ORLANDO FOOD NOT BOMBS IS SUCCESSFUL IN SHARING AT LAKE EOLA PARK ON JULY 26–DESPITE CITY'S NEW ANTI-HOMELESS FEEDING ORDINANCE
ORLANDO FOOD NOT BOMBS IS SUCCESSFUL IN SHARING AT LAKE EOLA PARK ON JULY 26–DESPITE CITY'S NEW ANTI-HOMELESS FEEDING ORDINANCE
PHOTOS FROM JULY 26: [Page 1] / [Page 2]
Orlando Food Not Bombs (OFNB) successfully avoided violating the City of Orlando's new "large group feedings" ordinance while still managing to share food on Wednesday, July 26 at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. We did this by serving hot, wholesome vegan food from the back of a van parked on a street (Central) adjacent to the park. People then took their plates of food along with bread and cups of juice into the picnic area of the park. Until this past week, we had been sharing inside the picnic area for over a year, without causing any problems in the park, in the surrounding neighborhood or for area businesses. The ordinance does not ban consumption of food in the park, only serving or distributing it within the park or "adjacent sidewalks and rights-of-way in the GDPD [Greater Downtown Park District]," and since we were serving food from behind a metered parking space there appeared to be nothing, at least this past Wednesday, that the police or city officials could or would do about the presence of Orlando Food Not Bombs. Of course the scrutiny of reporters, videographers and photographers from more than a half-dozen media outlets also may have played a role in moderating the actions of the authorities.
THE ORDINANCE
The ordinance defines "large group feedings" as 25 or more people, including "servers and distributors," and requires a paid permit from the city parks bureau for sharings at any park within a two-mile radius of Orlando City Hall (in what is called the Greater Orlando Park District). Only two one-time permits will be granted to any person, group or organization within a twelve-month period. This measure clearly is an attempt to shut down Orlando Food Not Bombs and the estimated 10-15 other religious and secular groups that regularly share food in parks in downtown Orlando. (According to the Orlando Sentinel (July 27), there are an estimated 8,000-11,000 homeless individuals in Central Florida, so clearly a great need exists for the food provided by OFNB and others.)
The measure was passed at the July 24 City Council meeting on a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Sam Ings and Robert Stuart courageously and wisely casting "No" votes. 
The prime instigator of the ordinance was Commissioner Patty Sheehan (pictured at left), who tried to bolster her case for the ordinance by citing dubious statistics about crimes allegedly committed by "homeless" people. Recently, owing to the public outcry against the ordinance, Sheehan has distanced herself somewhat from the measure while making whiny public statements claiming that she has been vilified by those who disagree with her advocacy of criminalizing the homeless and groups that seek to provide services to them. Incidentally, Sheehan was a prime mover behind Florida's recently enacted "doggy dining" legislation, which gives local governments the option of allowing people to have their pooches with them while they eat outdoors at restaurants. Clearly, Sheehan feels that dogs and their owners deserve more consideration than poor, hungry and homeless human beings.
According to the Sentinel (July 27), "Police officers ... came armed with an already-signed, one-time-use permit for the group, which would have made Wednesday's feeding legal." We find this strange since we never requested a permit! Nor did the police make any attempt to hand any such permit to any of the participants in Orlando Food Not Bombs who were present. We will not request a permit, ever, because we don't think that we should have to ask the City's permission to use public parks nor have to use scarce resources to pay the fees required to obtain that OK. Supposedly, the parks belong to us and the hungry people who eat our food since we all are members of the public. (Many of the people in Orlando Food Not Bombs live within the City and, therefore, pay taxes for the upkeep of these parks.) The people with whom we share may be poor and homeless, but supposedly under the laws and the Constitution thay still have the same rights as more affluent citizens, including the right to make use of public amenities such as parks. To treat them otherwise is to establish a type of discrimination under the law.
MEMBERS OF OFNB PREPARED TO BE ARRESTED TO TAKE A STANCE
So far, no one from Orlando Food Not Bombs or any of the people with whom we share have been arrested as a result of our continuing to share food in the Lake Eola Park area, and, hopefully, that's the way it will remain–although there are people in OFNB who are prepared to be arrested if that's what it takes to highlight the injustices codified in the ordinance. The lack of arrests this past Wednesday, however, wasn't due to any shortage of police at the park. With 35 murders already having been recorded so far this year, the City of Orlando may be on track to achieve the dubious distinction of having the highest-ever murder rate in its history, and you would think that combatting that problem would be a priority use of police resources. The Orlando police, however, because of the misguided and ill-conceived actions of the City's politicians, felt compelled to send at least 6-8 uniformed officers (including OPD spokesperson Sgt. Barbara Jones), four patrol cars and a videographer from the Orlando Police Forensic Imaging Unit to monitor and videotape the heinous "crime" of sharing food at the park. (Two OPD officers also wrote down the vehicle identification number of the van from which we were dishing out food.)
LOTS OF MEDIA COVERAGE; RESTAURANTEURS PISSED
Wednesday's sharing got a tremendous amount of media coverage--Channels 2, 6, 9, 27 and 13, plus the Sentinel and the Orlando Weekly. As a result the City of Orlando not only continues to be exposed in an unfavorable light for its heartless and discriminatory attitude toward the homeless, but now it's starting to look a little ridiculous for having passed the ordinance since it is beginning to appear that it may prove inadequate to the task of stamping out compassion downtown and turning it into a Disney World where the poor and homeless are hidden from sight to avoid discomforting the yuppies. Observers at Wednesday's sharing also noted that Robin Stotter and George Miguel, the two downtown restauranteurs who have been among the most vocal proponents of the ordinance, appeared visibly upset as several dozen hungry people walked into the Lake Eola Park picnic area and sat down at the tables to enjoy a meal, just like their more affluent brethren. (Sheehan told Stotter in a brown-nosing e-mail [June 21] that "People like you are what makes [sic] this city great!" and patronizingly referred to the members of Orlando Food Not Bombs as "misguided youth." Onviously, for Sheehan concern for the less fortunate is not a necessary prerequisite for greatness, especially if one is hoping for campaign contributions during one's next campaign.)
Indeed, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is right when he says that "The city's approval of this ordinance is not about whether or not to feed the homeless but instead where." (July 29 news release) The homeless and the working poor (who may not always be able to afford enough food even if they have a home) deserve better than, if they wish to eat, to be forced to use a hot, dusty fenced-in parking lot–in a dangerous, high-crime area–whose only amenities are a handful of picnic benches and smelly portable toilets (with no way to wash one's hands, which hardly can be called hygienic when food is involved). To act as though this sort of arrangement is acceptable is to agree that second-class citizenship for some, based upon their socio-economic status, is acceptable under the law and ethical. To us everyone is equal and everyone deserves the right to use the City's public parks, which are beautifully landscaped with trees, flowers and grass, and have attractive picnic areas with tables and chairs and clean, decent restrooms with running water.
S.T.O.P.
OFNB and the Central Florida Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union have created S.T.O.P. (Stop the Ordinance Partnership) to bring together Central Florida homeless service providers and religious, civic, political and activist groups to oppose the ordinance and other local government measures that criminalize homelessness and to work towards real solutions for the problems associated with homelessness. The ACLU may be filing a request for an injunction against the ordinance within the next couple weeks along with a class-action lawsuit seeking to overturn the ordinance permanently.
WE WILL RETURN
Events this past Wednesday clearly were a victory for our side (even if the number of people who came to eat was down because of the police presence) and for all those who believe it's wrong to criminalize homelessness and drive the homeless out of our communities.
Orlando Food Not Bombs will back in the Lake Eola area next Wednesday sharing food with the hungry as part of our mission of opposing poverty, inequality, violence and war. Everyone is welcome to attend our sharings and to participate in our activities.
Please visit our website for updates on our struggle against the ordinance, announcements about our activities and local media coverage on the ordinance and the issues of homelessness and civil rights for the homeless in Central Florida.
