Public health, city services at root of permitting rules
The City of West Palm Beach is committed to insuring that all residents and visitors have the opportunity to safely enjoy the public right of way, which includes streets, sidewalks, parks and other green spaces.
The requirement for a permit for an individual or organization that wants to provide group feedings is not unlike other permits that are required for the use of the city’s public spaces, where there is an overt impact on the services that are regularly provided by the city.
The feeding of large groups of people with no oversight is a public health concern, as there is potential for foodborne illness and excess litter within the city’s public spaces. Excess litter on the public’s green spaces and overflowing from trash bins has been observed on many occasions when well-intentioned organizations decide to do a group feeding, causing the city to have to deploy additional resources for clean-up. The requirement of a special event permit, which details responsibilities of the parties, is essential to the health and safety of the public at large.
Regarding the homeless population, there are many excellent non-profits, faith- based and government organizations that provide assistance with subsistence, housing, addiction treatment and other services in a holistic manner and in appropriate settings where the core issues of homelessness can be adequately addressed. This includes the City of West Palm Beach, which has extensive outreach programs that connect the homeless population to essential services.
The City of West Palm Beach has also committed millions of dollars to providing housing opportunities for all income levels, including supportive housing options for households with special needs, who tend to be the most vulnerable to homelessness.
The city will continue its commitment to work with partner agencies on addressing homelessness while at the same time ensuring that our public spaces remain clean and safe areas that can be enjoyed by all of our residents and visitors.
Rebuttal from Food Not Bombs
On Saturday afternoons, Food Not Bombs occupies no more than a few hundred square feet of Centennial Square for an hour. We provide healthy, wholesome vegan meals to hungry people – who neither the city nor homeless services system provide for on the weekends. We agree that everyone should “have the opportunity to safely enjoy the public right of way, which includes streets, sidewalks, parks” etc., and our food sharings deter that in no way. We take pains to clean up when we’re done, though we’ve often arrived to find trash cans already overflowing. Bottom line, we’re promoting a message of peace and solidarity in a traditional public forum; the courts have already ruled on this question and that is where we look forward to seeing the City of West Palm Beach.