RadicaI, waste-free, food for everyone.

By Zoe Reeves
Recovers food that would otherwise be thrown
away
Cook and serve ("share) the food
Vegan or vegetarian
Protest against war and poverty
Anyone is welcome to cook, share and eat
No leaders community effort
Food Not Bombs
IdeoIogy
f governments and
corporations spent as much
time and energy on feeding
people as they do on war, no
one would go hungry
There is enough food in the
world to feed everyone
Too much food goes to waste
(as a direct result of capitalism
and militarism)
Vegan food is nonviolent
Everyone is welcome
Consensus decision making
GoaIs
nspire the public to call for
military spending to be redirected
to human needs
Reduce food waste
Provide food for hungry, poor and
homeless
Provide literature, information and
discussion about changing society
Often help out at protests, strikes,
actions, community events,
natural and political crises
Equality
Figures
$0.50 of every U.S. federal tax
dollar goes to military
40% of food is discarded
Most Americans (58.5%) will
spend at least one year below the
poverty line
About 671,859 people experience
homelessness on any given night
in the United States
About homeless youth
At least one million youth
experience at least one night of
homelessness per year
Figures
Over 1,000 chapters of Food Not
Bombs active
Over 60 countries
n Europe, the Middle East, Africa,
the Americas, Asia, Australia and
New Zealand
Active in nearly 500 cities in US
Have groups in another 500 cities
outside US
FNB Has Served:
Victims of the 1989 Earthquake in San Francisco
Rescue workers responding to September 11th World
Trade Center attacks
Victims of the Asian Tsunami
Hurricane Katrina survivors (one of the first, stayed longer
than almost every other organization)
Protesters at the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle
Tent city protest during the Orange Revolution
Victims of the global economic crisis
Workers at shelters, animal shelters, protests
FNB Has Worked
With:
Homes Not Jails
Earth First!
The Leonard Peltier Defense
Committee
Anarchist Black Cross
The WW
Anti Racist Action
Farm Animal Rights Movement
n Defense of Animals
Free Radio Movement
Other organizations working towards
positive social change and resistance
Origins
Founded by Jo Swanson, Mira Brown,
Susan Eaton, Brian Feigenbaum, C.T.
Lawrence Butler, Jessie Constable, Amy
Rothstien, Keith McHenry
May 24, 1980 - protest to stop the
Seabrook Nuclear power station north of
Boston
Brian Fieganbaulm arrested at protest
Friends needed to raise money for his
legal expenses
Began holding bake sales in Boston
Unsuccessful didn't raise much money
Started wearing military uniforms and
propped up posters ("it will be a great
day.)
Told people needed money to buy a
bomber
Caught attention, but didn't raise much
money
Origins
People from a protest heard about their
bakes sales, asked them to help out
Dressed as Hobos, set up "soup
kitchen outside stockholders meeting
of corrupt bank
Message: bank's policies similar to
banks' that caused the Great
Depression
Soup made from discarded food from
stores
Told homeless people from a shelter
about "soup kitchen
Nearly 70 people arrived
Soon business people passing by were
sharing food and talking with the
homeless about the investment policies
of the bank and the dangers of a power
station Food Not Bombs was protesting
Origins
The originaI Food Not Bombs, with their first tabIe set up.
1980's: Growth
Movement began to grow
Organized and participated in protests, actions,
education
Focus on literature, food tables, bulk food distribution
Co-sponsored with Cambridge City Council, 3 marches
against nuclear arms
1981 - logo designed, first banner
mportant event: Free Concert for Nuclear
Disarmament, Cambridge 1982
free food for everyone
bands representing "ethnic mixture of Cambridge
artists, crafts, local peace and justice groups
1980's: Action
Actions to end war in El Salvador
Sit-in at Federal Court against draft
Helped organize protest against
weapons bazaar
event where U.S. corporations
promote sale of weapons to military of
other countries
featured chemical weapons eventually
sold to raq and used by Saddam
Hussein
Distributed food to housing
projects, progressive social service
agencies, battered woman's
shelters, hunger relief agencies
1980's:
Pepsi ChaIIenge
"Pepsi Challenge booth
showed up next to FNB table
FNB hosted "Tofu Challenge
small cups of tofu smoothies in
donated cups
literature about Coca-Cola
Company hiring death squads
in Guatemala
sign: "There is more nutrition in
this cup of tofu smoothie than
all the Pepsi products in the
world
Forced Pepsi Challenge out
1980's:
San Francisco
Food Not Bombs started in San Francisco weekly meal
Founder McHenry took notes on how the group started to help
other people start chapters
The first action for San Francisco FNB was to provide meals to the
protesters at the Nevada Test Site
Soon after, Long Beach, California starts FNB
1980's:
San Francisco
August 15, 1988 45 riot police stormed
FNB in Golden Gate Park, arresting 9 for
sharing food without permit
The next Monday almost 200 people
marched to Golden Gate park to serve,
banging pots and pans
29 arrests
News made CNN, London Times, New
York Times,
Police told FNB - didn't mind that feeding
the hungry, "it's just that they are making
a political statement and that isn't
allowed."
Labor Day, over 1,000 people came
54 jailed, number injured by police
1980's: Arrests
Soup kitchens agreed to stop serving
San Francisco FNB began sharing across
from City Hall every day - lunch and dinner
System: food divided into thirds
Volunteers would serve, be arrested
Second 1/3 would serve, be arrested
Third group (everyone left) would serve
Months of daily arrests
Program: "risk arrest 1 day a month with
FNB"
Nuns, priests, students, peace groups, labor
organizers arrested
Lawyers of the National Lawyers Guild share,
but police arrested eaters, not lawyers
San Francisco earthquake: police arrived, ate
Arrests ended for rest of Mayor Agnos's term
1990's: Growth
Flier: Seven Steps to Starting a Local Food Not Bombs Group inspired new
chapters
Chapters in D.C., NYC, Seattle, Victoria & Vancouver B.C.
Food Not Bombs, How to Feed The Hungry and Build Community published
Official: every chapter autonomous, no leaders, consensus, vegetarian, and free
to anyone without restriction, dedication to nonviolent direct action
Groups started in Australia, Czechoslovakia, Montreal, London
1990's: PoIitics
Frank Jordan elected mayor on anti-homeless platform
Said he would round up homeless, put them in work camps
Program started August 1993, raids throughout city's parks
Police ordered people to throw their shoes, sleeping bags, blankets in trash
trucks
Many arrested for sleeping in public.
FNB joined San Francisco Coalition of the Homeless, organized organizing
protests
Filmed human rights abuses, police confiscating shoes, officer struggling to
tear a photo album from older woman
Gave footage to TV stations
Mayor Jordan ordered restraining order against FNB sharing meals without a
permit, ordered Recreation and Parks Commission to delete the permit
Volunteers arrested, charged with "felony conspiracy to share free food in
violation of a court order"
1990's: Action
Frank Jordan elected mayor on anti-
homeless platform
Free Radio (unlicensed, low-power -
"pirate" radio stations) started across
nation
Reported on radical politics, including
homeless abuse
Were over 350 pirate stations
1990's:The WorId
Many volunteers arrested on harsh
terms
(some given terms of up to 25 years)
Amnesty nternational declared all
NNB volunteers considered
"Prisoners of Conscience" if
convicted
Arrests inspired new groups, new
actions
000's: Growth
By 2000, FNB worldwide, growing fast
FNB celebrated 25th anniversary with
Soupstock concert
15,000 people attended
Australia helped free refugees from
detention center
Germany organize, provided vegan meals
at "Border Camps"
Argentina FNB started in response to
collapse of economy
"Anti-McDonalds Day" worldwide
"Buy Nothing Day"
Chapters started in Poland, Ukraine,
Serbia, Croatia, Hungry, Romania,
Bulgaria, Russia after end of Communism
000's: Growth
New Zealand organizes first "Really,
Really Free Market
Philippines, ndonesia, Budapest,
Belgrade, Warsaw, Poznan,
Amsterdam, Kula Lumpur, Sidney,
Washington, DC, Boston, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, New York,
Tucson, srael, reland, Mexico
Work to end torture becomes major,
war in raq
Copenhagen Food Not Bombs wins the
Danish Peace Award
2001 FNB all over NYC provide meals
to workers at the Twin Towers site
000's: G.W.Bush
Bush announces war against
raq and Afghanistan
Organized & fed local protests
Feed protestors outside of
Bush's ranch house
Feed and aid Hurricane Katrina
victims
000's: Economy
Bad economy inspired more
chapters, resurge in interest
March 2007 several hundred
FNB activists met in Nashville,
discussed solutions to financial
crisis
Gardens beginning to be planted
across U.S.
Really Really Free Markets
Protests and actions
ConfIict: Laws
Laws in many states
preventing or discouraging
feeding of hungry
Nevada
Connecticut
Florida
several other states
Controversy
Some government officials and
corporations find message a
threat to profits and power
Rumor: FNB labeled a terrorist
organization by U.S. government
Truth: accusations of being one
of "America's Most Hardcore
Terrorist Groups after arrests in
Golden Gate Park (1988)
Controversy
Rumor: FNB is a racist white
group
Truth: Have always worked
against racism
Provided food to people
protected by Black Liberation
Army in housing projects in
Boston
Organized a multiracial free
concert in Cambridge
Provided food to Mohawk nation
in New York
Volunteers from all backgrounds,
races and cultures
A number of FNB volunteers are
well known for fighting racism
PersonaIIy
Some of Tucson's IocaI FNB chapter (010)
Have participated in FNB for
almost 3 years
Organized, lead and participated
in protests, actions, serving
Been fed and helped by various
FNB groups when hungry or
homeless
Friends around the U.S.
participate
Believe in FNB, it's ideals and
goals