The Story of Taos Food Not Bombs


Taos Food Not Bombs was founded by Richy Greene and his friends in response to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Our group provided food each week in The Taos Plaza and at the large protests outside the Taos home of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

After a break of more than a year Taos Food Not Bombs re-started with its celebration of Human Rights Day December 10, 2006 at the Bareiss Gallery. Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry talked about how Food Not Bombs started in Boston and how volunteers were arrested during the dedication of monument to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at U.N Plaza in San Francisco in 1995. That year Amnesty International declared Food Not Bombs volunteers "Prisoner of Conscience" when they were getting arrested, beaten and tortured for defending the rights of the homeless. The evening started with two songs by Apollo who also told of how he volunteered with San Antonio, Texas Food Not Bombs. Local Taos artist Jill Rounds introduced the two guests. Over 120 people attended the event. Volunteers with Action Coalition of Taos, Tierra Lucero and several other groups attended. The event was recorded by Kate with KRZA Radio, Robin of Cultural Energy and Richy filmed it for Taos Local Television Public Access Channel 2. That evening Taos activists proposed the idea of starting local chapters of Healthcare Not Warfare, Taos Food Not Lawns and a number of other projects. Peace activists from Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Vegas, New Mexico also attended the event. Plans are already being made to organize a New Mexico Food Not Bombs Gathering and start more groups to address the states problems. New Mexico has a number of challenges including hunger and a reliance on the Military for jobs. In 2007 after a huge snow storm that closed the roads to Taos local activists met to organize a program to provide help during emergency. As a result they started the Taos Peace House and Infoshop in a old adobe next to the famous Laughing Horse Inn. Food Not Bombs raised the funds to open the house from a grant with Ben and Jerry's Ice cream. It was possible to eat at the Taos Peace House for free every afternoon for several years. At the same time Food Not Bombs also provided meals at the plaza every Saturday. The Peace House was sabotaged while Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry was on tour and closed in December 2010.

Food Not Bombs continued to provide it's weekly meals even so. Authorities in Florida started to threaten Food Not Bombs and invited Keith to tour the state. While in Florida the idea of forming a Food Not Bombs Free Skool in Taos was born. Food Not Bombs organizers from Florida joined the local Food Not Bombs activists in Taos starting the Free Skool in 2012. The Food Not Bombs Free Skool is independent of Taos Food Not Bombs and the Food Not Bombs movement and welcomes anyone in the public to participate. You can learn more about the Food Not Bombs Free Skool at fnb-freeskool.org

The State of New Mexico threatened Taos Food Not Bombs twice. On June 1, 2013 they issued a citation to Keith McHenry. Local authorities supported Food Not Bombs so the state did not return. Please join us for a free meal every Saturday at the Taos Plaza from noon to 2:00 PM and welcomes your participation.



Food Not Bombs
P.O. Box 424, Arroyo Seco, NM 87514 USA
575-770-3377
1-800-884-1136
menu@foodnotbombs.net
www.foodnotbombs.net


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