WISE WOMEN MEDIA for December 19th, 2014--A Night of Solstice Songs

We will broadcast at 10PM EST and the show will be 2 hours in duration.

LINK TO SHOW OR ARCHIVE:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2014/12/20/wise-women-media-121914-a-night-of-solstice-songs

As a gift for all of you, my listeners, we will be doing a special tonight to celebrate the Holiday Season. We will be playing Solstice Songs and Carols for our entire 2 hour show. Please tune in for the live broadcast or use the archived show as background music for your holiday parties and get togethers.

Remember to check us out on our site at WISE WOMEN MEDIA for archived shows, complete show descriptions, a list of our sponsors, links to our social networks and ways to contact us.
If you have ideas for future guests for 2015, email me at anitastewart@gmail.com.

Have some great Holly-Daze and may your Holiday Season be Merry!

NIGHTLY CITIZEN: New Drilling Permit in Santa Rosa County, Florida ...

NIGHTLY CITIZEN: New Drilling Permit in Santa Rosa County, Florida ...: Anti-Fracking Movement of Lee County Quantum Resources Management LLC, based in  HOUSTON, TX 7 has applied for drilling permit #1365...READ THE REST OF THE STORY AT THE LINK and be sure to share it with others!

HOW CORPORATIONS TAKE OVER SMALL COMMUNITIES

IMAGE SOURCE: UNKNOWN

By Anita Stewart for CHALLENGING THE RHETORIC

A corporation that wants something in your neighborhood, say a natural resource; such as water, rock, a location, etc., in this case, let’s call it rock. The foreign, multinational company comes in and makes nice with all the business owners. And the county commissioners. Other locally elected officials and establishes a foothold. Creates allies with other local businesses that “support” them. Such as truckers, home builders, local restaurants, etc. They are small scale at their various locations throughout your county.

Going large scale and what is at stake!

But then Cemex decides that they want to expand operations and buy sizable acreage and do this contiguous to residential and wildlife areas and next to a historical WW1 and WW2 cemetery, just part of their long term plans of going large scale. It is proven and based on scientific report after scientific report that their operations including open pit mining and blasting would affect noise levels, traffic levels, property values, wildlife to include flora and fauna, create major health impacts for humans, even affecting delicate procedures done in operating rooms at a nearby hospital.

We are speaking of course about Cemex and their operations in Hernando County, Florida. The day of the deciding vote comes December 9th, 2014 and the hearing room at the County Commissioner’s meeting is packed with residents. AND employees of the mines. Cemex has the lawyers dressed up in suits, 2 rows of them. The citizens have the documents, reports, analysis, stats, all backed up by those experts that have offered to help the property owners for little or no compensation.

The Reality

In a parallel universe of “we the people” and “First Amendment Rights,” the people in the residential areas that own the homes and contiguous properties should be heard and they should be able to have a say since this concerns their properties, right?

Those that voted these commissioners into office are supposed to be represented by those they elected in a supposedly democratic process, RIGHT?

Through open documents obtained from the Supervisor of Elections, each of the county commissioners had taken money from Cemex to fund their political campaigns.

The residents had three minutes to speak and present reports. Cemex’s suits had 45 minutes towards the end of the presenting and quite a bit of time in the beginning, it might have been close to 2 hours all total for their presentations. Each speaker for the Miners was not held to a time restriction.

What are the facts now?  Corporate rule matters, money supersedes justice and integrity and ownership of property does not give one a say so. Corporations can operate within a carte blanche process, so whomever has the money can pay and get what they want. They rule the communities.

The Process

It is important to note that this meeting was delayed until this month (December 2014). Convenient since this would be after the elections in November. The current status of the vote by the county commissioners was 4 to 1. This decision making process will be reviewed in Tallahassee and then sent back to the county commissioners for a final vote. The residents under their organization NEIGHBORS AGAINST MINING are reviewing what course of action to take next.

This can happen in any community, including yours.

IMAGE SOURCE: NEIGHBORS AGAINST MINING

ALL LIVES MATTER: HEALING THE RACIAL DIVIDE

IMAGE SOURCE: Salon.com

By Anita Stewart for CHALLENGING THE RHETORIC

What would happen if people switched their skin color for a week? In most cases they would find out how differently they would be treated. 

• Mike Brown was murdered over cigars
• Eric Garner was murdered over cigarettes
• Vonderrit Myers was holding a ham sandwich
• Trayvon Martin was shot in cold blood holding Skittles and soda

Those are just a few of the many names on a very long list

In each of these cases and others, the "black man" or boy -- the real victim, has been made into the perpetrator by corporate media and law enforcement.

Every 28 hours a black man or boy is killed by vigilantes or police. A black man’s chances of being shot by the police are much higher than a white man's. And stop with the black on black straw man argument. Whites kill whites and blacks kill blacks. The stats are almost the same for both races and even our murders are segregated. Corporate media needs to be taken to task and do their research and their jobs. Corporate media needs to stop spouting inane comments that become ingrained in people's' psyches by being repeated over and over again even though they hold little truth, i.e. “doublespeak” like that in George Orwell’s “1984.”

The Stupid And Unfounded Arguments

 

 

• Mike Brown was a thug and a strong armed thief who did not have his hands in the air even though 16 of the Grand Jury witnesses said he did.
• Eric Garner died because he was obese; this said by Congressman Peter King on TV.
• Vonderrit Myers was running, then he wasn't running, then he was fired on by  cops, then he hid in the bushes, then he was hiding in the bushes with two others, then he was alone and grabbed his waistband ... and so, the cop shot him. This story kept changing with a life of it’s own for convenience, but where was the truth? Even this writer's research through Google Earth revealed that there were no bushes at the scene.
• Trayvon was going to make a drug OR enhance a drug with his Skittles and soda according to FOX news.

Per the corporate media, law enforcement and our country's so-called, "leaders," these guys died because it was their own fault.

Repairing The Rift With Change

To citizens who refuse to acknowledge there is a racial divide problem, YOU are a part of the problem!

CTR stands up to you in a demand to educate yourselves, change your attitudes, turn off the idiot lie-box and think for yourselves. CTR also holds corporate media, law enforcement and elected leaders responsible for no longer protecting and serving our communities with integrity. These people do not work for "The People;" instead they work for corporations and are beholden to their funders, supporters, lobbyists and advertisers.

The sleeping giant has been awakened as witnessed in the streets across the country. A real uprising has begun and the genie is not going to go back into the bottle this time.

Spike Lee said,

"All of you should be standing on the side of truth."

Are you ready to cross that blurred-line?

Originally published: https://challengingtherhetoric.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/all-lives-matter-healing-the-racial-divide/

WISE WOMEN MEDIA for December 5th, 2014--Two Special Guests Deevon Quirolo on OPEN PIT MINING in Hernando County, Florida and Ilona Watzlawick on MONEY IS PASSE

Be sure to join us tonight for these two enlightening interviews!

This is a pre-recorded show. We will broadcast at 10PM EST on Friday night, December 5th, 2014.

LINK TO SHOW AND ARCHIVE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2014/12/06/wise-women-media-12514-w-special-guests-deevon-quirolo-and-ilona-watzlawick

10 to 1030PM EST

Deevon Quirolo--NEIGHBORS AGAINST MINING

Cemex, a Mexican company is planning to do open pit, blast mining near residential areas, green protected areas and near a local hospital in Hernando County, Florida, north of the Tampa Bay metro area. Deevon will tell us about the grassroots movement and the people power to halt these plans and why mining is not a good idea in Hernando County.

http://www.neighborsagainstmining.org

1030 to 11PM EST

Ilona Watzlawick--MONEY IS PASSE

Money is not relevant any longer, it is now PASSE. So 20th century! Let that sink in a moment! Ilona will speak on why this is so, about the addiction to money as the real root of all evils, what we need to do to plan on our very own survival without it, ways we can acquire what we need for our households, barter services, exchange, re-purpose and more! Ilona’s concepts will change the way you look at money.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenonconsumeradvocate/

***Remember, it is just a conversation!

WISE WOMEN MEDIA for November 28th, 2014--CALL IN SHOW with Anita Stewart

Join us for news, current events, politics and any subject you want to talk about tonight!

We are broadcasting LIVE from 10PM EST until 11PM EST and taking your calls! 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

LINK TO SHOW (and ARCHIVED SHOW after the LIVE BROADCAST): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2014/11/29/wise-women-media-112814-call-in-show-with-anita-stewart

CALL IN DURING LIVE BROADCAST: (213) 816-0357.

I will be playing news clips, speaking on some of the current events of the day, taking calls and doing some music.

Tune in!

***Remember, it's just a conversation!

POOR IN PARADISE

Or Part of the 45% in Florida

By Anita Stewart for Challenging the Rhetoric

November 19, 2014

IMAGE SOURCE: NBC NEWS

Ft. Lauderdale is looking really bad lately on an international scale with the issues surrounding the Homeless and Hungry in this city. The Mayor and the City Council members and the shadowy Downtown Development Authority (an unelected and monied corporate council of sorts) have implemented a collective effort to silence the Homeless and make them disappear. The Mayor even started a program giving the Homeless bus tickets out of town to get them to their friends and family members and insultingly called it a “Family Reunification Program.” 

The Mayor, Jack Seiler has some pre-defined responses to inquiries that ended up being lies and included the following: “The City Commission did not realize that requiring the homeless be fed in safe, secure, sanitary and healthy conditions would be distorted by the media as an attack on the homeless. The City Commission did not ban feeding the homeless in the City of Fort Lauderdale and did not make it illegal to feed the homeless; the City Commission only regulated the location of those feedings. In fact, there are numerous locations where homeless feedings may be legally held in the City, including our downtown. You can read the ordinance online at our website: FortLauderdale.gov.

Further, the cycle of homeless and homelessness on the streets of Fort Lauderdale is unacceptable, and this City Commission will do everything possible to get them off the streets and into the right programs, to the appropriate facilities, and to the proper resources necessary to turn their lives around.

This City Commission also does substantial charitable work for the homeless here in South Florida, volunteer at the local homeless assistance center, contribute financially to assist homeless programs and benefits, and work on several successful homeless veterans programs and projects. You can find many of those programs listed on our website at FortLauderdale.gov.”

Mayor Seiler speaks of multiple programs to aid the Homeless and Hungry in his communiques but according to those on the streets, the only one that exists is run by the county and is woefully inadequate for the sheer numbers of the people in need.

Radical actions over the past few weeks have included the arrest of a homeless man, Ray Cox in the City Council meeting on November 18, 2014  while at the same time the Council claimed November 16-22, 2014 as “National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.”

Yesterday, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Dean Trantalis urged other city officials to end the controversial law. So far he was the lone voice in favor of rescinding the ordinance. Local Channel 10 also reported that Ft. Lauderdale’s lists of feedings and aid for the Homeless did not yet exist. 

The arrests continue of those from Food Not Bombs, Love Thy Neighbor and other groups, charities and individuals who are publicly feeding the Homeless and Hungry. Mr. Abbott, the 90 year old who runs Love Thy Neighbor has been arrested multiple times. He has been feeding the homeless for over 20 years. This does not sound like an atmosphere of love and compassion and true caring by the city.

As of this writing, Jillian Pim of Food Not Bombs is on Day 17 of her Hunger Strike in solidarity with the Homeless and Hungry. She plans on continuing until the ordinance is rescinded or no longer enforced by the city. And Ft. Lauderdale may lose a lot of downtown revenue as Christmas has been cancelled by those feeding the Homeless and Hungry.  

Aaron Jackson, a CNN Hero who has also been arrested is currently crowdfunding a food truck so he can feed the Homeless and Hungry outside of City Hall. 

At the same time as this is occurring in Ft. Lauderdale and throughout Florida and indeed, across the country in many cities, an alarming study by the United Way gives us a number to go on: 45% of Florida households can’t afford to live within the average cost of living here. And what is especially significant is the amount of people that are working and still cannot afford even the basics for their households. Between 2007 and 2012 the cost of basic housing, child care, transportation, food and health care in Florida increased by 13 percent. The United Way report analyzed this report with each county using the following criteria: affordable living, jobs and community support.

WAR AND PEACE FROM A VETERAN’S PERSPECTIVE

IMAGE SOURCE: digboston.com

Updates on the Challenges We Face During a Wartime Culture

By Anita Stewart for Challenging the Rhetoric

November 17, 2014

A Quick History of the Peace Movement Since 2002

Since 911 and soon after our military’s incursions into Afghanistan and then Iraq, between 2001--2003, Wars and Occupations have become our government’s primary instruments of foreign policy. The first pro-peace/anti-war protests took place 18 days after the 911 event. At that time and for years afterwards, the peace movement quickly organized and deployed front and center and were very visible. These events made the corporate news in the early 2000’s.

Between the implementation of the Patriot Act and then the presidential election of 2004 when Bush Jr was re-elected, the post 911 Peace Movement was active and engaged. The Peace Movement grew and millions took part in direct actions and protests around the world. In a short amount of time, from 2004 until 2008 when Obama was elected, the Peace Movement had dwindled down to almost nothing. Most activists believed that the elections and a regime change in 2008 would solve everything and that Obama would do as he had promised during his campaign and end the Wars and Occupations.

And Just What are the Stats?

Rhetoric continues to this day with the polls and stats on how many civilian casualties, how many military active duty members have died at the front or in the hospitals, how many veterans have died after their return from injuries sustained during the Wars and Occupations or from mental health issues that resulted in suicides. The criteria is different with every poll so the results we are getting are skewed.

The current rate of suicides among veterans is 22 per day. Another number that is never tallied is how many family members succumb to suicide and how many surviving family members exist. What is a known fact is that endless war is a tragedy and takes a never ending traumatic toll on military families.

Another horrific trend with veterans is MST or Military Sexual Trauma. The victims don’t die and get released from their trauma. They live through the memories every day. The numbers are impossible to calculate and the victims are active duty women AND men in lesser numbers. It is estimated that many MST cases have never been reported. Fear of retribution keeps many victims from speaking out or seeking help. A sense of betrayal is included with these instances of MST. Women and men who join the military come to think of those they are stationed with as “comrades in arms” and instead these people become their enemies. This makes for a hostile working and living environment for the victim. MST was documented in a movie called “The Invisible War.” Because women are now in combat positions and stationed at the front lines unlike women who served in the military in the past, it is believed that these numbers have increased over the years.

Over the past months we have all heard the corporate media’s stories about the Veterans Administration and the fraud, waste and abuse inflicted on veterans as they try to acquire their healthcare that was guaranteed to them when they signed on. Lack of care, endless red tape, long wait times for appointments and procedures, woeful lack of counseling and mental health care is not supporting existing veterans or the huge influx of returning ones. 

All of this was documented in the documentary film “Body of War,” produced by legendary talk show host, Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro. Especially poignant on this past Veterans Day (2014) was the death the day before of veteran, anti-war activist and paraplegic Tomas Young, the subject of the movie.

Media, the Elections, Candidates, Representatives and Voting

During the Elections in 2008 many promises were made to bring the troops home by most of the Democratic candidates and by one Republican, Ron Paul. By the 2012 elections, candidates were stumping on the following issues: the economy, jobs, taxes, federal spending, climate change and healthcare. War was rarely if ever mentioned.

For years now, the mostly pro-peace Third Party candidates have not been heard by the masses. And the presidential, federal and those running for local offices and are Third Party candidates are largely not permitted to debate with the mainstream candidates. At times they are even arrested for attempting to attend the debates.

After viewing the information on the current state of political debates, it would be difficult for anyone to believe that the US is still a democracy and that all voices are heard.

Voting for either corporate political party’s candidates is ensuring more of the same and not furthering a peace agenda.

In the last several election cycles, the public no longer heard promises from the candidates that included bringing the troops home, ending the Wars and Occupations and using Foreign Policy measures to resolve continuing conflicts between nations. 

In the American consciousness, we have already become part of the War Culture.

Peace is not in the Americans’ psyche anymore and rarely mentioned in the corporate media. Therefore, technically it no longer really exists in the minds and hearts of the masses. And since voices for peace are rarely heard by the citizens, the people who mention peace are usually characterized as being part of a “fringe” element.

What is Blowback and What About Rhetoric?

An article titled “Blowback“ by Chalmers Johnson and published in The Nation in 2007 defined the word “blowback” as the following: “...a metaphor for the unintended consequences of the US government's international activities that have been kept secret from the American people.”

What we are getting through the corporate media is not even close to the reality of the true costs of war, the real blowback of the impacts on human life both military and civilian. And the casualties. “We do not do body counts,” was what General Tommy Franks had stated after being questioned about how many Iraqis had died. 

No one is mentioning the trillions of dollars that has been spent already and how this affects every aspect of life here in the US. And the infrastructure of our country that is breaking down. The Wars and Occupations continue on a large scale and now, even though it was promised that there would be no more “boots on the ground” our military will be deployed again in large numbers. And also worthy of mention is our expansion into the continent of Africa and a new command called AFRICOM. The powers that be have no plans to lessen war. To note this rhetorical statement; that the US had won the war but Obama lost it. And this cannot be true since our military is still deployed. Endless war for endless profits, “War is a racket,” as General Smedley Butler said and the elite get rich from continuing it.

Where is the Peace Movement Now and How Do We Activate It?

Many are calling for ways to galvanize the peace community again and no one is really sure of how to begin. But we need to find ways to unite based on our commonalities, to forget the strife, the political agendas, the support of one or the other candidates or political parties. To just focus on taking care of our wounded and dying and mentally/emotionally challenged and making Peace and ending the Wars and Occupations part of our everyday conversations with everyone we speak to. There are amazing people that are out there trying to speak to people; follow them, connect with them on social networks. Encourage others to do the same. There are groups to work with or be a part of that have never quit the peace dialogue and if you cannot join one or there are none in your community, start one! Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Iraq Veterans Against the War to name a few that are still very vocal and speaking truth to power. Veterans have the floor and we have the voices people will listen to. It is time to stand up, walk to the podium and do a “mike check” to get everyone’s attention.

"Mr. Speaker, we make war with such certainty, yet we are befuddled how to create peace. This paradox requires reflection, if we are to survive. Making and endorsing war demands a secret love of death, a fearful desire to embrace annihilation. Creating peace requires the mirror of compassion -- putting ourselves in the other person's place, in all their suffering, with all their hopes -- acting from our heart's capacity for love, not fear. The fight against terrorism in the 21st century is beginning to have the feel of the fight against communism in the 20th century: Conjuring of enemies, scapegoating and wanton destruction. Our war on terror has become a war of errors as we blindly exercise our capacity for war making. We have not yet begun to explore our capacity for peacemaking, so we are reduced to a predatory voyeurism: creating war, watching war, being aghast at war, impotent to stop ourselves. We are the most powerful nation, but even we do not have to power to reserve for ourselves, or to grant to our allies, an exemption from the laws of cause and effect. The fate of the world lies in the balance at this time. Until we consciously choose peace over war, life over death, love over hate -- the balance is tipping toward mutually assured destruction. Please... let us reconsider our actions."
US Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) Speech to the House of Representatives, July 18, 2006

BREAKING: NO KXL!

PHOTO SOURCE: PopularResistance.org

Or the Planet Dodges a Big Bullet for Now

By Anita Stewart for Challenging the Rhetoric

November 18, 2014

The NASA scientist, James Hansen said many years ago that it would be game over for the planet if the Keystone Pipeline was implemented. He also said that it would be the “fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet.” 

Last week the GOP-led House voted in favor of the bill by 252 to 161. Today the Senate voted it down by 59 to 41. Senate Republicans and a few moderate Democrats voted in favor. 

Even though it was widely known that President Obama did not approve of the bill, there was no communication coming from the White House confirming that he would veto it, only a lot of speculation.

In response to the vote today, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

"We applaud the Senators who stood up for the health of our families and our climate by fighting back against this big polluter-funded sideshow. There’s no good reason the Senate should have wasted all this time on yet another meaningless push for Keystone XL. Since day one, the decision on the pipeline has belonged to President Obama, and he has repeatedly said he will reject this pipeline if it contributes to the climate crisis. As there is no doubt that it does, we remain confident that is precisely what he’ll do."

Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer D-Ca., spoke about the environmental concerns of the Keystone XL:

“Misery follows the pipeline. It’s called XL which should stand for ‘extra lethal.’ A 45 percent increase in tar sand production means a 45 percent increase in hazardous metals and pollutions like lead and sulfur from the dirtiest oil on the planet,” Boxer stated as she switched between slides of oil spills and cloudy, polluted landscapes. “In terms of carbon emissions, this pipeline is the equivalent of adding emissions from 29 dirty coal-fired power plants to our environment.”

If the vote had passed, it might have been vetoed by the President. Environmental activists and organizations that have fought the good fight for over 6 years did not back down today and continued asking for calls and petitions. They filled lawmaker’s offices in Washington, DC and did direct actions in front of legislators’ homes. 

Senator Mary Landrieu (D) sponsored the bill and brought it to the floor with a vote thinking that it would bolster her chances at a Dec 6th run-off election in her home state of Louisiana. She spoke to reporters after the vote stating: “For jobs, for economic opportunity, for independence, for energy independence, this fight was worth having.”

The current administration had said that it wanted to wait for a review of the long term effects of the project. The administration was skeptical that the project would bring more jobs and reduce the cost of fuel; what the backers of the project had previously claimed.

Originally published here: CLICK

WISE WOMEN MEDIA for November 14th, 2014--Returning Special Guest Gwen Barry Joins Anita Stewart for a Talk on Floridacentric News!

We broadcast tonight at 10PM EST. 

LINK TO SHOW OR ARCHIVE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2014/11/15/wise-women-media-111414-gwen-barry-anita-stewart-w-floridacentric-news

For tonight's show we welcome back Gwen Barry of HERE BE MONSTERS and THE COMMONS PROJECT NETWORK. Gwen runs a number of different radio shows under her network and is also a Creatrix and Blender of a company called DAUGHTERS OF ISIS. She and I will be talking about major news stories and current events that are specific to Florida and there is a lot to cover!

Don't miss this show! We will be doing live call ins and you can also post your questions on our Group or Facebook Page and I will ask them on the air.

CALL IN NUMBER: (213) 816-0357 

Please see us at our site at WISE WOMEN MEDIA for archived shows, complete show descriptions, links to our social networks, a list of our sponsors and more. 

We are also Tweeting at #wisewomenmedia

WISE WOMEN MEDIA for November 7th, 2014--Returning Special Guest Robin LaDue and a Discussion About Race

Robin LaDue

We broadcast on Friday night, November 7th, 2014 at 10PM EST.

Link to the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2014/11/08/wise-women-media-11714-special-guest-robin-ladue-a-discussion-about-race

Call in number: (213) 816-0357

For tonight's broadcast we welcome back our returning Special Guest, Robin LaDue, Author, Artist, Therapist, Clinical Psychologist and Healer. She works primarily with First Nation communities.

She is also the co-author of Totems of September that was published in 2013.

We will have a conversation about Race and why it matters! 

And why more people should be talking about this topic.

Robin's Bio:

Dr. Robin LaDue is a retired clinical psychologist formerly in private practice in Washington. She received her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Washington State University. She has been affiliated with the University of Missouri, Kansas City and with the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Native American Center of Excellence. She is the award winning author of the “Journey Through the Healing Circle” books and video. Dr. LaDue has lectured worldwide on the effects of prenatal exposure and historical trauma in Native American communities as well as the consequences of and treatment for psychological trauma, including traditional Native methods of treatment. She is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Washington. This is her first historical fiction writing effort.

- See more at: http://septembertotems.com/

Totems of September

Who Made Feeding the Homeless a Crime in Florida?

IMAGE SOURCE: thebsreport.wordpress.com

By Anita Stewart for Challenging the Rhetoric.

Nothing is more shameful than allowing homeless people to go hungry...

Setting the Scene

Florida does it again and makes a name for itself by proving that it is one of the meanest states with regard to the local government and law enforcement’s treatment of the homeless population. The latest ordinance authorizes arrests for people who are participating in civil disobedience actions by ignoring the ordinance as they continue to feed the homeless in public spaces.

In Ft. Lauderdale, the homeless advocates were arrested in Stranahan Park, a public space this past  Sunday. Arnold Abbot, a 90-year-old man was conducting a regular, weekly feeding with two local pastors assisting him. Abbot was charged and arrested for trespassing along with the other pastors.

IMAGE SOURCE: NY Post

Abbot heads a non-profit organization called, Love Thy Neighbor, in honor of his wife who died 23-years ago. His focus is on helping the large homeless population in that part of Florida. Abbot says he will continue to do what he has always done and that he will sue the city so he can continue to help the people who need it the most. He has sued the city in the past for being restricted from feeding homeless people on the beach and he won.

Not A One Time Occurrence

These incidents seem to be a repeated throughout Florida and and across the country repeatedly; other cities are using the same playbook as Florida. The National Coalition of Homelessness indicated in their newest report that 31 cities have enacted or are close to enacting ordinances that prohibit food sharing in public spaces.

Keeping food, social services, healthcare and shelter from the homeless is enforced by local entities or county and/or city Law Enforcement officials who say they are simply upholding the county or city laws and ordinances. The restauranteurs, local businesses and storefronts do not want the homeless on the streets as this will negatively affect and diminish their flow of clientele and foot traffic. Here in Florida, winter is tourist season and having homeless individuals on the streets is a blight on the neighborhoods according to business owners who say it negatively impacts their bottom line.

Why The Homeless Come To Florida And What Are The Numbers?

IMAGE SOURCE: beforeitsnews.com

The accommodating weather in Florida is nice of course!

The Homeless -- like “Snowbirds” or elderly tourists, migrate down when they can because they know they won’t freeze being stuck outside. This is a serious consideration for the homeless and a matter of life and death to not be living in a harsh unforgiving winter environment. Being homeless is harsh enough in every other way.

It is next to impossible to get accurate numbers on how many homeless people are living in the state of Florida at any given time. Some put the numbers anywhere from 85K to 100K or even more. Of all the homeless, 40% are families, 60% are single adults, 8% are elderly over 62 years old, 23% are children 18 or younger. The states with the highest homeless populations are California, Texas, New York and Florida.

Resulting Direct Actions And Arrests

On Tuesday seven members of Food Not Bombs and one independent media reporter were arrested in solidarity with the arrests that were made on Sunday. This group had gone to the Downtown Development Authority offices to speak to someone about the feeding the homeless issue and the enforcement of a new ordinance put into effect on October 22nd of this year.

IMAGE SOURCE: Nathan Pim

Soon after they arrived, the young people were told to wait outside in the hallway and someone would speak with them. They were arrested shortly afterwards and charged with trespassing and taken to the Broward County Jail. As of this writing, each person was able to bond out during the early hours Wednesday morning, except for the independent reporter.

Who is the Downtown Development Authority?

The Downtown Development Authority is a governing body that is  not elected by citizens, but instead appointed by the City Commissioners. Their members have vested monetary interests and influences above and beyond just the City Commissioners and even local law enforcement. They have been in existence since the 1960‘s. One of the Board members is married to one of the law enforcement members who participated in carrying out the arrests of Abbot and the two pastors on Sunday in Stranahan Park.

It is important to note that this ordinance was reviewed by the City Commissioners in two separate open forums; one at 1AM and another at 3AM. Of course these meetings were held at times most citizens wouldn't even be aware the meetings were taking place and/or at times they could not attend. The ordinance was written up like a pork-bill in Federal legislation, tacked on with other items and masqueraded under legal terms most people would not understand.

This does not adhere and is not in accordance with Florida’s Sunshine Law.

Round 2! Direct Actions and a Hunger Strike!

A direct action and another homeless feeding is planned for this coming Friday, November 7th. The Food Not Bombs group and other organizations will join them challenging the new ordinance yet again. Those who are participating believe that they will be arrested again and are preparing for that possibility.

IMAGE SOURCE: Nathan Pim

Nathan Pim [shown with wife Jillian above in front of the Bobby Sands mural in Derry, Ireland] is one of the organizers of the local Food Not Bombs who was one of those arrested on Tuesday. His wife Jillian has begun a hunger strike and plans to continue it until the ordinance restricting the feeding of the homeless has either been abolished or is no longer enforced. She knows what she needs to do to maintain her health and is blessed with youth, fortitude and a sense of purpose. Before she began, she researched hunger strikes and what relationship those types of direct actions have to peaceful non-violent protest and resistance.

In Ireland, hunger strikes were used to shame those that were offending. Hunger Strikes are conducted around the world in prisons, during wartime to bring about peace, to protest nuclear weapons or to rescind unreasonable and unconscionable laws and to shame leaders into creating change.

IMAGE SOURCE: Nathan Pim

A Bit About the Ordinance (not inclusive)

Outdoor Food Distribution Center (OFDC). Shall be subject to the following:

i. If a dining area is provided, it shall meet all state, county and city requirements for food service establishments or similar uses.

ii. Shall not be closer than 500 feet from another Food Distribution Center or Outdoor Food Distribution Center. 

iii. Shall not be any closer than 500 feet from a residential property as defined in Sec. 47-35 of the ULDR.

iv. Shall provide restroom facilities, portable toilets or other similar facilities for persons preparing and serving food as well as for the persons being served food.

v. Shall provide equipment and procedures for the lawful disposal of waste and wastewater at the location.

vi. Shall provide equipment and procedures at the location for hand washing.

vii. Shall provide written consent from the property owner to conduct that activity on the property. 

viii. Shall have one person, who will be present at the location at all times that food is being prepared and served, who has received Food Service Manager Certification under Section 509.039, Florida Statutes.

ix. Shall have adequate storage of food at a temperature of:

a. 41 o F or below or

b. 135 o F or above.

x. Shall provide transportation of food in a clean conveyance

xi. Shall provide service of food within four (4) hours of preparation.

xii. Where non-prepackaged food is served, a convenient hand washing 

facility for persons preparing and serving the food; which hand washing facility must at a minimum include:

a. A five (5) gallon container with a spigot that provides freeflowingwater and a catch bucket to collect wastewater fromhand washing.

b. Soap and individual paper towels.

xiii. Any wastewater generated at a location (including, but not limited towastewater from hand washing, utensil washing, sinks, and steam tables) must be placed in a container approved by the director until properly disposed of into a sanitary sewer system or in a manner that is consistent with federal, state, and local regulations and requirements relating to liquid waste disposal.

What Can We The People Do?

IMAGE SOURCE: care2.com

Remember your humanity. Help others. Volunteer in a Kitchen. Donate food to your local church.

Whatever moves you.

In many Florida cities --  and elsewhere, there is major class inequity. It is obvious that the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider all of the time.

“There by the Grace of God, go I.”

Anyone of us can become homeless at any time just by a few unfortunate circumstances. Citizens who know this, understand the spiritual principles, who are witnessing the hate crimes and the subjugation of the poor in their cities are not going to accept the same status quo any longer. Protesting like many have done in the past is not providing the needed results, but militant direct actions is and many feel that it is way past time to do whatever they need to do to re-create the current system into something new and make it transformative.

We all have to be the change.