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Food Not Bombs

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Food Not Bombs
TypeNetwork of collectives
Websitewww.foodnotbombs.net

Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance. To demonstrate this (and to reduce costs), a large amount of the food served by the group is surplus food from grocery stores, bakeries and markets that would otherwise go to waste. This group exhibits a form of franchise activism.

First principles

The group serves free meals.

Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer global movement that shares free vegan meals as a protest to war and poverty. Each chapter collects surplus food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores, bakeries and markets, as well as donations from local farmers and sometimes incorporating dumpster diving, then prepares community meals which are served for free to anyone who is hungry. The central beliefs of the group are:[citation needed]

  • If governments and corporations around the world spent as much time and energy on feeding people as they do on war, no one would go hungry.
  • There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but too much of it goes to waste needlessly, as a direct result of capitalism and militarism.
  • Vegan food is nonviolent.

Food Not Bombs works to call attention to poverty and homelessness in society by sharing food in public places and facilitating gatherings of poor and homeless people.

Anyone who wants to cook may cook, and anyone who wants to eat may eat. Food Not Bombs strives to include everyone.[1]

History

1990s: Police opposition and further development

Food Not Bombs grew throughout the 1990s, and held four international gatherings: in San Francisco in 1992 and 1995, in Atlanta in 1996, and in Philadelphia in 2005. The 1995 International Food Not Bombs Gathering took place in and around United Nations Plaza in San Francisco at the same time the world was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (at a historic conference in San Francisco).

Chapters of Food Not Bombs were involved in the rise of the Anti-Globalization Movement in the late 1990s, leading to the APEC resistance in Vancouver in 1997; the June 18, 1999 International Carnival Against Capitalism; and the so called “Battle of Seattle” later that year, which shut down the World Trade Organization meetings. Food Not Bombs helped start the Low Watt FM Free Radio, the October 22nd No Police Brutality Day, and Homes Not Jails during the San Francisco days.

"Free Soup for the Revolution" illustration

2000s: Anti-war activism

Food Not Bombs supported the actions against the Iraq War by providing meals at protests all over the world. Food Not Bombs groups have also been heavily involved in the anti-war movement which arose in 2002–2003 to oppose the 2003 invasion of Iraq. During a presentation to the University of Texas at Austin in 2006, an FBI counter-terrorism official labeled Food Not Bombs and Indymedia as having possible terrorist connections.[2][3]

Orlando enacted an ordinance prohibiting serving food to more than a certain number of people without a permit.[4] In the fall of 2007 Eric Montanez of Orlando, Florida's Food Not Bombs was charged with violating a city ordinance by feeding more people in a public park at one time than the law allows without a permit. On October 10, 2007 Montanez was acquitted by a jury.[5][6] Food Not Bombs and a church for the homeless called First Vagabonds Church of God sued the city over the ordinance[4] on the grounds that serving food is first amendment-protected political speech and religious activity. The groups won and the city ordinance was overturned; however Orlando appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and won.[4] On August 31 2010, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the decision, barring Orlando from enforcing the ordinance until another hearing before a 10-judge panel takes place.[4]

In May 2008, local business owners attempted to stop the Kitchener, Ontario Food Not Bombs from serving in a highly visible downtown location,[7] describing the group as supporting meat-free diets, anti-capitalism, and an end to Canada's military intervention in Afghanistan.[8]

In April 2009, the City of Middletown, Connecticut, issued a cease-and-desist order to the local chapter of Food Not Bombs. Prior to the order, the City Health Inspector had cited the organization for distributing food without a license. As of August 2009, the chapter has begun operating out of a licensed kitchen provided by a the Middletown First Church of Christ Congregational as state hearings into the matter are held.[9]

Current status

A Food Not Bombs chapter serves a meal in a public park.

Today, there are more than 400 chapters of Food Not Bombs listed on the organization's website, with about half the chapters located outside the United States. Food Not Bombs has a loose structure: every chapter of Food Not Bombs embraces a few basic principles, and carries out the same sort of action, but every chapter is free to make its own decisions, based on the needs of its community. Likewise, every chapter of Food Not Bombs operates on consensus. Besides collecting and distributing food for free, many chapters of Food Not Bombs are involved in community anti-poverty, anti-war and pro-immigrant organizing, as well as other political causes related to social justice.

2011 Florida Feeding Bans

On April 20, 2011, a federal appeals court overturned[10] the initial ruling of First Vagabonds Church of God, An Unincorporated Association, Brian Nichols v. City of Orlando, Florida, removing the permanent injunction againsxt a feeding ban in Orlando that was first attempted in 2007 with the arrest of Eric Montanez.[11]

On May 18th[12] the 30 day stay ended and the ordinance would soon be enforced on June 1st resulting in the arrest of Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry and Orlando FNB coordinator Ben Markeson. Each successive sharing saw arrests, with 4 arrests on June 6th, 5 on June 8th, 3 on June 13th, & 6 on June 21st. That same week the lawyer for Orlando FNB issued a cease and desist to the city,[13] saying that violating the ordinance was not an arrestable offense, and hackers claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous began issuing threats to the city of Orlando. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has also received heavy criticism for referring to Food Not Bombs activists as "food terrorists."[14][15] [16]

On Monday, June 20th, no arrests were made at Food Not Bombs' breakfast in Lake Eola Park, however Ben Markeson was cited for holding a sign without a permit. On the same day hackers carried through with their threats and took down the Orlando Chamber of Commerce site and a Universal Studios website in "Operation Orlando," issuing a video statement later declaring a 48 hour cease fire on the condition that the city arrest no one for feeding the homeless, presumably on June 22nd.[17][18]

Fort Lauderdale has been pondering a feeding ban for some time. Although no ban has become law yet, activists have complained about unjust surveillance and arrest and claimed to be victims of an unwarranted police raid due to their home having their electricity cut off, where they were harassed by police asking if they were "terrorists." Activists were also been arrested while playing a game of capture the flag on May 1st, 2011.[19]

Pinellas County is not only trying to ban feeding but is also banning sleeping in public. This means that homeless in the St Pete area must either move into the "Safe Harbor" homeless facility or get out of town. [20]

Sarasota is also trying to push through a feeding ban and is actively trying to force homeless out of parks by banning smoking, removing park benches, and [21][22] and in Gainesville since 2009 homeless shelters can only feed 130 people at a time, leading to the formation of the Coalition To End The Meal Limit. [23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "United States Food Not Bombs Groups". Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  2. ^ Food Not Bombs, Indymedia investigated by FBI
  3. ^ FBI names Austin Indymedia, Food Not Bombs and Anarchists to Domestic Terrorist Watch List
  4. ^ a b c d Mark Schlueb (August 31, 2010). "Homeless: A court ruling halts enforcement of Orlando's restrictions on feeding the homeless in city parks". orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  5. ^ "Jury: Man did not violate ordinance against feeding homeless". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. 2007-10-10. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ "Man who feeds homeless cleared". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  7. ^ "Food group to challenge letter banning it from Civic Square". 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  8. ^ "The struggle for King Street continues". TheRecord.com. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  9. ^ "Anti-Hunger Group Contests Cease-And-Desist Order". The Hartford Courant. 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  10. ^ http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202491292482&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1
  11. ^ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-18/news/os-homeless-in-orlando-20110518_1_eric-montanez-homeless-woman-lake-eola-park
  12. ^ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/videobeta/73e039ea-0363-4336-9b46-79b7980530c8/News/-Food-Not-Bombs-says-they-will-not-let-authorities-interfere-with-distribution-of-food
  13. ^ http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/june/264320/Attorney:--Homeless-feeding-arrests-are-unlawful
  14. ^ http://westorlandonews.com/2011/06/14/hey-dyer-who-you-callin-a-terrorist/
  15. ^ http://www.foodnotbombs.net/resist.html
  16. ^ http://www.foodnotbombs.net/fnb_resists.html
  17. ^ http://www.wesh.com/news/28298065/detail.html?source=htv
  18. ^ http://vimeo.com/25425654
  19. ^ ttp://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/05/food_not_bombs_fort_lauderdale.php
  20. ^ http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2011/jun/04/MENEWSO3-st-pete-cracking-down-on-homeless-ar-234987/
  21. ^ http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110621/ARTICLE/110629938/-1/NEWS?Title=Homeless-advocates-rebuke-Sarasota-leaders
  22. ^ http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110517/ARTICLE/110519529/0/FEATURES24
  23. ^ http://www.endthemeallimitnow.org/facts.html


Further reading

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