for Americans to join in this struggle. We are organizing legal support, bail and other logistics for everyone willing to risk arrest. Food Not Bombs slowed a wave of anti-meal laws in California by resisting in San Francisco.
In the world's wealthiest country where over 50 cents of every tax dollar goes to fund the military it is possible to make sure no one ever needs to seek food at a soup kitchen or be forced to live on the street this message should be expressed loud, often and with as much passion as possible. Please come to Orlando and join us.
Anti-Poverty Group Member Arrested
3 Fla. activists arrested for feeding homeless
3 Food Not Bombs members arrested for ordinance violation
WRITE A LETTER CAMPAIGN - Please request support from Amnesty International, Justice Department and the United Nations.
Protest banner in Italy
Three Food Not Bombs volunteers were arrested during the June 1st meal just before the activists and poor were about to march to Orlando City Hall for the first of the nonthly actions calling for an end to the criminalizaton of poverty. On May 18th and 25th a crowd of over 100 people came to defy the city of Orlando's law against sharing free meals and literature to the public. The city has spent tens of thousands on efforts to enforce a law limiting the feeding of the hungry to twice a year per park. This is part of an effort to crinimalize poverty intended to reduce pressure to fund and institute policies that would prevent millions of Americans from living in dire conditions. Some claim that all the group needs to do is get a permit but first, the sharing of free food and ideas is an unregulated activity and even if the group was issed a permit to share twice a year why should we be limited to seeking popular support to two days. Imagine living on the streets being required to know where your meal has been relocated. Once the public has agreed to this new restriction the city plans to move all food programs to the edge of Orlando with the goal of moving the problem out of sight and reducing pressure to divert public funding from helping the poor to promoting the wealthy. Orlando is not the only city attempting to drive its poor from sight. Many other Florida city governments have announced plans to pass similar laws. Other states are also watching Florida with the goal of driving poverty out of sight.
Food Not Bombs is refusing to cooperate with this inhumane program and seeks to build popular resistance to the transfer of the publics money from working and poor people to billionaires and corporate rulers. Over half of all federal taxes are spent on the military while large corporations and the wealthily pay little or no taxes. No one should need to rely on soup kitchens and shelters to live in the United States and all laws directed at attacking the poor must be defied. Many other cities are also passing laws against feeding the hungry and aspects of being homeless and poor. Please join us in organizing a nationwide Poor Peoples Campaign. As we were resisting the Orlando law Food not Bombs received a call from Hopeville in St Louis, Missouri requesting our help. City officials in St. Louis are also attacking their homeless and plan to attack the tent city protest Hopeville. Police are also making mass arrests of homeless and poor in Venice, California.
Anti-poverty group defies ban on feeding homeless in Orlando's parks Food Not Bombs members say they broke the law; the city says they didn't
Food Not Bombs could face charges for homeless feeding
Anti-poverty Group Puts the City of Orlando on Notice
Volunteers envision resource center for Orlando's homeless City's anti-feeding law spawns collaboration
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie on Tuesday, May 17 responding to question about why he discourages feeding homeless
Homeless and advocates to rally Wednesday at Hopeville
Homeless campers about to be attacked by city. They need your help. Please call the Hopeville Tent City protesters at 314-323-5353.
On April 12, 2011 the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Orlando could limit Food Not Bombs right to share information and food to the public to twice a year per park. On April 4, 2007 Food Not Bombs volunteer Eric Montanez was arrested under a new Orlando law designed to silence opposition to America's crisis of poverty and homelessness.
Authorities in the United States have not respected the universal rights of the American people, systematically suppressed the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. From policies of creating so called "Free Speech Zones" in areas designed to hide protests from public view to infiltration and the framing of nonviolent activists to the current wave of grand jury investigations the United States government The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia heard the Orlando Food Bombs case on February 15, 2011.
On April 4, 2007 Food Not Bombs volunteer Eric Montanez was arrested under a new Orlando law designed to hid the the cities poverty and silence debate on alternatives.
Many cities in the United States are adopting policies to hide the crisis of poverty instead of seeking solutions. Along with passing anti-homeless laws officials have been trying to drive Food Not Bombs groups out of sight in cities all across the United States. Volunteers have been arrested, beaten, had their banners and literature discarded and a number of volunteers remain in prison. Police have also told Food Not Bombs groups that they can feed the hungry as long as volunteers don't hand out literature and display banners, arguing that our message is not protected Free Speech by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Police made over 1,000 arrests in San Francisco from 1988 to 1997. Volunteers have also been arrested in Los Angeles, Arcata,, Santa Monica and Santa Cruz, California; Tampa and Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada, Middletown, Connecticut and other cities in the United States.
Today authorities are threatening to silence Food Not Bombs groups in Taos, New Mexico, Rapid City, South Dakota, Saint Petersburg, Saint Augustine, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida. Food Not Bombs volunteers have also been framed and convicted on charges of terrorism, groups infiltrated, cook houses monitored and raided by riot police.
The people of the United States should follow the example of all those protesting their corrupt governments that transfer our resources to the rich while we are expected to suffer poverty, unemployment, hunger and extreme austerity policies.
Are you holding an acton in your
community? Tell your local media about your action. Reports of actions
starting to come in.
The full Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling
Orlando Large Group Feeding Permit
Law
Food
Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry takes calls on attempts to
criminalize public feedings on MAY 11, 2011
Fight Against Patriot Act Renewal and
FBI Police-State Tactics Heats Up; Florida Criminalizes Poverty and Cuts
Unemployment Benefits by PETER B. COLLINS on MAY 9, 2011
Arresting Food Not Bombs is
Censorship
Ban on feeding the homeless in St.
Pete?
Protest Fort Lauderdale Police Campaign Against Food Not Bombs
JOIN OUR MEALS EVERY TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS 5:30 PM
Stranahan Park - 10 E. Broward Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
The harassment of the Fort Lauderdale Food Not Bombs volunteers
continued at their May Day theatric game of capture the flag in downtown
Fort Lauderdale. When the volunteers arrived the police were taunting a
group of people resting on the grass outside the public library. The
police continued up to the Food Not Bombs cars and started threatening
the activists with tickets and questioning them about our activities. A
local woman was walking her dog across the same lawn as the police were
harassing Food Not Bombs. From then on they harassed the Food Not Bombs
volunteers every place they walked in the quiet downtown streets. After
an hour police officer J. Czech arrested two of the volunteers, Nathan
Pim and Hunter Altschul. The police claimed they arrested the Nate and
Hunter for trespassing on a grassy lawn outside a bank tower. This is
part of an ongoing campaign against the homeless of Fort Lauderdale and
the volunteers of Food Not Bombs. The police moved a tower into
Stranahan Park after they started harassing the group. Fort Lauderdale
Police Officer J. Czech has been involved in a long running effort to
disrupt Food Not Bombs and the homeless near Stranahan Park. On
Thursday, February 17, 2011 the Fort Lauderdale Police raided the Food
Not Bombs house kicking in a bed room door and asking the volunteers if
they were terrorists. Police returned on Saturday, February 19th and
again questioned the volunteers and ticketed volunteers while driving
near their home. Food Not Bombs called the National Lawyers Guild and
has been given support. Food Not Bombs is also calling on the publics
support by contacting local city officials and expressing their support
for Food Not Bombs.
FEEDING BAN IN PROGRESS IN
FT.LAUDERDALE
The Ft. Lauderdale city commission approved the salvation army mobile
kitchen as a fixed feeding unit - - giving the city the legal green
light to ban feeding in public spaces in the city. This is an ordinance
that Food Not Bombs activist have been fighting since the beginning
almost 20 months ago. CRUNCH TIME - - - JOIN US TODAY AT 1:30 IN CITY
HALL FOR AN OPEN MEETING WITH THE CITY - -
IMPORTANT: POLICE
HARASSMENT HAS INCREASED AND WILL ONLY GET WORSE - - FRIDAY MAY 6TH WAS
OUR FNB FESTIVAL! JOIN OUR MEALS IN NUMBERS AS WE STAND OUR GROUND AND
FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT OF ALL, NO MATTER CLASS, TO EAT AND GATHER IN A
PUBLIC SPACE!
PLEASE DONATE TO FT.LAUDERDALE FOOD NOT BOMBS
Help our chapter respond to the police harrasment. Any amount
helps. Thanks for your support
Police Raid of Activists SWAMP Collective in
Florida
Mayor Seiler may be reached at 954-828-5003 or via e-mail at jack.seiler@fortlauderdale.
gov and Chief of Police Franklin Adderley at 954 - 828 - 5590 franka@fortlauderdale.gov
MORE ON ORLANDO CASE
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruling
Group Protests Homeless Feeding Ban Outside City Hall
Court uphold Orlando ordinance restricting feeding of homeless in public parks (Free Speech Radio)
Food Not Bombs Willingly Breaks Law To Cook For Orlando Homeless
Group Says It Will Continue Violating Homeless Feeding Ban
Court upholds Orlando's homeless feeding rules
Orlando court ruling opens path for St. Petersburg to limit homeless feedings
Leaderless movement won't sign for space (PETERBOROUGH OONTARIO FOOD NOT BOMBS)
A Place at the Table - Prohibitions On Sharing Food With People Experiencing Homelessness
Happytown learned that Food Not Bombs, an activist group that feeds the homeless twice a week at Lake Eola Park will be granted a re-hearing of its lawsuit against the city in federal appeals court in Atlanta, scheduled for the week of May 18 - 24, 2011. Police arrested one more volunteer in Orlando on December 15th.
PRINT OUT A SAMPLE FLYER TO ANNOUNCE YOUR LOCAL ACTION
Please email us the details of your local action to menu@foodnotbombs.net - thanks
Rapid City Food Not Bombs told to move to less visible location.
Organizations at odds over free meals to homeless
Homeless advocates win new hearing in Lake Eola park-feeding case
Jackie Dowd of Legal Advocacy at Work in an exclusive interview discusses the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals making the rare judicial move of throwing out the earlier decision of their own 3 judge panel overturning the victory of Food Not Bombs vs the City of Orlando's Group Feeding Ordinance and granting a new hearing in front of the entire panel of judges.
THE ORDER TO VACATE
11th Circuit to Reconsider Homeless Feeding Permits
A ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals bars the city from enforcing a 4-year-old ordinance that regulates group feedings in public parks. Read Ruling Against Food Not Bombs Right To Free Expression that was vacated.(Click for pdf of ruling)
This is in response to the recently unnveiled plans for renovations of Monroe Park in Richmond, Virginia, as well as comments about the park from Charles R. Samuels who is the City Councilman for the 2nd district where Monroe Park is located. This is written by a longtime member of the Richmond Food Not Bombs organization, which has been serving a weekly meal in the park for over 16 years.
Resist attempts at pushing homeless out of Monroe Park!
Group decries plans to gentrify Monroe Park
There have been many attempts to shut down local Food Not Bombs groups by claiming they need a permit to share free meals and that volunteers need to cook in a licensed facility. After first arresting San Francisco Food Not Bombs on August 15, 1988 because they were "making a political statement and that's not allowed" the city started claiming that the group needed a permit from the parks department and when that didn't work they told the public that Food Not Bombs needed a Health Permit. Even though California state law clearly stated that no one was required to have this permit unless they were selling or making money from distributing the food the police made over 1,000 arrests. San Francisco Food Not Bombs is not only still sharing free meals but the arrests inspired people all over the world to start their own Food Not Bombs groups. Each time a government threatens to stop a local Food Not Bombs group their actions cause the creation of new chapters. State officials in Arizona, Florida, California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Connecticut have also tried to stop Food Not Bombs in the past couple of years. You can support Ann Arbor Food Not Bombs. Share food with them or organize an action in solidarity with their right to share free food and literature in protest to hunger, poverty and war. Please return to this page to find out additional ways of supporting Ann Arbor Food Not Bombs.
ORLANDO FOOD NOT BOMBS TO DEFY FEDRAL COURT RULING
"We accept that Orlando Food Not Bombs had the requisite expressive intent, but we believe that the feedings in this case present at most an ambiguous situation to an objective reasonable observer...Just feeding people in the park is conduct too ambiguous to allow us to conclude that a great likelihood exists that an objective reasonable observer would understand that the feeders are trying to convey a message. "
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Edmondson, Barkett, and Baldock - July 6, 2010
Group Feeds Homeless In Protest - WESH tv
Orlando Food Not Bombs defies federal judge's ruling, continues to feed homeless
Orlando Food Not Bombs is not going anywhere. We will not slink out of Orlando because a court ruling goes against us. Some accuse us of being "outside agitators" with a covert agenda, but we freely admit that our purposes are both humanitarian and political. Many of us live here, and it is our city, too. We will continue to share food at a location in or near downtown Orlando twice a week, as we have for more than five years. We do this because thousands of hungry people desperately need the food that we provide and because we truly believe that food is a right--not a privilege.
The City of Orlando, from Mayor "Buddy" Dyer on down, has provided ample evidence that it believes that food and human survival are mere privileges. They have repeatedly criminalized homelessness and dehumanized the poor and the homeless. Some of their more outrageous actions have included creating an undercover Orlando police unit to nab panhandlers and arresting an FNB member for the heinous crime of ladling out stew too many times (this involved 15 police officers!). We would love to know how many of our hard-earned tax dollars Dyer and his minions have squandered harassing the hungry, and opposing those who provide them with aid (without using one penny of public money).
Orlando Food Not Bombs can not and will not stand down and allow an apartheid-like system of injustice based upon socio-economic status to go unchallenged. The court ruling was only part of one battle; our struggle for a freer, more equitable and compassionate society continues. We have partnered with other groups and individuals to organize and advocate in our community around issues such as poverty, jobs, support for the rights of workers and immigrants, gentrification, affordable housing, social services, and police accountability.
We will hold local public officials accountable for how their decisions affect everyone--not just corporate and business interests and wealthy campaign donors. We will demand that they recognize that the greatness of a city is not measured by how much it can lavish on arenas and performing arts centers, but by how it treats the least among us. We will make the powerful listen and we will make them act.
In closing, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our lawyer, Jacqueline Dowd. It is only due to Jackie's tireless efforts on our behalf that we have been able to share food at Lake Eola Park these last four years despite the City's anti-homeless food sharing ordinance. We esteem Jackie for her commitment to this cause and to the people with whom we share and to everyone in our community who is disadvantaged.
orlandofnb@
orlandofoodnotbombs.org
Two days after America celebrated Independence Day the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta found that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution does not protect Food Not Bombs and The First Vagabonds Church of God's right to free expression. The Eleventh Circuit Court judgement against Food Not Bombs joins the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and the Federal Fifth Circuit ruling against the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in showing a disregard for the public good on behalf of corporate greed.
Eric Montanez, one of the Orlando Food Not Bombs volunteers arrested two years ago, helped carry on the group's regular Wednesday night feeding at Lake Eola Park as scheduled and pledged to continue doing so regardless of what happens.
'The city is criminalizing homelessness and poverty and criminalizing individuals and organizations in the community that are trying to address those problems,' Montanez said.
Orlando City Attorney Mayanne Downs said at a news conference earlier Wednesday that enforcement won't begin for at least 20 days- the amount of time that Orlando Food Not Bombs and other homeless activists who sued the city over the rules have to go back to court. The ordinance requires anyone hosting a "large group feeding" in the downtown district to first get a permit. Each individual or group is limited to two permits annually per district park.
Food Not Bombs is not "Just feeding people in the park" but is seeking to express in the most effective means possible that America should redirect it's resources from military spending towards food, housing, education, healthcare and other basic needs. Providing free food to the hungry in the most visible location possible under the banner Food Not Bombs is the most effective means of expressing this message. The court ruling will not stop Food Not Bombs from continuing to provide free meals in protest to war and poverty.
Federal court censorship of Food Not Bombs at this point in history is particularly disturbing considering that U.S. military spending and homeless and hunger are all at record levels. It is more important then ever for the message of Food Not Bombs to have as much impact as possible on American taxpayers by sharing free meals with the hungry under the banner Food Not Bombs in the most visible locations possible. U.S. taxpayers were asked to pay at least $663.8 billion this year for their military as 40 million Americans require Food Stamps, millions of people are waiting for unemployment checks and A record 3 million homes received foreclosure notices in 2009.
Orlando Food Not Bombs can
expect world wide support if threatened again with arrest. Volunteers
from all over the United States are likely to travel to Orlando to risk
arrest. Food Not Bombs has an eastern United States Gathering planned
for November in Washington D.C. where the subject of coordinated global
actions will be discussed. Orlando Food Not Bombs will ask full appeals
court to rehear the case.
Orlando Can Restrict Homeless Feedings
Orlando Can Restrict Homeless Feedings
Appeals court sides with Orlando on food ban
Orlando group defies federal judge's ruling, continues to feed homeless
Homeless advocates decry court ruling restricting feedings in parks
Fight over homeless feeding site heats up in Fort Lauderdale
Ordinance Would Regulate Feeding Miam's Homeless
Miami Florida considers anti-homeless feeding law
Diablo Food Not Bombs Succeeds in Feeding the Hungry!
Good People Break Bad Laws
State officials tried to stop Food Not Bombs in New Mexico. New Mexico is ranked as "America's Hungriest State" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with near 17 percent of our people going without food each month. New Mexico is not the only state trying to stop Food Not Bombs. State officials in Arizona, Florida, California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Connecticut have also tried to stop Food Not Bombs in the past couple of years. Arizona Food Not Bombs groups in Flagstaff and Prescott were told they could continue if they "didn't publicize" our meal. The city has been telling Flagstaff Food Not Bombs to move, stop and threatening arrest for several months. Middletown Food Not Bombs has been trying to work with the city but local officials started ticketing and arresting volunteers in late April. Both the States of New Mexico and Connecticut ordered all chapters to stop in letter they sent to the Food Not Bombs office in Taos, New Mexico. Connecticut finally created a new law that lets everyone share meals with the hungry. Sharing free meals and literature in an unregulated activity like all other offers of help. Food Not Bombs has been sharing free vegetarian meals since 1980 and is providing free meals and literature in over 1,000 cities around the world. Not one person has reported being made ill by eating our vegetarian meals. As would be expected the food is shared in the three hour period determined safe by all state laws. Several cities have tried to stop Food Not Bombs. San Francisco spend ten years and thousands of dollars arresting and beating volunteers. The group still shares meals nearly every day in San Francisco, California. Orlando Food Not Bombs was arrested but found innocent and the city was ordered to pay $200,000 to our lawyers. The city of West Palm Beach was ordered to pay our lawyers $100,000 after trying to restrict our efforts. So far the United States is the only country that has tried to stop Food Not Bombs from sharing meals with the hungry. Police did arrest the Utrecht Netherlands chapter but gave a formal apology.
Food Not Bombs has also been listed as a domestic terrorist group in the United States. Federal agents have a national campaign of infiltration and disruption of local Food Not Bombs groups. The U.S. government has framed nearly 20 volunteers on charges of terrorism. Many are in prison today. For more details about the U.S. governments national campaign against Food Not Bombs VISIT www.foodnotbombs.net/spy.html
We are
urging a global day of action is solidarity of all groups under threat
by government officials. Our eight cooks are also facing long prision
sentences in the RNC 8 case. Their trial
is set for this summer. If you live near any chapter facing repression
please attend their next meal and consider risking arrest. Defense of
our right to share meals without government interference could not be a
more important right to protect as the global economy fails and millions
are going hungry.
Permits can be a big problem as we saw in San
Francisco where the city deleted the permit process as a way of
justifying their arrests after the government was pressured by corporate
leaders to drive us from public. We divided our meals into thirds in
San Francisco so that the police would steal the first amount and arrest
the servers then return to take another share of our meal and a few more
volunteers but after that they never took our third attempt and that way
everyone was fed. We felt that if we gave in this would give future
governments the idea that they could require permits and that when ever
a government thought they needed to restrict our work they could point
to the permits as justification.
Food permit laws are designed
to regulate the distribution of meals where there is an economic
incentive to cut corners in the preparation or serving of meals. Food
Not Bombs is an all volunteer project sharing free vegetarian meals and
literature in protest to war and poverty. Efforts to stop Food Not Bombs
is based on political considerations and has nothing to do with food
safety as no one has ever reported being made ill in the nearly thirty
years we have provided meals to the hungry.
Hey Friends and Supporters, On Friday, May 8, 2009, Food Not Bombs Albuquerque was notified that we are facing an injunction in court to stop sharing food anywhere that the state of New Mexico requires a permit. The motion filed by the New Mexico Environment Department cites Mike Butler, Patrick Jaite, and Several Unidentified Members of FNB as "John Does", as defendents. We are currently going to be talking with lawyers and figuring out what our next step is. We are still looking for any lawyer that will do pro-bono work to defend us. (our contact info will be below).Please spread the word about the repression that is happening and know that we will continue to share food to all that are hungry. Sincerely, Food Not Bombs Albuquerque fnb_505@yahoo.com and leave a message for us @ (505) 842-5697
P.O. Box 424, Arroyo Seco, NM 87514 USA
575-770-3377
1-800-884-1136
menu@foodnotbombs.net
www.foodnotbombs.net