FNB Dublin and its Co-founder Visit

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Tuesday January 27, 2004 17:37

by pc

Better late then never

Keith Mc Henry one of the co-founders of Food Not Bombs visited Ireland. He gave a talk in Dublin, Belfast and joined us at the blockade in Shannon. The main lessons learned from the talk and videos shown was how far a simple idea like FNB could effect a city and the people that lived there, and could possibly be a concrete contribution to helping out the homeless situation in Irelands cities.

Starting in San Franciso in the late 60's Keith described how they began to collect food from bakeries and markets and set up in a local park giving out food to hungry and the homeless.

Read more about how to set-up a fnb at www.foodnotbombs.net

Apparently over a period of ten years 50 millions was spent on measures to break up the fnb groups in the state and they still never succeeded in doing so. In one video we saw they set up on a Plaza outside the UN building in New York on the occasion of the 50 anniversary of the UN with many dignitaries going into the building the police baton charged this grouping explaining it was bad for tourism to have these scruffy people on the plaza. A plaza that had a motto a kin to "this is a place of peace for all" inscribe on a plaque.

In recent attempts to start a regular fnb here we ended up spending as much time dealing with irate park attendants and police then sharing food with people. We felt it would have been better to share out free food rather then try battle with police all the time, it seems ridiculous to think that such a simple idea would be such a threat to some people but it was and unfortunately it something we won't be able to avoid.

What was a surprise was how central fnb was to everything this group did in its city and they used the non-hierarchal ideas developed in fnb as model for others campaigns they did, as opposed to here where it was something we did secondary to RTS or anti-war protests. I think I remember Keith explaining how they did for 50 days straight outside the city hall once when there was a crackdown on homeless, and when the earthquake happened in San Francisco they set-up a food kitchen in the open air and were feeding everyone even police and emergency services who a one time were kicking them off the streets.

So if anyone wants to contact fnb to help out or get advice on setting one up in your own area please do and if you (as we always are) looking for more creative ideas to get your point across then usual boring protest then fnb is a good and very unique way of getting your message across about injustice and could be used for highlighting the hypocrisy of the EU presidency or any other campaign.

(although thougths had been in dublin to try and establish a regualr fnb not apart from protests)

our email address is foodnotbombs@athisbetterworld.com and a webpage for Dublin-fnb is at

http://www.freewebs.com/fnbdublin/

save preference

Comments (7 of 7)

i want his hat!

by kahootz

Tue Jan 27, 2004 18:23

This guy was great down at Shannon the last time ... wearing his chefs hat and pushing the food trolley around

carrot fist

by fnb fan

Wed Jan 28, 2004 10:53

does anyone know where you can get a good high resolution copy of the fnb logo, ye know the one with the raised fist holding a carrot, its cool and I want to do up some banners and t-shirts to start an fnb in my area at some point

Food Not Bombs email

by Spitfire Mk III

Wed Jan 28, 2004 12:55

The .com email address listed by PC is incorrect it should be .org, email foodnotbombs-subscribe@thisbetterworld.org to become a member of the FNB mailing list. email foodnotbombs@thisbetterworld.org to send to the list (due to SPAM only members can post)

Against Charity

by Feral Faun

Wed Jan 28, 2004 18:35

In many cities in the United States, anarchists have organized "Food Not
Bombs" feeds. The organizers of these projects will explain that food
should be free, that no one should ever have to go hungry. Certainly a fine
sentiment...and one to which the anarchists respond in much the same way as
christians, hippies or left liberals -- by starting a charity.

We will be told, however, that "Food Not Bombs" is different. The decision-
making process used by the organizers is nonheirarchical. They recieve no
government or corporate grants. In many cities, they serve their meals as
an act of civil disobedience, risking arrest. Obviously, "Food Not Bombs"
is not a large-scale charitable bureaucracy; in fact, it is often a very
slip-shod effort...but it is a charity -- and that is never questioned by
its anarchist organizers.

Charities are a necessary part of any economic social system. The scarcity
imposed by the economy creates a situation in which some people are unable
to meet their most basic needs through the normal channels. Even in nations
with highly developed social welfare programs, there are those who fall
through the cracks in the system. Charities take up the slack where the
state's welfare programs can't or won't help. Groups like "Food Not Bombs"
are, thus a voluntary workforce helping to preserve the social order by
reinforcing the dependence of the poor upon programs not of their own
creation.

No matter how non-heirarchal the decision-making process used by the
relationship is always authoritarian. The beneficiaries of a charity are at
the mercy of the organizers of the program and so are not free to act on
their own terms in this relationship. This can be seen in the humiliating
way in which one must recieve charity. Charity feeds like "Food Not Bombs"
require the beneficiaries to arrive at a time not of their choosing in
order to stand in line to recieve food not of their choosing (and usually
poorly made) in quantities doled out by some volunteer who wants to make
sure that everyone gets a fair share. Of course, it's better than going
hungry, but the humiliaton is at least as great as that of waiting in line
at the grocery store to pay for food one actually wants and can eat when
one wants it. The numbness we develop to such humiliation -- the numbness
which is made evident by the case with which certain anarchists will opt to
eat at charity feeds every day in order to avoid paying for food, as though
there were no other options -- shows the extent to which our society is
permeated with such humiliating interactions. Still, one would think that
anarchists would refuse such interactions as far as it lies within their
power to do so and would seek to create interactions of a different sort in
order to destroy the humiliation imposed by society. Instead, many create
programs that reinforce this humiliation.

But what of the empathy one may feel for another who is suffering from a
poverty one knows all too well; what of the desire to share food with
others? Programs like "Food Not Bombs" do not express empathy, they express
pity. Doling out food is not sharing; it is an impersonal, hierarchical
relationship between social role "donor" and social role "beneficiary".
Lack of imagination has led anarchists to deal with the question of hunger
(which is an abstract question for most of them) in much the same way as
christians and liberals, creating institutions which parallel those which
already exist. As is to be expected when anarchists attempt to do an
inherently authoritarian task, they do a piss-poor job...Why not leave
charity work to those who have no illusions about it? Anarchists would do
better to find ways of sharing individually if they are so moved, ways
which encourage self-determination rather than dependence and affinity
rather than pity.

There is nothing anarchist about "Food Not Bombs". Even the name is a
demand being made to the authorities. This is why its organizers so
frequently use civil disobedience -- it is an attempt to appeal to the
consciences of those in power, to get them to feed and house the poor.
There is nothing in this program that encourages self-determination. There
is nothing that would encourage the beneficiaries to refuse that role and
begin to take what they want and need without following the rules. "Food
Not Bombs", like every other charity, encourages its beneficiaries to
remain passive recipients rather than becoming active creators of their own
lives. Charity must be recognized for what it is: another aspect of the
institutionalized humiliation inherent in our economized existence which
must be destroyed so we can fully live.

hey carrot fan good quality carrot hand

Mon Feb 02, 2004 14:17

go to the website and you find a eps version of the carot try that if not mail me at honkdub@yahoo.com and ill find the right thing for ya at home

to feral faun

Fri May 07, 2004 16:05

you don't seem to know much about fnb as one of founding principals was to be not charity and directly involve those it shares food with

re: feral faun's commentary

by s2 - humanity

Thu Apr 07, 2005 18:15

This is my personal experience with FnB. I admit this is not from reading 'the founding principals', as pc commented, 'direct involvement'. This is from my own, personal interaction with FnB:

Feral writes: "it is a charity - and that is never questioned by it's anarchist organizers".

Feral, you've done interviews with every FnB all over the world, and never once have found an incorrectness with your description of FnB?
Words like 'never' and 'always' in writings raise red flags for me. I become suspect.

FnB where I've worked, has frequently been open to people coming to contribute their time. The line can be quite blurry between who does the work and who recieves the benefit, with many people being on both sides. Frequently, when I've been in the kitchen preparing, people have walked up to the house, and offered to help - and they have. These people had previously recieved the benefit of FnB. People at food distro sites pitch in carrying boxes or massaging the throngs of people into somewhat saner configurations.

In the ordinary charity, Feral seems to be at pains to compare FnB with, again from my own experience, the following scenario:

Unwashed 'street types' (myself included) recieving a set amount of barely digestible food from a nicely-dressed church lady across the table. There is no clear way to contribute; cash donations by people recieving food are usually declined.

(I think it's nice to learn how to recieve.)

'"Food Not Bombs", like every other charity, encourages its beneficiaries to remain passive recipients rather than becoming active creators of their own lives.' I have not see this happen. FnB due to it's autonomous nature, may have people in some cities operating it as a normal charity, although I have not seen this happen. If people 'on the street' are offering help, and barred from doing so, as a contributor to FnB I would strongly question my ethos for doing so. As well, if I was unaware of my behaviour, I appreciate it when someone who notices, comes to me and makes it clear what is incorrect, without creating unnecessary drama.

Feral's comments: "Pity" and "Doling out food". In my memory, perhaps inaccurate, I have not felt 'pity' when working with FnB. Food, in experiences, is placed on park benches in 5-gallon buckets. People come up and serve themselves, in part because of health-code regulations. People are inspired. It is unusual for anyone to stand and dole out food.

I think a helpful way is for readers who are not involved in FnB, to go to the local FnB kitchen, help where they can. For readers who are involved, to help by engaging in discussion on how better FnB can be done. Expansion, food sources, creation of new ideas. Or making it smaller, while a re-organization takes place, or while crowds shrink. Fliers, etc., increased participation. FnB is an event, a gathering.

Have fun!

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FNB Dublin and its Co-founder Visit

Comments (7 of 7)