Middletown sanitarian Manfred Rehm confiscates prepared food from a Food Not Bombs meal.
"They took the food right out of my hands before I could get it into my mouth," Reverend Cocomo Rock of the 191914 Ministries said on Sunday at an aborted Food Not Bombs shared meal. "And then he told me he was going to throw all of it in the garbage.
Rock, who is unemployed, and who has not been able to get food stamps after applying seven weeks ago, claims the Sunday meal fills an important gap for him, and for other hungry Middletown residents.
Sunday, soon after members of the local Food Not Bombs chapter set up tables and placed pots of jambalaya, rice, beans, tofu and cake on the table as part of a meal they share with the community, the Public Health Sanitarian Manfred Rehm began photographing the activities with his cell phone. He could then be heard calling his supervisor, health department manager Sal Nesci asking for a directive.
"The press is here," Rehm was heard to say. "And they want to talk to someone.
"On the other end of the phone, Nesci could be heard clearly to say, "Tell them no comment."
Reporters from The Hartford Courant, the Middletown Press, the Wesleyan Argus and the Eye were present.
After calling in two police officers, Rehm confiscated all the prepared foods. When the members of the group asked about the pots and spoons he was taking, Rehm indicated they could pick up the cooking utensils at the Health Department on Monday.
Food Not Bombs member Abe Bobman was issued a summons to appear in court for the commission of a misdemeanor - distributing food without a license. Last week Food Not Bomb members were issued tickets.
Food Not Bombs has been sharing meals on the corner of Main and Liberty streets for ten years. A few months ago, Nesci claims that the city received a complaint, and was forced to issue a cease and desist against the group for distributing food to the public without a license. Last Sunday, Michele Markowitz and Fred Carroll were issued $200 tickets, but returned for the meal this Sunday.
When asked why he returned in the face of p
ossible ticketing, Bobman said: "It's what we do. I wish they weren't so concerned about something so small."Bobman also indicated that the group was waiting for a decision from the State of Connecticut Health department on the situation which should come after a hearing in Hartford on May 19.
The group, which is mostly made up of Wesleyan students, was supported by a few community members.
Dottie Teneyck prepared a pot of organic food, and proclaimed that she was not afraid to receive a citation from the Health Department for providing food for those who need it.
"Come and serve it in my backyard," Francine Augieri, a local teacher invited. "This is just a message asking you to serve the food on private property, and not here on Main Street."
In a flier being distributed, Food Not Bombs summarized their refusal to pursue food licensing:
"We have refused to obtain a permit because we do not believe we fall under the city health code any more than a bake sale or picnic does. We do not think the city government should have the ability to prevent people from sharing food."
Carroll seemed dubious about the city's ability to protect the health of its citizens.
"If the health department can't prevent me from buying and smoking cigarettes," he said. "Don't worry about protecting me from vegetables."
Food Not Bomb members vowed to continue sharing meals.
"This is one of a few meals I count on every week," Cocomo Rock said. "We even heard a sermon about it at my church this week. What's the crime in letting people eat? Where's the Christ in that?"
ADDENDUM: Middletown Press story here.
Thanks for this Ed. Just to clear up one thing that came up a lot in the comments section last week: why don't they just cook in St. Vincent de Paul? For two primary reasons. One, under the terms imposed by Sal Nesci, Food Not Bombs would be subsumed by St. Vincent de Paul, becoming merely the Sunday volunteers, no autonomy, no political message. Two, though St. Vincent de Paul personnel were gracious and generous in offering us use of their space, they made it clear that it was an uncomfortable arrangement for them given the level of scrutiny directed at us by the city.
ReplyDeleteOn top of all this, as we have made clear before, though we take sanitation extremely seriously we do not feel that the Health Code legally applies to our activities.
A picnic is a private gathering. That is the difference. You are feeding the public, so the Health Code applies.
ReplyDeleteSo the city (Nesci, Rehm, et al.) took perfectly good food away from folks who are hungry, it was then thrown out and all they have to say is "no comment".
ReplyDeleteThis is an outrage!
I hope they all sleep well tonight knowing they did their job...no matter who it hurts in the end.
How do you know the food is "perfectly good"? Food Not Bombs is known for taking food out of dumpsters that restaurants throw away and serve that. If they were really concerned about feeding the needy they would do the right thing and have it at the Soup Kitchen or on private property. They are obviously just trying to get coverage. Why else would they already have the media there before the Health Department arrived? Most of the people eating the food were Wesleyan students. I only saw a couple of locals eating the food. Why would the students be eating the food if they were so concerned about the hungry? Everyone can see right through this farce.
ReplyDeleteThis public/private dichotomy has gotta go. Do we even *think* about the absurdity of this binary when we use these terms?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...throwing away perfectly good food- grabbing it out of the hands of those who are eating it- those who are hungry...on the grounds of...what, exactly? "Public/private yaddayaddayadda". Yeah, these laws we've got make sense, protect us all, as well as provide, eh?
Anyway- way to go Middletown FNB- keep it up- you have a bunch of supporters, fer sure!
Even though you fnb folks are convinced you are maintaining sanitary conditions, there are and could be conditions where someone else gave a hollow promise. Thus it becomes difficult to make the case to the general public that you shouldn't have to get a permit. If they won't give you a permit, as they decide, then you are on firmer ground.
ReplyDeleteAlmost no one in the US feels this way, but Gandhi felt serving time was a positive spiritual experience. He felt that suffering to touch the hearts of one's adversaries was an important element of nonviolence.
The anonymous comment left at 5:01 PM was written by a health department official. You can tell because they bring up the argument about public versus private. This argument is bunk because their definitions of private and public are not based on anything concrete. It is a way for them to enforce the health code on whoever they want.
ReplyDeleteBecause the representative from the health department has not chosen to provide their name, I would like to call the important officials out. The City Health officials which have taken on this vendetta against Food Not Bombs are Dr. Joseph Havlicek, Salvatore Nesci, and Manfred Rehm.
If you support Food Not Bombs being allowed to share food for free without city interference you can help by calling Mayor Sebastian N. Guiliano at (860) 344 3400 and telling him or leaving a message that says that your are unhappy because Dr. Halicek, Sal Nesci, and Manfred Rehm are wasting time and city money depriving poor people of food options during a recession.
This is just another example of a few students who choose not to comply then blame others for enforcement actions taken, although your intentions are worthy if you cared so much about the hungry being fed then you would comply with the rules and serve them properly on public property or you can always invite them to the private property of Wesleyan and have all the picinics that you desire.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add that Mary from Hartford Independent Media Collective was also there among the media.
ReplyDeletehttp://hartfordimc.org
Thank you for the great coverage of this Ed. It's important that people know about this ridiculous battle the Health Department has decided to wage against people who are hungry.
Clearly, FNB's goal of feeding the hungry has given way completely to the goal of getting their 15 minutes of fame. Enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteTaking food out of dumpsters? Food restaurants won't serve their customers? We have Health department's for a reason. Every restaurant or public establishment that serves food in Middletown must follow the rules put in place to keep the public from getting ill. If you want to protest than by all means I'm as anti-war as most of you and will join you. If someone got sick from this food who would they sue or complain to or send the doctors bill to? Wesleyan students? If it's so important to tie food and anti-war activism together, get a permit or walk those needing assistance to St Vincent's carrying a sign. Work with the poor to get them the social services available in this city that they need. I ditto what others have said, it's more about the media attention than the cause. By the comments the students should be able to see they are hurting themselves not helping their cause.
ReplyDeleteIn the anonymous comment from 8:46 you can hear a representative from the health department sensationalizing the idea that food not bombs gets its food from dumpsters. That is just wrong. The food that is cooked for food not bombs is overstock at local grocery stores and the fruit and veggie co-op. The food is never in a dumpster, but if Food NOt Bombs didn't take it and make use of it, then these hundreds of pounds of food a week would end up in the trash.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you hear that a place has alot of excess from someone who took their breakfast out of a dumpster and saw that a large amount of fresh fruit and vegetables have been thrown away. The next step is to go to the store owner and see if he/she would like to donate their extra food to FNB; rather than throwing it away.
Many of these anonymous comments have been left by the health officials as political maneuvers to control the comments section on this city blog. I urge everyone who is critical to use their name so that we can discuss this as digital people and not faceless anonymous individuals.
Isaac has now twice been able to discern that Health Department representatives were responsible for posts made anonomously. He must be psychic, I guess. Does Food Not Bombs rely upon these psychic abilities in determining if food is sanitary, or do they use more conventional methods? Seriously, its bad enough that the Health Department people are being critized for doing what they are supposed to do, without baseless allegations being made against them as well. Grow up Isaac. There are plenty of people unrelated to the Health Department that disagree with your position, just as there are plenty of people who disagree with me.
ReplyDeleteFrom some of the video I have seen from this past Sunday, it's pretty clear that there wasn't just Wesleyan students eating.
ReplyDeleteFor the past 10 years, this group was sharing meals and there was no issue. Now all of a sudden the city is claiming they are just looking out for the safety of it's residents. It all sounds pretty fishy to me.
Also, it appears from that same video that Manfred Rehm assaulted one of participants by forcibly grabing a spoon out of their hand.
Stay tuned the video will be up shortly!
Food Not Bombs does not want media attention, and we didnt call any reporters, they came because it is a news story people are interested in.
ReplyDeleteall we want is to continue sharing food with people who want it. and as long as there are people who want to eat, we will continue to share.
For all the detractors, come out and share a meal.
I posted at 8:46 and I don't work for the health department. Someone has a differing opinion and they are accused of being a worker for the health department. In any case, Food Not Bombs should just get the permit. Every cart at any fair has one. St Vincent's has one--why shouldn't FNB?
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 2: 34
ReplyDeleteThe health code doesn't apply. Food not bombs is a potluck meal in which members of the community cook too much food for them self and then share it with their neighbors. Its Like when you have a picnic in a park during the first sunny days of spring. Food Not Bombs Food is neither a cart at any fair nor a charity like St. Vincent Depaul, because FNB doesn't dispense food to anyone. The policy at the meal is serve yourself. Food related events like this happen all the time and go unregulated by the health department.
FNB doesn't believe that the city government has the right to regulate sharing of food between members of the community. It doesn't matter where it's being done. It's not the governments role.
just get a permit!
ReplyDeleteI posted at 5:01. I am also not connected with the health department. I'm sure the officials involved have better things to do than hang out in this comments section and steer the debate. I, however, do not :).
ReplyDeleteThese much maligned health department people are only enforcing laws put into place by democratically elected representatives. Are these laws and regulations footproof? Of course not. People get sick all the time from food from kitchens that are certified. But these regulations are simply the only way we as a society have come up with to deal with a very real problem. Sure, FNB knows their food is safe, but how are the rest of us supposed to know that? Surely, everyone in Middletown cannot be expected to put their lives on hold to attend the weekly FNB lunch and see for themselves. That's why we have laws and why we pay taxes for a central agency such as the health department to regulate for the good of all. This whole trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing attitude disturbs me. It makes me think of George W. Bush and his assumption that he was above all the checks and balances that have been built into the system. This "just trust me" attitude simply does not work in a democracy.
If FNB's top priority was getting their excess food into the mouths of hungry Middletowners, then they would just use the St. Vincent's kitchen. The decision by FNB not to use the certified kitchen is what led to the food being thrown away last Sunday. And I can understand why they'd rather point the finger at the health department than look in the mirror. FNB put their political agenda ahead of their humanitarian agenda. I agree with all of you. It was a waste.
I think this whole situation has more to do with Middletown Health Department disregarding the importance of taking care of its homeless and hungry population. FNB is just one organization, among so many, that is doing something to address this issue while the Middletown Health Department is taking backwards steps. Why don't they work with FNB rather than against them? If the health department cared about people being hungry they wouldn't grab a healthy plate of food (probably made of organic vegetables because thats what a lot of the food DONATIONS are) out of the hands of a person. Instead they should work to reduce the population of those hungry by giving more support to food assistance programs.
ReplyDeleteThe much maligned health ofiicials deserve their criticism. They are of the opinion that all homeless people are lazy and unwilling to get a job to get off the street, so they are using beuracracy to crush the only group that treats them like equals.
ReplyDeleteMob rule is in direct opposition to Democracy and the rule of law. FNB wants to feed the needy, but refuses to accept that we are a nation of laws, not just a nation of conscience. Many of the "soup Kitchens" and food sharing organizations were started in the 1960's by collage age citizens who worked within the laws for the greater good of the communities, not outside the law for their own personal political statements. Having the food confiscated and being arrested feeds no one. The blame for this situation is on you alone.
ReplyDeleteI think Dan (Middletown) said it all:
ReplyDelete"One, under the terms imposed by Sal Nesci, Food Not Bombs would be subsumed by St. Vincent de Paul, becoming merely the Sunday volunteers, no autonomy, no political message."
This is all about stirring the pot and getting attention to the cause du jour. St. Vincent's is an amazing charity that many in Middletown give generously to. Maybe directing attention to the good work they do won't help FNB, but it WILL help the hungry. Isn't that the "real goal" here?
post 12:15 wrote: "this is all about stirring the pot and getting attention to the cause du jour."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you said that because, last I heard -- that's just the sort of thing that's protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Funny how everyone's in favor of "getting the government off our backs" until they see or hear something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
FNB shows it is more interested in being an anarchy activist group than feeding the hungry.
ReplyDeleteHow is FNB showing that it is more interested in being an "anarchy activist group"?... whatever that means.
ReplyDeleteFood has continued to be shared with anyone who is hungry throughout this whole ordeal...an ordeal I might add, started by the Health Dept. It didn't seem to bother the Health Dept. for the last ten years, why now?
Don't you dare criticize middletown residents of not taking care of homeless- many give to St. VIncent and Amazing Grace!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI cook with a local food not bombs chapter in western north carolina. All of it's food comes from a local organic restaurant chain called Earthfare. All of it's food is a donation, and none comes from a dumpster. The food products FNB receives are a couple of days before or on the sell by date. If a carton of soymilk is near it's expiration date, it is less sellable than a carton of soymilk with a later sell by date. Because a perishable item is generally considered a sale item, they get last priority on shelf space. If there is no space in the store for the food, it gets thrown out. If fruits or vegetables have any visibly unappealing blemishes (brusing, cuts, broken stalks, dying/spotted leaves), they are disposed of. Any surplus food or unsalable food is also thrown away.
However, all of these foods are still very edible, but are either ugly on the shelves or unwanted due to their shelf date. The money wasted on such perfectly good food being thrown away is easily justified by the amount of customers expecting quality and freshness, and the fact that donated food counts as tax breaks. It's just good business.
Fortunately, there is an alternative do the dumpster for food that is technically still good food. By calling ahead and making arrangements with a local grocery store, donations of unsalable food can be provided for non profit organizations. This not only allows food to be distributed to good causes, but also saves hundreds of pounds of perfectly good food a week from being wasted. Many churches and licensed community centers receive food this way, and so does Food Not Bombs.
One key foundation in Food Not Bombs' political structure is that food is not a privilege available to those who can afford it, but rather a necessity that is required for life. FNB does not believe that accessibility to food should be barred by any law, and does not wish to obtain a license. If this makes food not bombs an illegal activity, then please, consider it a political action as opposed to a "food dispensing".
It is way quicker and more efficient for FNB to share cooked food with the community on an intimate level than to rely on over-reaching state-funded institutions and burdened social services to dispense it. Food Not Bombs takes place in public places and is free to whoever wants to eat. FNB can have anywhere between 10 and 200 participants, all of whom serve themselves to show that FNB assumes no authority over how much food a person receives. It also provides a way for homeless and struggling people to receive a nutritious meal that was created by hand. People who join FNB at mealtime thank us, occasionally with teary eyes, for the meals we provide.
It is my individual hope that Food Not Bombs helps bring notice to the issues at hand-The excessive waste produced by our social habits, the homeless population and the unfair difficulties they face, and the fact that food is a right, not a privilege. I encourage anybody who is skeptical about the work of their local FNB chapter to locate them, and maybe even join them in helping to cook a meal.
Regards, Barack Obama
Wow! Barack Obama reads the Middletown Eye and is a supporter of Food Not Bombs!!!!! Who would've thought?
ReplyDelete