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Destruction trumps nutrition yet again
By Zoë Williams
williamz@mscd.edu

Denver’s Food Not Bombs has had its share of trials and tribulations. As a volunteer organization that relies predominantly on donated food to offer free vegan meals on a biweekly basis, its members have had to scrounge on more than one occasion to ensure there was something to serve. The FBI visited several of the activists in 2004 at their home, the site of food preparation. Now Food Not Bombs is getting chased off of its Wednesday serving site, Civic Center Park, by park managers.

Food Not Bombs activist Mac Liman, who has participated in the picnics for four years, has been attending meetings and making phone calls in a search for a way to keep Food Not Bombs serving in a central Denver location. Presently, they have moved their Wednesday meetings to the front of the Denver Public Library.

As far as Liman can tell, the efforts by the city and state have not been for public health and safety concerns.

“(The city) basically said they want a place for business and wealthy people. They said, ‘We don’t like what your feedings look like. We don’t like what the people at the feedings look like,’” Liman said.

This is another attempt by Denver city officials to make the appearance of homelessness disappear in this town – a part of Mayor Hickenlooper’s 10-year plan to “end homelessness.”

Another angle has been an increased crackdown on panhandling. It is currently illegal in Denver to step into traffic while panhandling, to beg within 20 feet of a sidewalk eatery, and for a person to sit or lie down in a public right of way between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

In reality, Hickenlooper and the city of Denver have done little more than take steps to make homelessness invisible. According to the 2004 Homeless Point in Time Study, 8,668 people were homeless in the Denver metro area, a majority of whom are single mothers. As of Jan. 23, one-third of the people living on the streets were under the age of 19. Food Bank of the Rockies has shown that more than 50 percent of families it serves has members under the age of 18.

The causes of homelessness have long been known by nonprofit organizations and scholars.
According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, there are no federal programs to address issues of substance abuse in homeless populations, though it is estimated that 38 percent of people experiencing homelessness are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, as many as 25 percent of people experiencing homelessness have a severe mental illness. At least 13 percent of people experiencing homelessness lost their homes due to health situations.

Half of the women living without homes became homeless due to domestic-violence situations. Of women who become homeless due to domestic violence, 40 percent were not able to find a shelter to stay in.

It is estimated by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty that 20 to 40 percent of people experiencing homelessness are working at least part time. Nevertheless, they cannot afford housing.

In Hickenlooper’s Denver, chasing off community picnics and punishing panhandlers addresses these issues.

Liman said Food Not Bombs called Denver’s Cop Watch to come and monitor police reaction to the feedings. Liman said Food Not Bombs would play it safe and prevent arrest situations.

“The last thing I want to do is put anyone at risk. There’s enough people trying to throw (the homeless) in jail,” she said.

The charge for panhandling in Denver is a misdemeanor that can result in one year in jail and up to $999 in fines. This is the solution from the city that has jails so crowded that they once considered housing inmates in tents.

Hickenlooper’s plan to end homelessness in Denver has always sounded like a sweet idea. In its text are plans for increased housing, job opportunities and health services. Yet the aesthetics of Denver’s new museum extensions and urban nexus at Colfax and Broadway are taking priority over the people who must survive homelessness in the city.

As always, the people with their heart in the right place are the activists in groups like Food Not Bombs. Come park rangers and mayoral decisions, we can at least be certain that, somewhere in Denver, free vegan picnics will be dished up to those who need it most.