Written and Photographed by Raphael Liy for MCARE
Across the United States, laws that prohibit food service to the unhoused under the pretext of improving public sanitation and health use hunger as a weapon against people experiencing poverty to drive the unhoused away from certain public areas. The dehumanizing law many cities nationwide use to prohibit public feeding can be likened to “do not feed animal” signs posted outside restaurants. Still, instead of pigeons, human beings are denied a fundamental human right. Moreover, prohibitions against feeding do nothing to end homelessness or improve public health. Instead, they violate the Constitutional rights of many charitable organizations and their spiritual mission to feed people experiencing poverty. Laws that prohibit serving food to the unhoused create a humanitarian crisis of hunger throughout our cities, compound the trauma of homelessness, increase stress and anxiety, and harm the physical health of a highly vulnerable group of people condemned by poverty to live on our cities’ streets.
Many complex factors contribute to food insecurity. Americans simply struggling to meet basic needs increases their risk of becoming food insecure such as loss of income or an accident beyond a person’s control. Often, however, people suffering from food insecurity have become victims of a broken system that enforces policies rooted in structural racism. It is no coincidence that the same southern states with the highest food insecurity rates were also once slave-owning states, where Jim Crow laws were once heavily enforced. Historic discriminatory policies aimed at people of color continue to be felt today in many marginalized communities. According to Feeding America, in 2021, nearly 20% of Black individuals experienced food insecurity - more than three times the rate of White households. One of the many ways cities contribute to rising food insecurity is by enforcing laws prohibiting feeding unhoused people in public areas.
In one instance, the group known as Food not Bombs was arrested when they served a community of unhoused people without a permit. The incident led to an expensive lawsuit. A federal appeals court eventually ruled that the city violated a nonprofit organization’s constitutional right to spread political messages through food service to people experiencing poverty. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the rule placed by Fort Lauderdale requiring city permission to host a food serving event violated the group’s First Amendment right. In a similar incident, Arnold Abbot, a 90-year-old advocate for the unhoused, was arrested after violating a city ordinance that prohibited public feeding. Despite being arrested and cited twice, Abbot vowed to continue feeding the unhoused until he doesn’t have a breath left in his body.
On the week of June 5th through the 9th, MCARE and the National Coalition for the Homeless hosted the Local Power Tour in Miami to advocate against Miami’s criminalization of homelessness and educate the public on homelessness issues. The week kicked off on June 5th with a press conference to educate the public and raise local power to stop the City of Miami’s criminalization of homelessness.
One of the many ways that MCARE advocates against criminalizing unhoused individuals are by directly going against the unconstitutional ordinances that prevent organizations from practicing their First Amendment right to feed people experiencing homelessness on public property. On Saturday, June 10th, MCARE, NCH, and SMASH Miami members held a food drive in downtown Miami without obtaining a permit. Within a short time, more than a hundred unhoused individuals gathered in a line to receive food and water. During the event, MCARE’s Executive Director David Peery and Vice Chair Adrian Madriz addressed the crowd, sharing MCARE’s mission to empower the local community and advocate for the rights of unhoused individuals, including the right to privacy, food, and security.
61-year-old Cathedral Beauford, who had experienced being unhoused for over 40 years, shared her struggles seeking assistance from shelters and being denied or ignored for years. Beauford, wow on the Consumer Advisory Board for Camillus House, said that when she was unhoused, she had tried to contact the Miami Homeless Assistance Hotline but couldn’t get through to anyone. Beauford has said that the experienced has left her traumatized and has negatively impacted her mental and physical health.
A nearby city sign directed people to the miamigov.com website and detailed the fines for violating the large group feeding ordinance. According to the law, a first offense carried a minimum fine of $250, while second-time offenders would face a $500 fine. However, MCARE intends to continue feeding our unhoused neighbors without a permit, as the feeding ordinance violates our “spiritual beliefs, moral values, and mission to feed the unhoused.” Additionally, the law does nothing to end homelessness and instead compounds the trauma of homelessness, increases stress and anxiety, and harms the physical health of a highly vulnerable group of people who are condemned by poverty to live on our cities’ streets.
Criminalized hunger is a complex issue affecting millions of people worldwide, yet it remains misunderstood and stigmatized. By raising awareness about the realities of food insecurity among those experiencing homelessness, we can work towards removing the stigma associated with the issue and creating a more compassionate and supportive society for those experiencing homelessness. It is also essential to listen to the input of those experiencing homelessness and hunger when devising effective policy solutions to homelessness. People experiencing homelessness have firsthand experience of the challenges and barriers they face and the potential solutions that could be most effective in addressing their needs. By engaging with unhoused individuals, policymakers and service providers can better understand the complex factors contributing to homelessness, including poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental health and addiction issues, and systemic oppression. You can do your part by becoming an advocate against the criminalization of homelessness. Join the coalition that’s making a difference today and go to www.miamiracialequity.org/join.