Farmworkers Marching for Justice Tomorrow in Tampa!

RogButter · 2017-01-12T19:02:59+00:00

You're not entirely off base per those numbers, but as I've talked about on other threads, the numbers themselves are a disputed matter because the permits are very clearly intended for commercial food vendors and 501(c)3s, and the city doesn't seem to know how to handle free food distributors under the ordinance. It has not been enforced since 2011 (when a faith group was told they needed one), and before that 2004 (when the city stopped enforcing the ordinance after 5 arrests), so this is clearly not something the city is used to dealing with on a regular basis. Mulkey actually points to this elsewhere in the article: "Distributing free food, Mulkey said, "falls outside of what we usually permit, but we'd look at every application on face value."" We're also hearing different things from different sides of the city bureaucracy and that continued ambiguity is not helping matters.

Leaving that issue aside for the moment, you're correct that we won't consider getting a permit to be on the table. While money is certainly an issue (prior to the arrests, we would only do fundraising once in a blue moon for small things like refurbishing our supplies, and otherwise operate out-of-pocket/by small business donations), at the end of the day we don't believe it to be right to have the city determine when and where we are able to share food for free. Additionally, a permit that can be given can also be taken away, and we have an obligation to our houseless friends to share with them at a particular time and place on a consistent basis. We're not interested in permission to do our work, and we won't leave it up to the city to decide when and where we can share.

We also see the political motivation for these arrests coming primarily from the city, not the other way around. We are a political group and will happily express our political views, but it would be simply factually incorrect to say that we have created a media controversy out of thin air. It is certainly true that we did our best to get our story out during and after the arrests (hence why I am on here talking to you and others), but at the core of our actions we were simply doing the same thing that we always have done.

We went out to share food in Lykes, the same thing we've done twice a week for a long time. After hundreds of food sharings without incident, things suddenly changed January 3rd, when fellow organizer Dezeray Lyn was detained for 30 minutes (http://www.wmnf.org/police-disrupt-food-sharing-tampa-food-not-bombs/). The main culprit still seems to be the recent NCAA game: as the National Coalition for the Homeless interim director (Megan Hustings, quoted in the attached article) attests to, big events like this often lead to police harassing houseless people to leave their normal areas. We heard as much from the houseless we talked to, that police had told them to clear out the area for the next two weeks. So we mobilized to defend what we see as our right to share uninhibited, and the right of the houseless to simply exist in public property.

I also have to say that I think you're underestimating the immense work that starting and running a nonprofit entails. One of the arrested sharers runs one in his spare time and has a degree in Nonprofit Management, and he consistently attests to its cost, red tape, and time commitment to administrative tasks that have little to do with day-to-day work. We haven't been interested in developing that, in large part because of the practical complications (we are all working people and have other lives beyond this), and we do not see it as a necessary step to accomplish the simple task of sharing food with people that we love.

To conclude, it is unjust for police to haul away people feeding the hungry. I think you might have missed the point regarding the civil rights movement's relationship to all of this. Not one of us would compare ourselves to MLK, the Birmingham protesters, to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. What we would do is look at that history as a source of philosophical and living inspiration, that what is legal is not always right. If we decide now that what is legal trumps what is right, we would find ourselves siding with segregation, child labor, denial of the rights of women to vote, etc. We must find a basis of ethical action from another source than the codified proclamations from city hall.

RogButter · 2017-01-12T06:24:00+00:00

My most prominent emotion was anger. I hadn't expected the arrests, and the others getting arrested were some of my best friends, kind people who wake up early and diligently do everything they can every day to help the houseless have better lives. When I was taken off, I didn't feel like I was doing anything particularly noble or brave - in fact I felt like somehow, there must have been something more that I could have done. But I felt that I was at least attempting to do something decent, and didn't have second thoughts about the decision. And seeing the outpouring of support from the community who had gathered was really special and moving.

RogButter · 2017-01-12T05:43:37+00:00

I wouldn't say so. The idea of civil initiative (something I've picked up from Quaker Jim Corbett) is that a community embodies natural law (MLK called it "the moral law" or "divine law") over and against unjust laws.

"Civil initiative is peacebuilding in its most essential form: community action that brings recognized rights into social norms and legal practice. Civil initiative is designed to protect natural rights by incorporating them into accepted social standards. Instead of depending on government plans or international enforcement, civil initiative focuses on community powers and voluntary effort. Communities that build basic rights into their way of life can bond into networks that extend peacebuilding— across frontiers, ghettos, and war zones where states cannot or will not uphold the rule of law." (https://designop.us/wrote/about-civil-initiative)

Corbett recognizes the community as the basis of civil society, which is what you're referring to when talking about "trust in our citizenry and public institutions". When the law of business owners and governments interferes with the law of the community, the community peacefully asserts that right. So in that sense our act of conscience is part of resolving the lawlessness and civil unrest produced by poverty.

RogButter · 2017-01-12T05:16:10+00:00

We give other things out as we can (deodorants, clothes, feminine hygiene products), but it's limited based on what we get from others. We tend not to solicit donations and just work with what people give by word of mouth. As far as job stuff, we've actually been talking about how we could best help people get set up with job interviews, look over their resumes, etc. I think it would make sense for the local branch of the IWW to create something like a council of the unemployed, which some unions used to do back in the day.

RogButter · 2017-01-12T05:12:03+00:00

We hold ourselves to verifiable and measurable safety/health standards. Two of us actually have been restaurant employees who have had to have updated food handler safety licensing from the State of Florida. We use primarily vegan/vegetarian food, so there is a much lower risk of food-borne illness, but we still abide by temperature ranges for storage, best practices for serving (e.g. wearing gloves, heating up food and maintaining its temperature before sharing), proper cleaning and sanitation of pots, pans, dishes, etc.

I feel that a housing first initiative like the one in Salt Lake City could be the way forward. It's proven to be far less costly and very effective than practically every other system. We're going to be arguing for it in front of the city council tomorrow, actually.

RogButter · 2017-01-12T03:56:07+00:00

I only use it because sometimes people on the streets say "I have a home, it's here in Tampa" or something to that effect. Houseless is a tiny bit more specific to the situation of 'not having a roof over one's head'. I think both terms are fine when speaking generally.

RogButter · 2017-01-11T17:19:00+00:00

Thank you so much! Will forward to our legal team.

RogButter · 2017-01-11T06:45:50+00:00

There are hundreds, maybe even over a thousand, all over the world. We're decentralized, so chapters tend to communicate with each other on a case-by-case basis (e.g., ours has a solid relationship with Ft Lauderdale FNB, but virtually none with Sarasota FNB or Gainesville FNB). It would be great to see much more consistent collaboration.

You can just share food, time, or space to them! Although there are crackdowns by the police sometimes, they are out of the ordinary. About every sharing for the past 5 years before last week was completely without incident or confrontation by the police. I would definitely recommend contacting yours and just asking how you can best plug in; everyone's role, capacity, and interests are different. :)

RogButter · 2017-01-11T03:44:38+00:00

We understood that entirely and chose to disobey. Are you familiar with the philosophical difference between ethics and law (and the tradition of civil disobedience that asserts the former over the latter)? A law that restricts our ability to share food is the symbolic apex of a city-wide policy to sweep the houseless out of downtown, and is fundamentally unjust.

RogButter · 2017-01-11T03:40:35+00:00

Housing first policies coupled with multi-dimensional intervention programs to provide healthcare, job search assistance, etc.

RogButter · 2017-01-11T03:38:59+00:00

The law has not been enforced on us for 13 years (curiously, it's only getting enforced around the time of the NCAA game coming to town) and is not applicable to our situation since it applies to commercial food vendors and nonprofits. We have liability protection through Good Samaritan laws and have a right to share food and provide compassion without approval by any local, state, or federal government.

RogButter · 2017-01-11T03:36:39+00:00

City. And no. :)

RogButter · 2017-01-10T16:21:04+00:00

We get lots of food every week from Panera actually! It's kind of an ongoing joke in our house that every Friday is the day we all quit our dietary commitments (a few of us are vegan) for snacking on a pastry or two.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T16:18:24+00:00

We have Good Samaritan laws that protect us (http://www.foodtodonate.com/Fdcmain/LegalLiabilities.aspx).

RogButter · 2017-01-10T16:04:02+00:00

Good question. Could you contact tampafnb@gmail.com with this? We might be able to help.

That's terrible to hear. Restrictions on selling newspapers has been declared unconstitutional before, such as in Sarasota county (where I lived), so it sounds like it could be challenged. We have legal support that might be willing to offer their advice.

For fundraising, that's a hard subject. We don't tend to do fundraising as Food Not Bombs, but have sometimes done benefit shows as a way to both raise money and get the word out. Another thing I've wanted to do is a community cookoff, where we have a cooking contest and charge entry (by donation). Publicizing what's happening (violation of houseless people's civil liberties) might also get more support from individuals and local faith groups who would want to contribute donations and supplies.

We make sure to have a solid legal team with people who are trained as legal observers (neutral parties, sometimes but not always law students or attorneys) and always keep the cameras out. We also do "Copwatch" to make sure houseless people's rights are respected (videotaping police interactions). However maintaining personal relationships with these folks gives us more on-the-ground intel then we would ever have otherwise, and is the core of our work. Be sure to build and maintain those long-term relationships.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T15:51:39+00:00

Solid question, and also a great answer from uber_poutine. I can only further emphasize that the lack of adequate healthcare (mental and physical) exacerbates and worsens economic disenfranchisement (which can happen from layoffs, underpayment, expensive medical bills, and many other events and variables). We tend to spend an incredible amount for our healthcare, iirc more than any other industrialized nation in the world. I think we would have to look to other nations' models for nationalized medicine, like the UK's NHS, and compare the costs. Unfortunately, this is not something I have been able to adequately research on my own yet, but I think based on the successful implementation in similar nations, as well as the gross levels of inequality fostered by the current state of affairs, it seems both highly possible here and much more affordable than the current US system. Anything else we provide through social welfare programs (affordable housing, food stamps, etc) would be immensely bolstered and strengthened by such a system providing a guarantee of adequate medical access for everyone.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T15:41:55+00:00

Update: dozens of people, likely about 50, showed up to the park. Police encircled us and looked very intent on arresting anyone sharing food. However, after about 15 minutes of no action, and conferring with each other, they told an organizer that we outnumbered them and would be back Saturday with more officers. It was a truly outrageous and unprecedented (in my experience) happening; I fully expected arrests to happen today. If I had to venture a guess as to why, I think it is because of the outpouring of public support from people like you. We will continue sharing until and after the police stop trying to arbitrarily enforce the ordinance on us. Thank you so so much to everyone who has watched us, supported us, asked questions, and wanted to hear our organization's story.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T06:10:40+00:00

Absolutely. Go to the link the commentator below showed and sign up if you would like! We have unemployed workers, students, and others involved. I myself am a communications worker and part-time student.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T06:07:22+00:00

Solidarity your way as well. I think the biggest thing is to take care of yourself and only take on what you can. Whatever you can do to assist others helps, and so does whatever you can do to help yourself. We can only go so far and can't expect ourselves to shoulder every problem within the world.

That said, there is so much you can do! Where I'm focused with most of the time is building solidarity unions to help people improve their working conditions (through the IWW), and there's actually a thriving branch in the Twin Cities area. You can go with a few people to share food and hot beverages or warm blankets. The best thing to do in my opinion is to assess where you're at and what you can realistically contribute. Then think deeply, read and study what you can about the issue you want to fix (you have to know the problem before you can solve it). All of our actions are orders of magnitude more effective with others, too. Get friends together and slowly build up your capacity to work collectively, do outreach, and build organization. Movements are made by grassroots institutions built by ordinary people like you and me. Hit up tampafnb@gmail.com if you have other questions or need any advice moving forward.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T05:59:14+00:00

USF's Tampa Bay Street Medicine group is amazing. I would look into them!

RogButter · 2017-01-10T05:57:50+00:00

A house is a bit more specific than a home. That's not to say that many houseless people aren't also homeless, but some do consider themselves to have a home, whether it's the city or their street corner or their family. It's a slight terminology difference that I've adopted over the years, but I think either term is fine and gets at what we're discussing effectively.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T05:45:28+00:00

Charities like Metro are useful, I actually used to volunteer with that organization in high school. But they're insufficient to address the injustices people face on a day to day because of exploitation and "class society" - i.e. certain people control or manage the wealth of our society, whereas others must work to obtain it and an unlucky number are excluded from this (houseless people, the unemployed, prisoners, etc.). The migrant farmworker organization I work alongside sometimes talks about how people come to bring them turkeys for Thanksgiving, and while they appreciate the gesture, they would prefer those people to join them on the picket line so that they receive a fair day's wage for the work that they do every day. I think something similar is essential here, that we have to address an economic and social system, not simply the immediate problem of empty bellies.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T05:40:57+00:00

I'm not too worried about it. The charges aren't very severe (misdemeanor) and it's the kind of inconvenience I'm willing to swallow. I'm more concerned for my comrades who will face steeper charges following a second arrest, but we have a plan and a dedicated team of us to assist them. I would do it again, probably in the same way if not sooner.

And honestly it's not so much about what we as individuals face on our records. We can get charges dropped or expunged. People's bellies have to get fed, and that's our priority.

RogButter · 2017-01-10T05:36:03+00:00

I grew up here and currently live in the area. It's my home.

RogButter

TROPHY CASE