Monday, November 21, 2011
Law and Order At Thanksgiving, Occupy Nashville's Kitchen Deemed Health Hazard
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 7:26 PM
The inspector said protesters can't serve meals to the public without first attending safety classes, which won't be offered until January. According to Occupy Nashville:
The state laws concerning food preparation are not well-adapted to outdoor settings, and it is curious that the city government has chosen to single out Occupy Nashville for enforcing its rules in such an arbitrary way. Food operations at Occupy Nashville are little different from an outdoor picnic or potluck, where volunteers in the community bring in prepared dishes to serve.
If a protester accidentally dishes up a meal to a homeless person, that's a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail and a $50 fine. Occupy Nashville sees a conspiracy here.
Requiring our volunteer members to effectively become bouncers who determine who can and cannot be served food—itself a human right—is little more than a thinly veiled attempt—either by the Metro government alone or in concert with the state of Tennessee and Gov. Bill Haslam—to suffocate the expression of our First Amendment rights.
Update: Health Department official says giving away food is OK. “We said, ‘What you’re doing is OK, but if you sell it, we’re going to close you,’” said Brian Todd, spokesman for the agency.
Comments (11)
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Before people start harping on the state being unjust - I work for an entity that must adhere to these rules as well. ANYONE that serves food at any events associated with my place of work must complete the required safety classes, and then be re-certified on a routine basis. I am not certified and if I ever handed out food to anyone at our events, I would be subject to the exact same penalties that these folks at Occupy Nashville would face. Occupy Nashville is not simply a potluck or picnic as indicated above, it is an event and they should have to be held to the same standard as any other event in Nashville or the state in general.
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true, redman. the full breadth of the order says we are allowed to serve "members" (as if there were such) of the occupation, as they probably constitute a consenting group. however, we are forbidden from serving THE PUBLIC, writ large, which includes the homeless population. I concur, proper codes in this regard must be maintained as such could, hypothetically, pose an immediate safety hazard.
having done some time in the ON kitchen and serving areas, i can promise you conditions are above par. let us not forget that only a week plus ago, the same dept declared us a ok said they will not bother us. again, one must extrapolate that pressure is being applied from elsewhere.
It's a stretch to see a conspiracy in what appear to be standard Metro Health procedures in the public interest. Part of building a movement is learning and following standard health codes to avoid this sort of problem
I have no love for Bill Haslam, but seeing his hand in this is nutty.
BTW, why is Occupy Nashville so loath to go after Metro government and the Mayor's Office?
People should not be setting up residence in a public place anyway. ON has outlived it's "purpose", if it ever really had one, other than being a public nuisance and health hazard, and a blight on the the plaza. Go "home", where ever that may be, and get involved in the political process legally. Go help at the food banks, shelters and kitchens already set up to help the homeless.
Stop saying it stifles your constitutional rights to not be welcomed to camp out in a public plaza NOT zoned for residence or recreational camping. Your rights end when you start trampling on the liberty and rights of others, and putting them at risk. Your rights end when you decide to deface/vandalize public property by camping out on it.
The State can win in Federal Court if they and the AG get off their
behinds and present a reasonable case with restrictions that are needed
to manage the situation. "Occupy anything" knows it's easier to blame
the state versus the city (where the citizens are more sympathetic) for
all their problems! Those wandering around must love this free access
to food and drink on the Plaza. I'm sure the attendance at meal time is
much greater at meal time than 3 a.m.!
Do the food trucks have on-board kitchens? Maybe one of them would be willing to volunteer...
I finally understand. Anything that anyone wants to do anytime or anywhere is now considered a First Amendment right.
So now Tennesseans can look forward to getting fined if they have a picnic on public property? Sounds like another case of simply trying to find a way to run these folks off. Regulations like this should only be for businesses and individuals seeking a profit. The smear campaign by the Haslam administration and other local law enforcement agencies across the country these past few weeks prompted me to lend a hand and make some poster designs for the Occupy movement. Stand up on issues like this, download the free posters and help spread the word via http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/11… I guess my next poster will have to address defending feeding the homeless.
DREG,
Pay close attention to TNJED. I know facts are inconvenient to people of your ilk but too bad. Also you should know that when Mike Byrd is siding with Metro, it is hard to argue the existence of a conservative conspiracy. Although I suspect that his concern is about the eventual creation of Occupy Salemtown, a pro-business group that is protesting the selfishness of the local neighborhood association at the expense of the larger interests of the city.
TNJED.
Is it possible that there is a need for new inspections because the volume of food would have to increase if their feeding program were to expand to the homeless? I don't know the answer but that would make sense.
The problem is with defining "The Public" as opposed to anyone else. And singling out homeless people in this regard, as being treated separately from the rest of society is a violation of their civil rights. It's bigotry. A person's living status should not exclude them from all the rights provided any other citizen.
it simply is that if a person other then a "member" of this occupy group were to sell food to someone who is not a member, this includes donations, then it is a violation of food health and safety laws. Whether the person is homeless or a school teacher does not matter. What matters is that this group is a nuisance that should be disbanded. The so called nameless and faceless government officials are doing everything they can in nashville to do it peacefully and with in the law. Its not like in oakland were people are just getting attacked. until recently i didnt even know we had any protestors in nashville. I can also venture to guess that many people in this area do not know they are here. Its time they gave up. there are jobs out there and they need to get one. I would go door to door selling cat litter to keep my roof over my head before i ever slept in a tent in front of a government building.
