Orlando police arrested 3 members of Food Not Bombs last week for feeding the homeless.

When my little sister was at UCF years ago, she told me about police cracking down on folks from Food Not Bombs for feeding the homeless, but it sounded like there was a lot of public outcry, and I went on my merry way assuming that kind of thing wasn’t happening any more. I was wrong.

Three activists from Food Not Bombs were arrested in Orlando last week for feeding the homeless in Lake Eola Park. Police charged them with intentionally violating a city ordinance, because in April the group was unable to obtain a permit to operate in the park.

Ben Markeson spoke with the the press following his arrest. Here are some clips from The Orlando Sentinel:

What this really boils down to is this: the rich condo and home owners around Lake Eola Park do not want homeless people in their neighborhood, and Food Not Bombs encourages homeless people to come to the park for the free food. Activists Jessica Cross, Benjamin Markeson, and Jonathan McHenry are facing $500 fines and up to 60 days in jail with bail set at $250 apiece.

What do you guys think? Are the Food Not Bombs folks in the wrong, or would you consider this a non-violent protest?

h/t: OrlandoSentinel.com.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Joal Mann