On Feb. 22, a police officer and city council member informed Food Not Bombs (FNB) they could no longer serve in public. Members were advised to obtain a permit from city council in order to keep serving. 

Joanna Hale, a member of FNB, said she does not understand why City Hall has now decided the organization needs a permit.

“We’ve been serving in public for three weeks,” Hale said. “We’ve never had any problems with City Hall before, and we’ve even had police in our area without any trouble.”

Food Not Bombs fed a crowd of mustache-bearing Critical Mass bicyclers Sunday in Wheeler Park during their “Masstouche” ride. FNB relocated to the park after the they were evicted from the Murdoch Community Center and City Hall. - Bryan Kinkade/ The Lumberjack

Hale believes the organization’s tent and advertising may have been the reason they need a permit.

“We have a tent to protect us from the elements, and we advertise so that people know where we are,” Hale said. “We might need to move FNB to Saturdays, and we’re going to need a huge wave of advertising to get the word out. We want to keep our organization true to its goal.”

A city official who prefered to remain anonymous said City Hall holds no prejudice against FNB.

“All official organizations who want to serve in a public forum need to apply for a permit,” the official said. “This is all pretty standard. Once FNB gets a permit, they’ll be able to serve freely.”

Hale, however, said she is not certain FNB wants to operate through City Hall.

“We prefer not to work within the bureaucracy,” Hale said. “Right now we just need to figure out what to do.”

On March 1, Food Not Bombs served in Wheeler Park without a tent, and received no complaints.

Janet Hoover, a recently unemployed Flagstaff citizen, said she hopes FNB will continue serving.

“Things have taken a turn for the worse with me,” Hoover said. “I’ve been living in a motel, and when I come out on Sundays to get a free hot lunch, I feel better. These people genuinely care about the homeless and hungry.”

Hoover said she depends on Food Not Bombs for support as well as a good meal.

“I talk to some of these people and they always have encouraging things to say,” Hoover said. “It’s a friendly organization that’s never caused anyone any trouble. It’d be a shame to see them shut down all because of some piece of paper they didn’t have.”