Original article is at http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2002/10/4501.php Print comments.
Food Not Bombs Feeding Tucson
by Envid
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002 at 1:09 PM
What do you get when you mix 80 hungry people, FNB, Downtown Security (Purple People), undercover and uniformed police?
Well, they were a little late, but the food was worth the wait. The weekly Food Not Bombs picnic managed to last for a little over an hour, before two uniformed police officers dispersed people, on dubious authority in the matter. We noticed that the Purple People, 5 in all, took quite an interest in the eating habits of people eating on public land. They went so far as to coordinate surveilance, via a snazzy looking video camera with an undercover police officer. I'll post all these folks' pictures later tonight. There were 80 people in all, give or take 10. The food was fresh, hot, vegan, and delicious.
I talked to one fellow picnic patron, named Dutch. Dutch is 65, he rolls around in a wheelchair. He and his family are living in a tunnel (illegally I suppose). He suffers from a degenerative nerve disorder called MS, or Multiple Sclerosis. He seemed hopeful that he would be able to get his family out of the tunnel sometime this week.
My friend Jesse said he was riding by, out on a mission to purchase a cookie. He said that the Food Not Bombs picnic was a nice, unexpected snack. When I told him that T.P.D. frowns on Food Not Bombs picnics, he had this to say; "Fuckin' assholes! Can't eat without a permit. Can't give away food without a permit."
The man, I believe to be a plain clothes police officer actually approached me. He grabbed my nifty Arizona Independent Media Center Press Pass, and said, while he scrutinized it, "Hey, is it okay if I take a look at this? I just want to see where you're from." I asked him who he was. He told me, "I just live downtown." I took the friendly citizen's picture, and he curiously raised his hand to cover the camera. That, unfortunately didn't work for him, I was happy to note, by looking at the LCD screen. He leaned close to me and said, "You know it's illegal to do the food thing. Just so you know." I asked him if he was from the Health Department. He just repeated that picnics are illegal (so watch out folks!!). I asked him if he was from the Health Department again. He appeared to become frustrated with this, and headed off toward the Library. He said, "I'll just go talk to the library and see if you have a permit for this, if you want to be like that." He was around for the rest of the hour long picnic, stewing in his hunger. I noticed that he talked to the two police officers after the picnic had been served and protected, and he spent most of his time trying to be inconspicuous, and talking into a cell phone/walkie-talkie, and talking to the Purple People. He was very bald and rather overweight.
The two police officers were named P. Tosca, a male bike cop, and J. Earnst, a female car cop. They had a lengthy discussion with the Food Not Bombs folks, and their many friends. J. Earnst was heard to mutter, "One of those days, huh?"
Join us again next week, and check back for the comprehensive video and photo coverage of this Tucson news event.