The latest in a series of battles between public health officials and Food Not Bombs happens tomorrow, August 11, at the Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.  Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, members of Food Not Bombs learned that the DPH has specifically targeted Food Not Bombs chapters across the state with the aim of disrupting or stopping them completely.  Food Not Bombs is a loosely organized, national grassroots food distribution network that provides free, weekly vegetarian meals to anyone who wants to eat.  Read the full story

After a series of crackdowns by Middletown officials against Middletown Food Not Bombs, the food activists are going on the offensive.  Today, FNB filed a federal injunction that would halt a cease and desist order which bars the group from meal-sharing activities unless food is prepared in a Health Department registered kitchen.   The target of the injunction is both the city of Middletown and the state of Connecticut.   According to the FNB press release, the cease and desist order also applies to “political” activities as well.  And, in a lawsuit filed on Friday, FNB argues that attempts to stop FNB’s public meals infringe on the group’s constitutional rights and has a chilling effect on such activities elsewhere.  Read the full story

(Middletown Eye) “It’s an opportunity to cooperate with another community group,” Wesleyan student and Food Not Bombs member Abe Bobman said about the group’s decision to accept the help of Middletown’s First Church. “And it’s an opportunity that’s too good to miss.” (more…)

Photo credit: Ed McKeon, Middletown Eye

Audio clips:  

The ongoing conflict between the Middletown Health Department and the Middletown chapter of Food Not Bombs came to a head on April 26. Read the full story

Tonight, I along with two other people who are involved in Food Not Bombs in Hartford, went to speak to some high school kids as part of Learning to Repair the World, a program sponsored by the Charter Oak Cultural Center and HartBeat Ensemble. The young people in the program have discussions with community members about social justice topics and then make a play about it. (The play will be performed on Thursday, April 23 – more details here.)

I was struck by these students as they took part in our discussion, which covered issues of poverty, homelessness, hunger, and the problems inherent in a capitalist society. I found that these students, who ranged in age from around 13 to 17, had a pretty sophisticated awareness of things. For example, the youngest of the group at one point made a concession to the media’s influence on her thinking and presented an even-headed reason as to why people get trapped in poverty.

I guess it was not so much the answers themselves, but also the open-minded and thoughtful way that they approached new ideas that impressed me. The questions they raised about decision-making in a way that does not promote majority rule, for instance, were really valid points; so were their questions about how representation in an anarchist system would be different than representation in the system we have now.

Anyway that is just my piece of commentary for today – I’m feeling optimistic about the possibilities of education. Having a small discussion like this was really cool. And I was wondering do you feel like kids these days have a more sophisticated understanding of things these days? I for one feel like these three kids knew a whole lot more than I did at that age.

This Sunday, Food Not Bombs in Middletown served its weekly meal despite a cease and desist order from the town health department. I interviewed Abe Bobman, volunteer, and Fred Carroll, of Brooms Not Bombs and the Homeless Report.