The coalition, led by organizer Rev. Bruce Wright, also held a press conference and protest to demand that the city provide 24/7 restroom facilities, increased shelter space, laundry facilities and, safe outdoor sleeping areas where those unable to access a shelter could spend the night without fear of harassment by local law enforcement. While the city claims to be spending $2.5 million this year to assist the homeless, it is unclear to advocates, why certain simple and cost-effective solutions for meeting their everyday needs are being overlooked and ignored, despite repeated attempts to bring these solutions to the table.


Approximately 80-100 people, including many of the homeless, participated in the protest after St. Pete Food Not Bomb’s weekly picnic in Williams Park. St. Pete Food Not Bombs reports that it has seen the number of individuals with whom food is shared double within recent months. That number now averages between 100 and 150, and Friday was no exception. Many of the signs held at the protest were geared toward educating the public. One pointed out the 400,000 veterans were homeless, a sad statement coming from a country claiming to support the troops. Other signs pointed out the tough choices that low-income families must make between electricity and food, belying the common stereotype that all those who require assistance with food are homeless and jobless.

During the protest, organizers successfully negotiated a civil disobedience with local law enforcement in order to provide grounds for a legal challenge to city ordinances which prevents homeless persons from sleeping in Williams Park by not allowing after-hours access to anything besides the public sidewalk that surrounds it. At 11PM, Wright led a group of about 50 people back to the park for the sleep out and civil disobedience. Three homeless advocates entered the park and remained seated on a blanket until police arrived, while the rest of the group arranged blankets and sleeping bags on the sidewalks on the park’s perimeter. Citations were issued peacefully and without incident, and the challenge will be pursued by coalition attorneys.

Groups participating and/or sponsoring the event included The Refuge/Lionheart Recovery, FAVOC, Critical Resistance, St. Pete for Peace, St. Pete Food Not Bombs, the Florida Fair Trade Coalition, The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (local chapter), LRNA, CRYS, Veterans for Peace, Suncoast Peace Education Group, local Quakers, and Buddhist Peace Fellowship.

As with any difficult issue, the best solutions for long-term problems such as homelessness and poverty are ones that engage, and are led by, the affected population itself. For an example of a creative, sustainable solution to end homelessness, please visit Dignity Village on the web at http://www.outofthedoorways.org/.

For more information about community-based initiatives for assisting the homeless, please contact Rev. Bruce Wright at bgcwright@aol.com or (727) 278-1547. Also, all are welcome to help out with Friday evening Food Not Bombs picnics. See http://www.stpetefnb.org for details.

If you missed St. Pete’s sleep out and are available on Friday, December 8, St. Pete for Peace and St. Pete FNB will participate in a sleep out with Sarasota Food Not Bombs in front of the courthouse in downtown Sarasota to protest the anti-camping ordinance. A group will be departing from Williams Park after the start of our weekly picnic which begins at 7:30pm. Extra volunteers to help with the regular Friday night sharing will be needed for that night as well. Contact carol@stpetefnb.org for carpooling and volunteer opportunities or visit http://homelessrights.co.nr/ for details about the event.

NOTE: If you participated in Friday night's Food Not Bombs picnic in Williams Park and left your serving dishes in the park, we will be bringing them back to the park next Friday, December 1. Our picnic begins at 7:30 and ends at 9:00 PM. Please come and pick them up.