Long Island Food Not Bombs needs your help to stop Police Harassment!

Yesterday, Long Island Food Not Bombs was subjected to more police harassment in the Township of Huntington. Police officers threatened activists and community members with arrest, violence, false accusations of possession of illegal substances and about every law and town code they could think of.

After the two-hour long ordeal, a local activist was issued a summons by Officer Timothy MacDonald for violating Town Code Chapter 149 "peddling" (149-3 A). The hearing is set for October 8th at 9:00am.

Long Island FNB Needs your help:

In the Township of Huntington "peddling" is defined as the "sale" of goods. Long Island Food Not Bombs shares free food and necessities with fellow community members. The peddling law clearly does not apply.

During the entire fiasco, we received a massive amount of community support. Which was probably the only reason why local activists were not arrested.

Unfortunately, Activists were told that police would show up every Tuesday from here on out to issue summonses to anyone doing Food Not Bombs.

That said, Long Island Food Not Bombs Needs your help!

1st. Every Tuesday we share food in Huntington at 6:30pm. Please come out and show your support this coming Tuesday and every Tuesday. The more people we have the harder it is for the police to harass us. For more information on where we serve check out our myspace (www.myspace.com/LongIslandFNB)

2nd. Below is a list of Phone numbers For Town and County Officials. Please politely give them a call and ask for the police harassment of Food Not Bombs to stop.

3rd. Also below is a list of emails and a form letter, please sign your name to the form letter and email our local officials and ask them to stop this harassment.

Thank you for all your support,
Love & Liberation – Long Island Food Not Bombs

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Call the Officials!

Please call some or all of the following officials and ask them to help end the harassment of Long Island Food Not Bombs. You can politely bring up the fact the Food Not Bombs supports the local community and is not peddling because everything they share is free. Call today, tomorrow and everyday until this harassment comes to an end.

Council Members Office Numbers:

Town Supervisor - Frank P. Petrone - (631) 351-3030
Councilman - Mark Cuthbertson - (631) 351-3172
Councilwoman - Susan A. Berland - (631) 351-3173
Councilman - Stuart P. Besen - (631) 351-3172
Councilwoman - Glenda A. Jackson - (631) 351-3173

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Bruce Richard- Director of Public Safety

Phone: (631) 351-3266
Fax: (631) 351-3169

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Officer Timothy MacDonald

(631) 351-3146
(631) 351-3169 (fax)

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Email the Officials!

Below is a list of email addresses and a form letter you can sign your name to. Just select, copy and past the email addresses into the "to" box on your email client and the form letter directly into your email. Feel free to write your own email as well.

Emails:

fpetrone@town.huntington.ny.us, mcuthbertson@town.huntington.ny.us, sberland@town.huntington.ny.us, sbesen@town.huntington.ny.us, gjackson@town.huntington.ny.us, publicsafety@town.huntington.ny.us, tmacdonald@town.huntington.ny.us, SCPD.2NDPRECINCT@suffolkcountyny.gov

Form Letter:

Dear Town Council members and Civil Servants,

On Tuesday, August 26th a member Long Island Food Not Bombs was issued a summons for violating town code 149-3a (peddling).

Long Island Food Not Bombs is an organization that shares free food, warm clothing, books, school supplies and other necessities to communities throughout Long Island. They do not "sell" any "merchandise", and therefore, as defined within the law, cannot be "peddling". Everything at Food Not Bombs is free!

Long Island Food Not Bombs has been sharing food off the corner of Fairground Ave. and East 6th street for nearly two years now. Every Tuesday, they are greeted by countless community members who rely on their services.

Two weeks ago, members of the organization were approached and harassed by two Huntington Public Safety Officers who accused them of breaking the law by not having a peddler's permit. Members were threatened with arrest and spending a night in jail.

This past Tuesday (August, 26th), a mixture of about 10 Suffolk County Police Officers and Huntington Public Safety Offices came and threatened a single Food Not Bombs volunteer for over 2 hours. This volunteer was threatened with arrest, summons and violence.

After two hours of looking for laws to arrest this volunteer on, Officer Timothy McDonald of the Public Safety Department eventually issued him a summons for peddling without a permit.

As a concerned citizen I am outraged by these events and insist that the Town and Suffolk County Police immediately cease their harassment of Food Not Bombs.

Again, Food Not Bombs shares free necessities to communities in need. They do not sell anything and the law within itself states that peddling is the "sale" of goods.

In addition, the activities of Food Not Bombs are protected under the 1st, 9th and 14th amendments of the Bill of Rights and Title 42, Chapter 13A- Section 1791 of Federal Law.

Food Not Bombs benefits peoples of all color, religious background, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and personal belief. It is an organization that fosters community development from a grassroots level for the empowerment of all peoples.

Other groups that are not as community inclusive or who serve in other areas of Huntington do not receive the same harassment. That being so it is apparent that the targeting of Food Not Bombs is politically and racially motivated and I appeal to you to put a stop to it.

In conclusion, I insist that the harassment of Long Island Food Not Bombs ends immediately. I also ask that the charges of peddling be dropped immediately as well.

Thank you for your time and support,

Sincerely,
X

Posted Aug 27 2008 - 1:00am by LongIslandFNB

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