On April 1, community members gathered at the Town Clock in Santa Cruz to share food and spread the message that: Food Is A Right, Not A Privilege. The demonstration was held in conjunction with international actions calling for an end to laws restricting acts of compassion, and was organized locally by Food Not Bombs Santa Cruz and the Occupy Santa Cruz Food Justice Working Group.

A press release on the Food Not Bombs website describes the difficulties community members around the world have been having when attempting to share food with those in need: "It has been distressing to receive so many reports in the past few weeks of people being threatened with arrest or cities adopting new laws limiting people's right to share free food with the public. People in Belarus, England, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida have been contacting the Food Not Bombs global coordination office about having been threatened with arrest for sharing food. Others report that their local governments are considering laws to limit acts of compassion. Food Not Bombs volunteers in Minsk have been arrested for sharing meals and police raided a benefit concert on March 24, 2012 charging 15 volunteers with sentenced to administrative arrests."

Read more and view photos | Houston City Council Hearings on Anti Food Sharing Ordinance | Houston Keep Sharing Free! Important Documents

See also: No Fooling - April 1 Action in Fresno | Venice Homeless Sweep Stopped: A Good Day in Venice for Street People

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