\nUnleashed in this brutal campaign have been First Alarm security thugs, the yellowjacked “snitch and smile” Hosts, and, of course, the ever-ready SCPD–with eager heavies like CSO Barnett specifically harassing outspoken street vendors like Scarfseller Kate Winzell–now facing three citations and a total of $600 in fines for (a) allegedly falling asleep in her vehicle at night, (b)selling scarfs one day before she acquired her business license, and (c) supposedly failing to move every hour to a spot 100′ away under the City’s “Morgani Be Gone!” Move-Along law.
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February 25, 2014 16:40 As of February 15, Columbia began requiring any group of 25 people or more to pay for and obtain a permit 15 days in advance if they wished to use the city\u2019s parks for an event. This requirement was extended even to non-profit groups and charities, though their fees would be smaller.<\/p>\n The problem for one of the most well-known groups that feeds the homeless, however, is that it doesn\u2019t even qualify as a charity. For about 12 years, Food Not Bombs has been gathering in a Columbia park to share meals with those less fortunate. That tradition is in jeopardy, according to organizer Judith Turnipseed, since the new policy would force the group to pay at least $120 per week in order to meet. What\u2019s more, efforts by Food Not Bombs to join a new shelter organized by Christ Central Ministries have ended in failure as well, leaving the group to consider taking legal action against the city in order to maintain its ability to gather in the parks.<\/p>\n The whole situation is reminiscent of another that’s taking place in Washington state, where a church group called Crazy Faith Ministries believes it\u2019s being targeted for its efforts to feed the homeless population in Olympia. As RT reported<\/a> last year, the mission gathers in empty lots to feed the hungry, but the city wants them to move due to complaints by business owners.<\/p>\n Back in Columbia, Jeff Caton of the Parks and Recreation Department said that while the city\u2019s homeless problem did create momentum for the new policies, they are intended to target large groups in general, not those dedicated to serving the poor and the hungry. Caton doesn\u2019t think he\u2019ll have to deny many permits, but the ordinance does allow the department to turn away groups or activities that \u201cwill unreasonably interfere with or detract from the enjoyment\u201d of the park or other facilities.<\/p>\n These events began unfolding in 2013, when Columbia sought new ways to keep the homeless population from moving about the city. One plan that\u2019s been enacted involved establishing a new shelter away from popular areas and directing charities such as Christ Central Ministries to set up shop there. The law has been criticized by some, such as the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil liberties Union, for essentially exiling the homeless population. \n The Huffington Post \u00a0|\u00a0by\u00a0 Robbie Couch<\/a> Feeding the Hungry<\/a> Homelessness<\/a> Columbia South Carolina<\/a> Columbia<\/a> South Carolina<\/a> Homeless People<\/a> Criminalizing Homelessness<\/a> Impact News<\/a> As of Feb. 15, the city started requiring groups of 25 people or more to purchase a permit<\/a> that allows them to utilize the city’s parks, the Free Times reported. For one community group that has been feeding the city’s homeless for more than a decade, the new policy spells trouble. Because Food Not Bombs draws more than 25 people to a public space in its attempts to feed the hungry, the city would require them to request the permit 15 days before each communal meal, and pay at least $120.<\/p>\n The city said the ordinance wasn’t intended to target specific organizations, but to better public spaces for everyone in Columbia. But rather than give up on feeding the city’s most vulnerable, the organizers of Food Not Bombs are considering pursuing legal action against the city, according to Judith’s husband, Tom Turnipseed. Other cities across the country have adopted similar anti-homeless initiatives. Earlier this month, New York City officials began cracking down on homeless people seeking shelter from the winter weather<\/a> in the city’s subway system, according to DNAinfo.com. And angry activists in Portland, Ore., recently staged protests<\/a> over what they called the mistreatment of homeless people in their city. \n By Eva Moore<\/a> \u00a0500<\/span><\/p>\n The City of Columbia is cracking down on large groups of people gathering in city parks without a permit \u2014 an effort, in part, to control the feeding of homeless people.<\/p>\n Beginning Feb. 15, the city will begin enforcing its existing park permit ordinance. Any group of 25 or more people that holds an event or activity at a city park will need to file an application for a permit at least 15 days in advance. Fees for permits vary according to the park, the nature of the activity and the group hosting it.<\/p>\n The policy move has been in the works since last fall, when Columbia City Council adopted a set of measures to deal with homelessness. Among them: trying to coordinate the many groups who feed the homeless across the city, moving most meals to the city\u2019s Calhoun Street emergency shelter and thereby reducing homeless people\u2019s daily migrations around the city.<\/p>\n Among the groups that feed the homeless in city parks, the most well known is probably Food Not Bombs. The Columbia chapter has been meeting every Sunday at Finlay Park for 12 years to share food.<\/p>\n Applying for a permit isn\u2019t a problem, says Judith Turnipseed, who helps organize Food Not Bombs. The problem is the fees. While there are reduced fees for nonprofits, Food Not Bombs doesn\u2019t actually fall in that category.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no formal organization,\u201d Turnipseed says. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a 501(c)(3). We\u2019re just a group of people who come to the park and bring food and share it with anyone who comes. That includes people who are homeless, [and] people who have a home but are hungry. It\u2019s a people\u2019s picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n According to her reading of the fee ordinance, Food Not Bombs would have to pay at least $120 per week, Turnipseed says. The group has been negotiating with city staff to try to keep the fees down, she says \u2014 and the group\u2019s track record of cleaning up after itself should help. But the ordinance isn\u2019t right, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still talking to them and we\u2019re still talking to each other. We haven\u2019t come to a decision about what we\u2019re going to do yet. \u2026 People say \u2018Just move,\u2019 but that\u2019s kind of folding your tent and running,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Legal action is a possibility, says Tom Turnipseed, Judith\u2019s husband.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the kind of folks who want to get along and work things out and negotiate, [but] it might have to come to going to court,\u201d Tom Turnipseed says.<\/p>\n Many of these tensions date to mid-2013, when Columbia City Councilman Cameron Runyan rolled out a plan to address homelessness that included, among other ideas, an out-of-town homeless rehabilitation center called The Retreat and strict enforcement of city loitering laws and other ordinances. The Turnipseeds and other citizens protested the plans, writing letters, marching down Main Street and wearing patches with an \u201cH\u201d on them. The city never adopted all Runyan\u2019s proposals, but Council did agree on a series of steps to address homelessness.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s crackdown on park activities was delayed for several months while Christ Central Ministries, which the city has contracted to run its emergency shelter, got a feeding program up and running at the shelter on Calhoun Street.<\/p>\n Rev. Jimmy Jones, who runs Christ Central Ministries, says 71 churches and businesses have chipped in to help feed the homeless so far since the shelter opened for the season in September.<\/p>\n But not everyone\u2019s been able to participate.<\/p>\n Judith Turnipseed says she called Jones last fall to ask what night of the week Food Not Bombs could feed people at the shelter, as they\u2019d done in years past in addition to their Sunday park feedings.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said \u2018We don\u2019t need you and we don\u2019t want you,\u2019\u201d Turnipseed says.<\/p>\n Jones confirms that account to Free Times. He told the Turnipseeds to go volunteer at Transitions or some other homeless service provider.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole reason is if you\u2019re going to stir up the homeless, don\u2019t come down here,\u201d Jones says.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, city staffers have been posting signs in parks to alert people to the coming policy change.<\/p>\n While the homeless issue was the catalyst for the city beginning to enforce the ordinance, there is actually a broader issue that needs addressing, says Jeff Caton, director of parks and recreation for the city.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do have groups that come to our facilities without notice, bring large groups,\u201d Caton says. When that happens, he says, sometimes there aren\u2019t enough trash cans for the group, or the bathrooms aren\u2019t ready, and it can hurt everyone\u2019s park experience.<\/p>\n The park ordinance allows the city to deny permits to groups for a variety of reasons, including if the activity \u201cwill unreasonably interfere with or detract from the enjoyment of the areas of the park or recreational facility for other members of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n But Caton says he hopes he won\u2019t have to deny anyone a permit.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that everyone complies and everyone does their part to take care of the property,\u201d he says. \u201cWe hope everything runs smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, this is new territory for his staff, he admits: They\u2019re used to providing services, not enforcing city laws.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s kind of a new thing for us, because we don\u2019t tend to be in the enforcement arena,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nSouth Carolina city requires fees and permits to feed the homeless<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
\n![\"Reuters](\"https:\/\/ci6.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/ZLAayXbUDuVEyhschHrgcXFgEjzqN5mxV-a_OtHwJv7eFgK9_XBVuoCBj0VOqoJFz7Z9VLTTrsLc-iT01e-XTnOpP3U_qvIZTWgfzZ-ZJEl-c0uR81P025k5W_qldNkX8Os=s0-d-e1-ft#http:\/\/cdn.rt.com\/files\/news\/22\/d6\/80\/00\/south-carolina-feed-homeless.si.jpg\")
\nReuters \/ Mike Blake
\nAfter more than a decade of feeding the homeless in Columbia, South Carolina, one group\u2019s tradition could be in danger of ending as the city begins enforcing rules to limit the gathering of large groups in public parks.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cWe have no formal organization,\u201d<\/em> Turnipseed told the weekly South Carolina newspaper Free Times. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a 501(c)(3). We\u2019re just a group of people who come to the park and bring food and share it with anyone who comes. That includes people who are homeless, and people who have a home but are hungry. It\u2019s a people\u2019s picnic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
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\n\u201cWe do have groups that come to our facilities without notice, bring large groups,\u201d<\/em> Caton said to Free Times. \u201cWhen that happens, he says, sometimes there aren\u2019t enough trash cans for the group, or the bathrooms aren\u2019t ready, and it can hurt everyone\u2019s park experience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
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\n\u201cThe underlying design is that they want the homeless not to be visible in downtown Columbia,\u201d<\/em> said Susan Dunn of the ACLU to Think Progress last year. \u201cYou can shuttle them somewhere or you can go to jail. That\u2019s, in fact, an abuse of power.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/h1>\nColumbia, South Carolina Enacts Controversial Measure Against People Helping Homeless<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
\nPosted: 02\/27\/2014 9:33 am EST Updated: 02\/27\/2014 11:59 am EST<\/p>\nMore:<\/h2>\n
\nFighting hunger in Columbia, S.C., just became more complicated.<\/p>\n
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\n“We have no formal organization,”<\/a> Judith Turnipseed, an organizer for Food Not Bombs<\/a>, told the Free Times. “We don\u2019t have a 501(c)(3). We\u2019re just a group of people who come to the park and bring food and share it with anyone who comes. That includes people who are homeless, [and] people who have a home but are hungry.”<\/p>\n
\n“We do have groups that come to our facilities without notice,”<\/a> Jeff Caton, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said to the Free Times. “Sometimes there aren\u2019t enough trash cans for the group, or the bathrooms aren\u2019t ready, and it can hurt everyone\u2019s park experience.”<\/p>\n
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\n“We\u2019re the kind of folks who want to get along<\/a> and work things out and negotiate, [but] it might have to come to going to court,” he told the Free Times.
\nColumbia, which some say has become a “magnet for homeless people,”<\/a> has taken controversial steps against the homeless before.
\nA measure was passed last August that criminalized homelessness, giving offenders the options to either relocate to a “far-away shelter” or go to jail,<\/a> according to Think Progress. After public outcry, the city reversed the policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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Homeless Feeding Crackdown: City to Require Permits, Fees for Large Groups Using Parks<\/span><\/h1>\n
\nWednesday, February 12, 2014 | 11 Comments<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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