[KurtFF8]

Source

From the "Leftists in the US South" website:

by KurtFF8

Tampa has recently joined with Orlando in cracking down on groups that feed the homeless on public property. According to an article published today on tbo.com, Tampa police have shut down an operation of church group volunteers that have been feeding the homeless in downtown Tampa for 6 years. This comes after Orlando police have been arresting activists with Food Not Bombs for feeding the homeless in Orlando. Why is it that the “Sunshine State” has been cracking down on folks who are literally just trying to feed the homeless? There has been some speculation that in the case of Tampa’s recent actives, it has to do with the upcoming Republican National Convention and an effort by the city to “clean up” before the convention is underway. While the city denies it is related to the GOP convention, the effort to “clean up” the streets is certainly cited by officials.

There has been a recent upsurge in the population of those without homes, that has come at a time of continued economic crisis. Florida is home to one of the hardest hit housing markets in the wake of the Great Recession. It has also ceased to be one of the fastest growing states in the US, which has lead many in power facing an image problem (along with recent attacks on unions and immigrant workers by the state legislature).

There is certainly a problem with painting efforts to arrest and harass those feeding the homeless as “cleaning up” the streets of a given city. It assumes that homeless populations are themselves a “problem” that need to be “taken care of,” and instead of addressing the real roots of that problem, they assault those who are the victims of economic circumstances. Similar rhetoric has been used against the communities that recently were hit by major riots in the United Kingdom.

This crackdown on those feeding the homeless comes after years of non-enforcement of these ordinances that as the TBO.com article points out: are difficult to demonstrate laws were broken. It really comes down to the class nature of law enforcement in places like Florida, where property is considered a “right” (see: the advice by the city to move the feedings to private property) and where human rights and dignity are pushed to the wayside.

[Exponent_]

This was in the news for a short stretch here in Orlando a of couple months ago. There were several groups that fed the homeless around the main lake in downtown Orlando, one of which I went out with on a handful of occasions. Given the way the city is set up, it led to a large number of homeless people in a small area nearly around the clock. The local vendors around the central lake (Lake Eola) complained about customers being discouraged from visiting the area, and thus losing business. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer worked with the different groups to establish compromises for food distribution times and places. Most were willing to work with the city, but Food Not Bombs resisted. That is what led to the three arrests of Food Not Bombs activists, and subsequently the eruption of media coverage.

Story on the three arrests

Since then the organization and city officials have worked out a deal. I cannot speak on the situation in Tampa, but here in Orlando the problem has been basically solved. Food Not Bombs has moved away from Lake Eola (and the nearby businesses), and instead to City Hall at the invitation of Mayor Dyer. Last I read on the issue, both sides are content with the compromise.

Story on the compromise

It has at the very least taken talk of feeding the homeless into the mainstream, so far as the city is concerned. I go to school away from Orlando, so I am not plugged into the news as much as I was, and I am not active in organizations here anymore, but from what I can tell, there has at least been short-term progress on the issue.