S.T.O.P. MEMBER GROUPS SHARE FOOD AT ORLANDO CITY HALL--ITS PLAZA BECOMES A TEMPORARY OASIS OF FREEDOM, EQUALITY, COMPASSION & COMMUNITY
The plaza in front of Orlando City Hall was transformed into a temporary oasis of freedom, equality, compassion and community on Mon., Aug. 14 when members of S.T.O.P.--Stop the Ordinance Partnership-- held "Dinner Dialogue," a large group food sharing. Besides providing sustenance to Orlando's sizeable low-income and homeless population, the organizers wanted to offer Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Commissioners an opportunity to discuss humane and constitutional alternatives to the city's recently enacted "large group feedings" ordinance, which stops groups from sharing food in downtown parks.
Unfortunately, the Commissioners along with Mayor Dyer had left when the day's City Council meeting ended around 4 p.m. S.T.O.P. members George Crossley (president of the Central Florida ACLU) and John Barry (an attorney working with the ACLU), along with members of Orlando Food Not Bombs, discovered this when they visited the Commissioners' offices to extend them another invitation to the event.
Despite the officials' seeming aversion to talking about problems of homelessness in Central Florida with community activists and Orlando's low-income and homeless citizens the event was a success. Several dozen people, who otherwise might have gone hungry, received hot, nutritious and tasty food from a variety of groups who set up their tables near the "Pineapple of Light" statue. And the event and the problems of homelessness it was designed to highlight, including the criminalization of homelessness through several Orlando ordinances, received extensive media attention. News organizations covering the "Dinner Dialogue" included Channels 2, 6, 9, 13 and 35, WDBO-580 AM, El Nuevo Dia and the Orlando Sentinel.
Participating groups included Orlando Food Not Bombs, Campus Peace Action (from the University of Central Florida), the 1st Vagabond Church of God (a ministry of the homeless for the homeless), Tailgaters for Jesus and the Young Communist League (Orlando chapter), along with members of Journey and Discovery churches (Apopka and Orlando, respectively), Orlando Code Pink Women for Peace and the UCF Progressive Council. YCL members supplied trash cans and trash bags, so that the plaza area was left spotless after the event, along with hand wipes, so that sanitary food handling was practiced. Many concerned citizens who oppose the city's repeated pattern of criminalizing homelessness and who support the groups involved in the event came out to observe it.
As is becoming common practice, the City, to avoid bad publicity and a direct confrontation with homeless advocates, sent an employee (from the City Clerk's office) to offer an unsolicted "large group feeding" permit to a member of one of the participating groups. The permit was declined since the large number of organizations involved made it impossible to determine if any group by itself had attracted 25 or more people (including servers and distributors) to the sharing--the threshold at which a permit is required. Also, none of the groups, to ensure that they weren't in violation of the ordinance, brought enough food to share with more than 20 people.
The Orlando police presence seemed to be almost non-existent. One marked OPD unit was seen in the parking lot across from City Hall, but left early. As far as could be ascertained, no civilian employees of the police department photographed or videotaped the proceedings, and, strangely, no uniformed officers, whether on foot or bicycle, were observed monitoring it.
UPDATE TO SYLVIA LANE: A media source informs us that in recent months, three homeless men have been beaten by bands of teenagers in Orlando's Lake Lucerne neighborhood. This brings to eight the number of homeless men who have been the victims of beatings in the area that includes the city's designated "large group feedings" site on Sylvia Lane. It previously had been reported that five homeless men had been beaten in the Sylvia Lane area, including one, August Felix, who later died of his injuries. The Sylvia Lane site, which is a fenced-in parking lot, includes a handful of picnic tables and portable toilets, but no running water so that people can wash their hands after going to the bathroom. This is where the city expects groups to share food now that food sharings in downtown parks have been curtailed with passage of the "large group feedings" ordinance.
Tailgaters for Jesus and members from Journey Church get ready to share food.
Tailgaters for Jesus and Journey Church members begin sharing food.
George Crossley (white shirt) and John Barry (dark suit), of S.T.O.P., speak to the media in the 2nd floor foyer of Orlando City Hall after their unsuccessful attempt to invite Mayor Dyer and the City Commissioners to a "Dinner Dialogue."
With a homeless population estimated at betweeen 7,000 and 12,000 individuals, the need for free food is great in Orlando and Central Florida. A plethora of low-wage jobs in such industries as tourism adds to the need, as even people with homes sometimes find it hard to afford food.
Participants in Orlando Food Not Bombs begin their food sharing.
Orlando Food Not Bombs is an active part of S.T.O.P.
The tasty hot vegan food brought by Orlando Food Not Bombs is almost gone.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Orlando Food Not Bombs shares all its food without incident as some hungry bellies were filled this evening.