A Statement from Orlando Food Not Bombs
Submitted by Anonymous on December 15, 2008 - 1:13pm.
We regret that the City of Orlando has appealed the federal judge's ruling (Sept. 26) in the lawsuit we filed against the City over its "large groupsfeeding" ordinance. The judge found that in seeking to ban groups such as OFNB and others from sharing food with hungry and homeless individuals in downtown parks that the City had overstepped its bounds, violating constitutional protections of freedom of speech and assembly.
The judge's ruling, which gives us the right to be of service to others without any interference from the City, is still in effect (unless it is overturned by the federal appeals court in Atlanta). We will continue to share food every
Monday morning and every Wednesday afternoon at our usual location, the picnic area at Lake Eola Park.
We share food because so many of our community's less affluent need it. We do this in public spaces such as parks in order to bring attention to chronic problems of hunger, poverty, inequality and homelessness in our midst. We will keep standing up for the civil liberties, human rights and dignity of the
dispossessed and our right to share food with them. We will not be deterred by the City's legal maneuvers or the heavy-handed tactics that it may use against us. We are strengthened in our convictions by the outpouring of support we continue to receive from across Central Florida.
Homeless Person New to Tthe Area
Submitted by Anonymous on December 13, 2008 - 8:41am.Does
a 5013c license the only characteristic for being a charity? This is
the question I ask of the Salvation Army Shelter. I am without housing
only for a brief period and looking for shelter. I went on line at the
library, put in homeless in Sarasota and Salvation Army is the first
hit. I thought maybe I can receive some help or get some referrals. I
got the directions and went to the shelter, and to my surprise from the
out -side it was something to marble at new construction , fenced in
and had security guard at the front entrance. But after entering the
building, I sensed that something was strange, no one asked me what I
wanted they just motioned around in this round subdivided structure
within the structure of a building as though I was not there. I almost
forgot what I was there for because the building looked like a prison.
Citizen Journalist’s Self-Empowerment Session
Submitted by meltron on November 12, 2008 - 2:07am.Citizen Journalist’s Self-Empowerment Session!
After the last Indymedia Film Collective documentary showing at Big E’s Coffee Shop, Stan Zimmerman spoke at what is now the SRQ Indymedia biweekly Citizen Journalist’s Self-Empowerment Session .These journalism meetings will be an interactive discussion with Indymedia coordinators, fellow reporters, and anyone interested in various methods and resources needed for good reporting. Adam Roca also gave a general overview of Indymedia and how to use the website. Here are notes on Stan and A Roc’s talk and questions from the audience throughout.
WSLR interview with Dr. Phil Porter, USF Economist on stadium subsidies
Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 10:50am.Hello friends and neighbors,
Sarasota government has not heard from any expert economist on whether
or not funding a new 70+ million dollar stadium makes sense for Sarasota.
Billy Wetherington's interview with Dr. Philip Porter, a USF professor of economics, is now available for listening at www.stadiummess.com http://www.stadiummess.com> on our Media tab.
Please take some time to hear why economists have come to the consensus that public subsidies for stadiums do not bring a return on investment to communities that foot the bill.
Full Fellowships Support Grassroots Community Leaders
Submitted by Anonymous on October 9, 2008 - 11:01am.(SARASOTA, FL
… October 8, 2008) …Wendy Hernandez was a social worker in North
Port who wanted to raise awareness about domestic violence in her community.
Valerie Buchand was a resident at the Janie Poe Public Housing Development in
Sarasota who felt moved to organize her neighbors to dismantle stereotypes
about public housing residents. Manuel Godinez was a senior at New College of
Florida whose focus on social justice around the issue of immigration inspired
him to work to bring people together to share their various perspectives.
Potluck in the Park Starts
Submitted by Anonymous on October 8, 2008 - 6:26pm.The potluck in the park just started up, at Five Points Park this season. On monday a ton of mostly homeless people came through my line and ate everything. It was cool to see how much they enjoyed the nutritious, organic food and I was packed up and done at 5:45 which was not at all like last season. I do need a few volunteers at my house each week if anyone is interested in helping. My roommates are o.k. with us taking over the kitchen as long as I give them some food.
My cell 941-306-6390 Matt
Whole Foods, CIW agree to partnerships to improve wages and conditions for farmworkers!
Submitted by Anonymous on September 10, 2008 - 12:46pm.Whole Foods, CIW agree to "work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers"!...
Gerardo Reyes of the CIW: “With this agreement, the Campaign for Fair Food has again broken new ground. This is not only our first agreement in the supermarket industry but, in working with Whole Foods Market, we have the opportunity to really raise the bar to establish and ensure modern day labor standards and conditions in Florida.”
Read the Ft. Myers News-Press article here: "Tomato pickers sign up new ally" (9/10/08)
Police Intimidate and Attack Witnesses to the Shooting Death of Javon Dawson
Submitted by Anonymous on September 5, 2008 - 2:04pm.ST. PETERSBURG, FL — On Tuesday, September 3, just three months after witnessing his 17-year-old brother’s murder by St. Petersburg cop and battle scarred, Iraq war veteran Terrence Nemeth, 14-year-old Keon Dawson was subjected to more abuse as he was taken from his class at Meadowlawn Middle School.
14-year-old Keon Dawson at press conference
Keon was detained and subjected to search of his person and locker as a result of authorities’ claim that they got a tip from an “agency” that he had a gun. Even after it was clear that Keon didn’t have a gun, he was interrogated further alone with one cop who attempted to have him say he had a gun.
This is only the latest in a series of attacks against witnesses to the June 7 police murder of Javon Dawson. Several young witnesses who courageously came forward to testify to what they saw that night have been steadily harassed, intimidated, threatened and attacked by police. The parents of some of them have contacted the Uhuru Movement to report that the police have been phoning and coming to their houses to pressure their children to make statements to validate the police cover-up.
Rally for the Everglades in Palm Beach County
Submitted by Anonymous on August 23, 2008 - 10:57am.
Mark your calendar, spread the word:
Rally for the Everglades, September 20: Don't let sprawl, heavy
industry and climate change destroy what's left of our globally famous watershed!!
Starting 10am, meet at STA 1E in Western Palm Beach County (1 mile east of Lion Country Safari Rd., on the south side of Southern Blvd), we will rally and march to the entrance of FPL's West County Energy Center construction site inside the Palm Beach Aggregates rock mine-- which represent two of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem.
Uhuru Movement Challenges Obama at St. Pete Rally
Submitted by Anonymous on August 2, 2008 - 2:50am.
Uhuru Movement members challenged U.S.
presidential candidate Barack Obama at a rally in St. Petersburg,
Florida on his inability or unwillingness to speak to the issues of the
African community despite the fact that he has been willing to speak to
the interests of the illegitimate settler State of Israel stating that
if up to him, the Palestinian people won't have the right to return to
their own stolen homeland. The Obama candidacy is imperialism's attempt
to resolve its own crisis at the expense of the African community by
working to keep the African community tied up into the Democratic Party
while Africans would be looking for solutions outside of the
imperialist elections to our problems.
UPDATE: Report from Diop Olugbala, Why We Challenged Barack Obama
