April 19, 2004
Group arrested for feeding the hungry
A group of young people, one toting a camcorder, gathered with friends Sunday afternoon across the street from Massey Park.Posted by Norwood at April 19, 2004 06:01 AMThe tape rolled as police made three arrests at the park. All were charged with trespassing after ignoring repeated warnings not to feed the homeless without a permit.
James Ronald Dunson, 19, Christopher Robert Ernesto, 40, and Amberly Nicole Banks, 22, were arrested. Dunson faces an additional charge of resisting an officer without violence when he went limp, forcing the officers to pick him up to make the arrest.
Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said the three left officers little choice.
``We've given them plausible alternatives; however, they refuse to comply with the law,'' he said. ``The police have gone to great lengths to provide them with information on where the feeding can be done legally.''
The feud between the group Food Not Bombs and the police has been going on since at least March 21. Group members, many of whom are students at the University of South Florida, say it is their right to feed anyone, anywhere they see the need.
City officials say any group wanting to gather in the park must pay an application fee and buy insurance. Mayor Pam Iorio has said Massey Park does not have the facilities necessary for feeding the homeless.
Durkin said the group could also affiliate with a recognized feeding organization.
Members of Food Not Bombs, including Anthony Schmidt, say they do not feel they should have to do that.
``It's a contradiction to say we can't have a picnic and share with our friends,'' he said.
Four Food Not Bombs members said Dunson is a member of their group but Ernesto is not. They were not sure about Banks. Records at the Orient Road Jail say Dunson works for a construction company and Ernesto is a laborer for a housing company. Banks, the records say, is a lobbyist for the Florida Consumer Action Network.
Several members of Food Not Bombs are expected to protest outside the Hillsborough County Courthouse at 8 a.m. today, when two members who were arrested previously are scheduled for their first court appearances.
