Food Not Bombs feeds every Wednesday

Agreed ugh!

What if you like bombs? And meat?

Just out of curiousity, what is the permitting requirements for something like this?

Is neighborhood input solicited or is it not needed since its a public park?

Food not bombs? Why not just call a spade a spade and call themselves the “Richmond Enablers”? The last thing this city needs is another place for homeless to gather en mass on a regular basis.

You know, it’s truly sad that an entire national group such as FNB which I believe wants to do something good, can have their reputation totally ruined by a certain self absorbed contingency with emotional/psychological problems such as the Monroe Park crew which is only interested in mugging for a camera and reading their names in print. Shame on them for using the homeless issue for their own publicity stunts. Hopefully this group will be different than the nasties in Monroe Park.

Thanks Food Not Bombs! I appreciate the work you do.

How dare people be poor and hungry and do it so close to us!!!!

I doubt seriously that Obama or congress for that matter (or anyone with any sense in their heads) would listen to FNB.

Also, isn’t there a permitting process that must be followed to have this sort of thing in a public park? Shouldnt’ the neighborhood have some input?

Interest meetings/opportunities for neighborhood input were offered in this thread in December: /2010/12/01/food-not-bombs-coming-to-church-hill_16383/

So Holy and Godlike! When did Church Hill become Mt. Olympus? Given the saturated fat centric restaurants we have, I welcome the gruel!

What’s wrong with the Conrad Center? That’s much better suited to something like this than a park…

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing a case TODAY on Orlando’s attempt to oust FNB from a 2 mile radius from the city center except for twice a year permits. This case has been going on for about 5 years and the City of Orlando’s point is that limiting permits for feeding 25 or more to 2 per year distributes the impact of Park usage to other city neighborhoods. There is NO provision for permitting FNB’s CONDUCT in RVA.
I would make your case early to the Church Hill FNB group that littering will not be tolerated. Monroe Park feedings cause massive amounts of trash which is thrown on the ground to be blown into adjacent neighborhoods and the James River. When the litter problem is brought to the attention of the Monroe Park (Mo Karn) FNB group, they lash out with personal attacks and profanity. Nice bunch.

i hope this does not hurt Alamo’s business – they are such great contributors to the neighborhood.

@23 I’ll be calling the police as well. They better have their ducks in a row..
Enough of this BULLSHIT! There are places throughout Richmond that handle these issues. We have a enough garbage in CH without adding to it with this crap!

I live next door to Alamo and I have mixed feelings about this. I agree and disagree with both sides. We do have plenty of crime and I have had people approach me at my car and at my front door to ask for handouts.

I think the free meal and meet-up is a great idea. I do wonder if they acquired proper permits. The traffic; both foot and vehicular, will be stressful.

I work in health care and I see a lot of needy people on a daily basis. I have mixed feelings about them too.

I’ll cross my fingers that everything goes smoothly and I’ll probably pop over for a bite and a smile.

I called the city park department and they didn’t know anything about this program. They are looking into the situation.

I would also take a moment to point out that Richmond has had Food Not Bombs for over 17 years now.
Food Not Bombs is not any individual, and it has no leaders. FNB is a nonhierarchical group.
Food Not Bombs is an idea, and the weekly meals are one expression of the idea.
Food Not Bombs is not for any set of people. Anyone is welcome to come out and share the community meal.

So Mo Karn…. no one is then responsible
for trash and such?

Even the people you have attacked with your foul mouth, Mo? You have made your bed and now must sleep in it. Somewhere down the line when you grow up, you will realize that you owe apologies to many people for the way you have stereotyped others and for the vitriol you have spit upon neighborhoods that are not your own. You need help.

#13: tiny, since Mo was kind enough to log on and invite everyone to come, it seems she is going to be involved with this after all. I’m sure she and her band of “nuts” will soon be making demands on the Union Hill area much as they have done for the Monroe Park folks…

Will be interesting indeed to see what these demand will be and what the park will look like after the first feeding. I do intend to swing b tomorrow morning to see how things look.

Mo, I would like to ask what is wrong with the Conrad Center down the hill for this purpose and what does your group have against that place. It seems to me they would be the perfect place to host feedings. They serve 3 meals a day (if I’m not mistaken) and have indoor facilities that are fairly new (again, if I’m not mistaken). I’m not homeless but I would imagine if I was I would prefer to be indoors for this type of thing and have a table to sit at while eating, indoor restrooms to use and some warmth. Of course, that just me…perhaps the homeless don’t prefer this kind of setting.

It seems to me that FNB actually wants to take space that belongs to all of the public and make it fit ONLY for FNB’s exclusive use. None of us neighbors are going to want to use a trash-strewn, dead-grass meal line for whatever else we have a right to use the park for once FNB turns it into a full-time shelter like Monroe Park. Its only use will then be a shelter. How’s that for fair use of public space? I’ve also heard something about teaching someone to fish being better than giving a fish, so there’s that.

Elija must not be familiar with the massive education, after school, tutoring, meals and mentoring efforts already under way in the East End. This part of the City already lives with homelessness, vagrancy, drugs, crime, the wounds of social/race upheaval, etc. in its front yard, and doesn’t need the lesson, thanks.

Also, what do the Friends of Jefferson Park, who have been doing lots of the backbreaking hard work on the park, think about all this?

Another idea for FNB… you could advance your agenda, whether feeding or political, provide a warm daytime shelter, not have to work with the non-anarchists at the Conrad Center, and help the vitality of the neighborhood if you took up one of the many very, very inexpensive empty storefronts or corner stores that dot the area.

Please consider a storefront, I’m already picturing a nice renewable-fuel stove and some place with more dignity than a park for the actual homeless people.

K_in – you are right. it doesn’t take much to become homeless.

Just stop doing what ever it is that you currently doing for ever and go outside.

Forget you have responsibilities to anything and mooch off of people that are working to support their family, not drinking or smoking their heads into the clouds.

Look, homeless!

Soilent Green. That would solve all our problems.

Don’t forget that many homeless people have mental illnesses that contribute to their unfortunate situation. A recent survey of the homeless population in the United States indicated that at least 1/3 of the population suffers serious mental disorders/problems (The Insanity Offense: How America’s Failure to Treat the Seriously Mentally Ill Endangers Its Citizens, E. Fuller Torey © 2008). Homeless folk are regularly stereotyped as lazy but that isn’t always the case.

So, if the park belongs to the public, as is stated in FNB’s list of demands for Monroe Park, it belongs to everyone – not just anarchists. Maybe the community should come up with its own list of demands.

Perhaps a more appropriate forum for this discussion would be the Union Hill Civic Association meeting that is taking place tonight. I would imagine that the Civic Association would have some pull, or at least some interest, surrounding this issue.

Also, if FNB has no “leader” and no “hierarchy”, then who is the point person on the permits for the park use and outreach to the local residents? And then by default, doesn’t that make that person a leader? I’m a little confused.

I believe Bart meant ‘Soylent Green”. Soylent Green is people.

I live right across the street and was just alerted by a neighbor this is going on. I have mixed feelings. I am in the park almost daily walking my dog & I see the occasional homeless person camped out and if they don’t bother me, I don’t bother them. As someone who has volunteered to clean up the park I can tell you that the majority of litter comes from the people who “picnic” on the park benches and dump their chicken bones, liquor bottles, McDonald’s wrappers, etc. on the ground even though there are trash cans right next to them and don’t get me started on the others who don’t pick up after their dogs. I have a problem with FNB’s location across from the Alamo because all of their seating is outdoors & this could hurt their business. I also don’t understand why they would set up on a patch of grass right next to a busy street when there is a band stand and plenty of benches farther into the park? Is this about feeding & making the homeless more comfortable or about attracting attention & controversy? I don’t know what the permit situation is but if this is going to be a permanent weekly gathering FNB should be RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING UP AFTER THEMSELVES just as we are when our neighborhood hosts Nat’l Night Out or Friends of Jefferson Park public picnics. If we notice more vagrancy, trash, and more people helping themselves to items off of our porch however, you better believe we’ll be calling the police. Yes, the parks are public, but they primarily affect and are used by and maintained by the nearby residents. If FNB thinks they’re going to submit a list of demands to us they’re out of their f****** minds. It’s the residents who should be submitting demands to them.

Considering Mo’s need to show her and her group WITH guns on the cover of Style Weekly, I would caution my neighbors and law enforcement on how they approach the FNB group holding the feeding in Jefferson Park. They dont need permits for holding the feeding in our Park nor do they need permits to carry weapons. The question that begs asking is How far will Mo go for publicity? Im not going anywhere near this bunch and again I stress that ALL should be very careful in their dealings with an admittedly radical extremist group. They also hold demonstrations at the City Jail to show “solidarity” with those incarcerated.

@59 “FNB doesn’t need permits.
It is a public park. The First Amendment guarantees the right of the People to peaceably assemble, to petition the government for redress of grievances, and to exercise their religion.”

Though it may be a public park and people have the right to assemble peaceably, When you serve Food, you Absolutely need a permit. That is why all restaurants need permits and have to go thru the gruesome inspection by the City.

Dear everyone who flamed Food not Bombs,

Take your pacifiers out for a minute – this isn’t going to be pleasant. First off, you don’t know the people involved in Food Not Bombs, so of course, you don’t understand that they are doing this out of love for other human beings. That’s what separates humans from animals right? The capacity for compassion and reflective, critical thought. So, if you lack compassion for those who are suffering greatly ( the homeless), and hold contempt for those spending time and energy of their own to at least help the problem (Food not Bombs), then I say you are really more like an animal than a human being. I hope homeless people devour your flesh, and burn down the Starbucks you’re sitting in right now.

I live across the street from the park and although I don’t know much about Food Not Bombs, I can say that they have been meeting for the past month or two. During this time I didn’t know anything about the group but they were respectful and the park has always been clean the following day. Although I can understand the concern that Jefferson Park will turn into a Monroe Park situation, up until now nobody has even realized this has been going on (or at least bothered to complain on this blog) so I say just give them a chance.

* Mo Karn is just one of many folks that organize FNB. The Monroe Park serving is prepared at the Wingnut, the Church Hill one will not be (it is to be made by folks in Church Hill, woah!)

* FNB is not primarily concerned with self-promotion. Recent promotion (some of which has been self-promotion) has come in response to the threat of the organization losing the spot it has used for 17 years. It’s not reckless or conjured up. RVA FNB is, regardless of your position on the matter, a pretty solid element of Richmond culture.

* What is wrong with opposing gentrification? Everything about the term is negative. Anarchists hold their anti-authoritarian views because of the obvious marginalization which the status quo and establishment choose to ignore unless they are forced to pay attention. What more visible, more direct, more local, or more humanitarian issue is there? FNB does not posit that other humanitarian efforts are invalid. It does what it can.

* FNB should totally be responsible for trash clean-up. More trash cans would be great, too!

* I found the Style cover photo a little ridiculous, but it is still vital to realize that the display of guns was in relation to home defense and privacy. As a nonviolent organization, FNB does NOT promote guns in public spaces.

* Please turn down the fear and bigotry and turn up the compassion and solidarity.

‘Seen it’ said:
“When the litter problem is brought to the attention of the Monroe Park…”

Please allow me to finish that, we started using reusable trays instead of plates, we stopped bringing cardboard boxes, and started using reusable cartons, we started patrolling the park more vigilantly for litter. Food Not Bombs isn’t perfect, and it is hard to keep track of what everyone in the park does with the things we give them. But Food Not Bombs has listened to the complaints of litter, and made multiple efforts to reduce our impact. I don’t appreciate our actual efforts to respond to valid criticism to be ignored or lied about.

long live free accessible food for anyone who wants or needs it!

“I think the free meal and meet-up is a great idea. I do wonder if they acquired proper permits. The traffic; both foot and vehicular, will be stressful.”

CRY ME A RIVER! You know what is stressful? not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or if it’s going to be edible enough for you to keep it down without gagging. Stressful is living in a food desert. Stressful is being homeless 24/7. and guess what, If any of you had done any amount of homeless organizing, you would know that yes, shelters can be great, but a lot of times, they are not! What good is a shelter when you can’t get to it for various reasons?

Hiding the homeless population in shelters isn’t going to eradicate them, like most of you would probably prefer.

How about you try actually working with the homeless population to create a DIRECT change, rather than spewing hateful, uneducated nonsense over the internet?

honestly, FNB folks…

you are a joke!
i walked to Alamo tonight and saw all 8 or 12 of you, sitting there on the ground with your free bland food and useless literature.

one scrungy looking fellow who probably was waiting for a bus on Jefferson Street was partaking of the mush you were serving.

Church Hill does not have a homeless problem. It does have a new problem though- some quasi-intellectual VCU dropouts in need of a shower.

that’s ok though… no one will take you seriously except yourselves.

by the way – why did you have to pick a place right next to one of the neighborhoods best eating establishments to serve food? Are you trying to damper their business? (for christsakes, Alamo even has a vegan portabello taco that is delicious)

can you children move on? can you please not become THE downtrodden street person collective of the neighborhood? truly, few to none of us in Church Hill want your dirt, dogma and niave one-dimensional anarcho-arguments.

Here’s a suggestion. Go pick up a few 40s, sit by the train tracks and talk about how you’re gonna get back at the man. But just don’t put this neighborhood through your childish antics and theatrics.

Here’s a thought for you – how many liquified dinosaurs did it take to transport all the food you served tonight from field to distribution center to warehouse to market to your group house to the park?

Well, if nothing else… you’ll have some leftovers tomorrow. that’s probably a good thing since the lot of you are unemployed, semi-empolyed, or living off your parents. mush today, mush tomorrow.

Potluck picnic in the park isn’t the same. St. Patrick’s and St.John’s have to have their kitchen inspected, though they don’t always make profit on serving food. So why is FNB’s any different? It’s the law. It’s also to protect the public. If someone gets sick with food poisoning, would you want to know where the source came from?

Damn, anarchists are taking over this news site. Too bad this group is a joke. It’s not really worth arguing over at all.

“Society has always been the free man’s greatest enemy. And the free man has always been society’s greatest friend. How did society treat Jesus or Socrates, Galileo or Martin Luther King? Yet look at what they have left humankind.”

…what ails thee, brother?

FNB needs to apply for an ABC off permit. Most of these guys would prefer a forty to your food…

“What is wrong with opposing gentrification?”

Ummm, lets see.
1. Poverty in general leads to crime. You can ignore that fact, but it is simply the truth. Look at all the high crime areas in any major city. They are all low income housing projects or areas that contain a large population of the poor. Does this mean poor people are criminals? No. It does mean that people living in low income areas are more prone to being victims of crime. Gentrification helps improve these areas through diversity and through restoration. It makes the area less attractive to the criminal element.
2. Gentrification brings tax revenue into an area, generally leading to improvements to the roads, parks, sidewalks, etc.
3. Gentrification brings in new businesses and retailers to make life more convenient in an area.

Now, as a member of that moronic Wingnut group, I am sure you would oppose these improvements in life. However, the fact remains that scattered low income areas are better than concentrated low income areas.
Speaking of Wingnuts, I once dabbled in anarchy. It was mostly in the mid to late 90’s. However, I didn’t do it in such a hippy drum circle way as these people. Looking back, I was such a dumb ass.

What if you’re habit was the to remain encouraging, helpful and positive about new ideas until you actually had real knowledge or real cause to believe otherwise?

@Mike -> If FNB needs a logisitics manager, you should apply.

One day soon it will be, “Remember the Alarmo!” you crazy baldheads.

Here is a link to Freedom House and the Conrad Center. They can always use volunteers. They also can use any and all donations. I would urge all neighbors that really care about easing the suffering of the homeless to visit them and see the good they do.

http://www.freedomhouserichmond.org/html/ConradCenter.htm

Woooaaaahhhh. OMG! The anarchists are taking over! Hurry we need to be more hateful to scare them away before the anarchist come to spread compassion and tolerance for all living things.

*Side note. Mo only represents herself and not Food Not Bombs

I’m going to go next week around 5:30 and will buy the homeless folks an Alamo sandwich each. If anyone else wants to help pitch in to defray the cost, I’d appreciate it but I’m willing to pay a bit to get the FNB folks gone.

I’m pretty sure the homeless folks would prefer a decent sandwich over gruel. If we can starve FNB of the publicity which is their real goal, they’ll go away.

They would prefer that the homeless remain dependent on them for handouts rather than reaching out to places like the Conrad Center that would actually help them make progress because if the homeless problem is truly solved, they don’t have the props they need for their public hissy fits.

I think we should welcome FNB to Union Hill and Jefferson Park and also assist with their well-intended service to our local homeless. I’m serious. Those young people on 21st Street could probably use some organizational help and I don’t think they can/would turn down our genuine offer. We should form at least two committees to tackle food prep/delivery and ensure cleanup. We should also elect a representative of FNB to coordinate with local churches and community groups. Wouldn’t it be a radically better approach to welcome, organize, and even amplify their efforts with our organizational and financial resources?

FNB is awesome. Surprised how many people on this site are stuck on a ridiculous high horse. Expecially all the self righteous christians living up there who should be supporting this organization as jesus would have.

sigh.
What goes around comes around.

Haters wanna hate

…Egypt’s under martial law. Food Not Bombs feeding wars, I can’t take it anymore!! We didn’t start the fire…

I wish Mo and her crew would get out my ‘hood. Maybe one day the good people of Richmond will just ignore her. She only looking for people to pay her attention. Just ignore her.

Wow what a wonderful advertisement for the Alamo! Sure the owners are thrilled to now be associated with such passionate bigotry. Maybe later you can all put on plan 9 t-shirts and beat up a homosexual…ya know for the community.

There were a lot words in that some with many syllables so let me rephrase in a way that even an idiot like #84 can understand.

FUCK YOU

So, how many HOMELESS people showed up to be fed? By my own, and admittedly limited, observations, I see “homeless” people around the McDonalds, Oliver Hill, Exxon, and 14th and Main area. Is Jefferson Park really priority one? Just curious.

For your information, the income gap between rich and poor is greater in America than in any other major industrialized nation. And according to the USDA, thirty-six million Americans, including 18% of all children, live in households considered to be food insecure.

I believe that by operating independently of other organizations, and by doing so publicly, FNB, regardless of its scene or members, is leading by example. Their actions can empower individuals within the community to realize that anyone has the power to make a difference. It also raises awareness about issues that the government or your community would prefer to ignore for peace of mind. Discrediting their services because “its political” in nonsensical. Of course it’s political. DUH!

If you would like a voice in the matter you ‘affluent homeowners’ should become familiar with the concept of compromise. Instead of starting a petition to kick FNB out, why not think creatively about solutions to your anticipated problems? If it’s trash you’re worried about monitor that (I mean HEAVEN FORBID you should actually stoop so low as to actually pick up trash out of your own neighborhood, GASP), if you’re worried about a local business, then support them, if your worried about crime, why don’t you start a neighborhood watch? Point is, anonymously attacking individuals and ideals on the internet is not going to get you anywhere. Be mature and act like adults.

As a VCU graduate who lived in GRC right across the street from the park, I would also like to add that I have never, not once, had a problem in Monroe Park…and I was a young 18 year old female unfamiliar with Richmond when I first arrived.

To Mike who said, “The manifesto on Monroe Park is nothing more than a recipe on how to be more comfortable homeless,” I would really like for you to experience homelessness and then report back on how “comfortable” that is…

pshhh.

Anybody started working on the list of Church Hill demands for FNB since they will no doubt have their own list soon?

I’ve got a few to kick this off…

1. Choose a better spokesperson for your organization than Mo Karn. If you want to be taken seriously, choose a serious person not a gloryhound.
2. Clean up your trash and respect the community.
3. Respect those who have different opinions than yours if you want us to respect you.
4. Work together with existing organizations that are solving the same problem that you claim to be solving.
5. Work towards actually improving the situation, not just agitating it.

I DO actually care about homelessness and am a bit ashamed about those who would like to ignore the problem or see these folks starve. However, I’d like to eradicate the problem by fixing it rather than throwing money/food at it indefinitely. That is why I give time and money to groups that tie handouts with a long term plan.

If FNB could show they care as much about SOLVING homelessness as they do making a scene to get publicity, I will gladly throw my support behind them.

What is your plan beyond dropping a meal off and asking others to do something?

AND if you looked you would see that the highest prevalence of food insecurity is found in households of SINGLE WOMEN WITH CHILDREN.

Amber, I fail to see your point. You were whining about people hating the homeless, then you post figures about people living with lower income. The people covered in that data are generally not homeless.

This is a fascinating thread. From a purely sociologic perspective the rage, hatred and intolerance spewing from both sides is intense. I think this is what makes Church hill special. Such a close interplay between wealth and poverty naturally brings forth raw emotion and the anonymity of the internet unearths long suppressed biases, intolerance and hatred. I know Buddy Corbett loves to rail against the anonymity on this blog but without it this would be so bland. I will be glad to help out cleaning up litter after this event if it is a huge mess, but I think I will skip the vegan gruel in favor of some hot smoked pork.

Yet another thread gone silly…

and if you need a cup of sugar, or anything more, we’re right next door.

Leave it to Church Hill to be against feeding the homeless

Noell, you are a joke, and you know none of us. Where did I say the poor don’t need help or that they were beneath me. I believe in helping and rehabilitating the homeless. I have given food out to people that have knocked on my door, searching for a bite to eat. The people that are beneath me are losers like you and other worthless members of the wingnut group. If you really wanted to help the hungry and poor, while also receiving support from the community, you would start a group with no ties to anarchy. However, we know you are not humanitarians. That is shown through your hatred of the middle class and people with different views. The only humans you like are the ones you can use to push your views. You are worse than a religious cult, yet more unorganized.

Sorry all, but this feeding has been going on for awhile now. Did you all notice a change in anything? More crime? More litter? More “homeless” people hanging about?

Didn’t think so.

I got involved with FNB because I didn’t want to deal with another organization with religious standards or large hierarchical agencies. FNB gets no money from any government agency and doesn’t even have tax exempt status.

I once offered to volunteer at conrad and was declined. That doesn’t mean that they are a bad organization it just means they have a different style. Things are more complex than just showing up with food or free time. FNB offers an alternative that compliments the area.

And how many times does it need to be mentioned that Mo is not “in charge” of church hill FNB. So please stop posting her house’s blog like it is supposed to be reactionary to provoke an emotional response. Mo does not represent everyone from FNB. Myself included in the list of people she doesn’t represent but that does not keep me from caring about what is right.

Zac, let these “homeless” stay with you for a few weeks, register them to become democrats, and bribe them on election day with free cigs and beer. YES YOU CAN!!

reality-checkup, my patrician papa, got an angle on the truth! Tellin’ it like it is! He was here before you, I used to chill with him at The Rendezvous back in the day. He got a pass. However he don’t really have all that schooling he alludes to.

James you seem to be taking comments quite personally despite as you point out not knowing these people . Where did Noell state that he was affiliated with fnb or the wingnuts? ( again two different things) I happen to believe in abortion rights only an idiot would leap to the assumption that I’m therefore a pregnant female.

Annoying aggro aside he did not claim to be part of these groups but only that he supports their rights to function, this is true with most of the folks on here showing support. The wingnuts are four people. He also displayed an extreme distaste for individuals that would actively seek to stop others from showing compassion.

I also can’t find any instances of fnbers lumping together the middle class as a means of attack. You James (an individual) have obviously no issue with using stereoypes to promote your own agenda.

Once again the Wingnut, fnb rva and chfnb are three different things. These exchanges would be far more productive if folks who cared enough to post first cared enough to read.

James you have actually given food to people that happen to knock on your door? Quite the humanitarian, a lesser person would just call the cops or shoot them.

And Noell being a Wingnut? That’s a joke. Way to lump together everyone that disagrees with you.

Noell’s a Wingnut?? Ha ha James. Way to lump everyone that disagrees with you together.

And you gave food to people that happened to knock on your door? Quite the humanitarian, most of us would just shoot them.

ONE VOTE FOR VOTE ALAMO!!

And can I get some Texas Caviar on the side?!

ha ha, my bad!

From the FNB Website: Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment.
With over a billion people going hungry each day how can we spend another dollar on war?

I live in Union Hill and am proud to have them in the neighborhood and in Jefferson Park. It feels good to be a small part of a movement that raises awareness of the hungry and the real costs of war.

Yet another thread that has disintegrated into personal attacks and accusations on both sides.

Next month at the Church Hill Associations meeting: HOW TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM FEEDING THE HOMELESS

Thanks for the response, reality checkup, even though part of it isn’t really productive, as I have no idea who you are so therefore I’m going to assume you do not know me and therefore cannot make any personal judgments about me, so those personal attacks that you threw out I will just ignore for now. However, I am open for discussion of this and any topic if you would like to make your own educated opinion of me. Until then.

The only part of your comment that I feel is necessary to address is that I’m now “suddenly aware of [my] fledging middle-class guilt.” I’m not middle class and I never have been. I am working poor. I have been homeless in the past several times and may even be homeless again soon due to overwhelming medical bills. So, because I have been and will be in a similar situation, that is one out of many reasons that I am involved in FNB.

Oh, and the mentioning of a degree? I have one. In psychology, in fact. And I do use my education to make a difference. Check out Mind(ful) Liberation Project if you’re curious, or even if you’re not.

As for the general discussion about concerned Church Hill residents, I understand your concerns as someone who is involved in Church Hill FNB (and was involved in the Monroe Park FNB in the past). Concerns do not fall on deaf ears, here. I cannot speak for CHFNB, as we do not have leaders. However, I think that if you really are more than just concerned in passing then come out to talk to us either during the cooking, the meal, cleanup, or whenever we have a meeting. We welcome anyone and everyone, and would like to hear your concerns.

The internet is an easy place to argue but I can say that we would prefer that people with concerns make the effort to contact us personally rather than through comments on a blog. In person or phone conversations are more productive, anyway. Things can get out of hand when there is the lack of inflection and tone that comes with mere text.

That said, I don’t think this flame war is necessary.

The whole Wingnut Collective anarchist theme is just a pretense for authoritarianism and bullying. They want to be able to tell people what to do by denying them the right to set the terms of their own existence. You want to live in a neighborhood with a low rate of crime and vagrancy? Too bad, because they won’t let you. They will stage actions deliberately intended to disrupt the calm of your home turf, but they’ll find ways to brand their assault with morally superior plumage, like feeding the homeless.

And those of you who noted that there was no mess left behind after this week’s action – just you wait. It will grow. When you’ve got dozens of junkies hanging around the park all the time because maybe they’ll get free food – which is what Monroe Park looks like every day – then you’ll see what the Wingnuts were trying to accomplish. You give these people an inch and they’ll take the whole damned neighborhood.

That is their goal, and they think they’ll get away with it because they’re smarter than you.

Rucible.

Once again if the Wingnut and chfnb were in fact the same thing then your argument would be valid.

But there not.

Niave teacher, don’t bite the Capitol One hand that feeds you. That refi on your refi of your 2nd keeps the glass next to you full, which keep’s the tales of your heroism coming, and we don’t want to miss a thing!

man, this is still going? hilarious.

I have serious concerns about implementing feeding programs in Church Hill parks. I worked for almost a decade near Monroe Park and lived downtown. I frequently was a Monroe Park visitor or passed by Monroe Park during the feeding programs. I was appalled at the trash left behind once the individuals operating the feeding program left the park.

I also have concerns about Church Hill parks being utilized as a congregation place for the homeless or other individuals who take advantage of these programs. I think this will bring about safety concerns by residents, an increase in crime near the park and a general decline in the neighborhood, including property values.

I think concerned residents should contact their City Council representative and ask for their assistance. Individuals living near the park either live in Councilwoman Ellen Robertson or Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille’s district.

For Councilwoman Robertson’s contact information:
http://www.richmondgov.com/CityCouncilDistrict6/index.aspx

For Councilwoman Newbille’s contact information:

http://www.richmondgov.com/CityCouncilDistrict7/index.aspx

….the wingnuts are not food not bombs churchhill. Maybe the reason people feel the need to keep repeating themselves is because you people aren’t able to understand anything the first 20 times.

Churchill needs feeding programs for the poor and reading comprehensiion courses for the affluent.

Church Hill Resident-Have you ever actually gotten Ms. Newbille to return a phone call? If so, color me impressed and tell me your secret.

i heard that food not bombs has better beef brisket than alamo so i’m all for them setting up in jefferson park.

What’s more sad Teresa, is what’s happened to Monroe Park (which is the point of reference here). People dont want to see that- the massive amounts of strewn trash, substance abuse and aggressive panhandling and obnoxious behavior that rule the day. If you went by there yesterday (Sunday) and saw these things plus the nonchalant attitude of the groups that foster these issues, you might hesitate in inviting the same to Union Hill. These issues create passionate responses especially when teamed with the profanity and personal attacks and ridiculous demands administered by Food Not Bombs in the past to the community groups trying to make things better.

wow look at the tl;dr wall of hate. congratulations everyone. lots of mention of mo karn by people who consider her to be trolling for attention… makes no sense. maybe start referring to her as she who should not be named.

just so some folks know or haven’t figured it out, at least half of the negative comments are from people who DO NOT live in Church Hill. Some may even be the same person posting under different names. Several are probably residents of Oregon Hill who have trolled Food Not Bombs in Monroe Park for a while now. They are upset we have spoken up about some problems with proposed renovations of the park, and they have felt the need to try and defame us on community blogs. The profanity and personal attacks they are referring to can be read for yourself on the Oregon Hill blog, and I think you’ll find the accusations to be mostly exaggerated. I personally used “shit” and “damn” as expressive words not referring to any person or as an insult to anyone, and most others have, on occasion, done the same. I did not realize we weren’t adults that regularly use these words, and as this wasn’t some formal debate that required the group to draft a statement, people spoke on their OWN accord, not speaking for the entire organization. They seem to have made it their personal goal to defame anonymously FNB wherever it appears, and seem to have no respect for the ideas we try to express (sometimes successfully, other times not).

Thats fine. But please. Act like adults. This thread has gone on for something like 2 weeks, and so far to my knowledge, the 2 people with their phone numbers listed as contacts for the group (neither of which are members of the Wingnut btw) have received ANY phone calls about these concerns. They have been flyering for months, and have met with a couple different community groups in Church Hill, and so far have received mostly positive feedback. The address for cooking has been put out there, and NO ONE has stopped by to talk. I’m glad these community blogs provide a great way for communities to communicate, but where did people forget that REAL communities talk to each other in REAL life? And not just when there are problems?

Mo Karn called someone an “*sshole” and told them to “F*ck off” on the Oregon Hill blog causing it to have to be monitored for profanity for the first time ever by the owner. This probably explains her short leash on this blog.
All the Wingnut bridges have been burned over there Nathan.

I drove by Monroe Park yesterday and the area where this is occurring looks terribly trashy. I , for one, would rather NOT have theit little slumber move to the hill!

What I can’t figure out, though, is Monroe closes at dusk. Shouldn’t the police be moving these folks along since they shouldn’t be there after dark?

Gordo,

Perhaps it is. I do, though, wonder why these people are allowed to stay there overnight. Its common knowledge that the parks close at dusk and no sleeping is allowed. It’s really not like a cop driving by on the street can’t notice this ridiculous “tent tenement” going on. There people should be asked to leave by the police and if they refuse they should be arrested and thrown in the city jail.