Dear Indymedia Los Angeles,

To our dismay, an article was published on Indymedia LA that supplies dis-information regarding the activities of the Venice Chapter of Food Not Bombs and its collective members.

We serve approximately 150 - 250 people in Venice and Santa Monica every Sunday. Our collective consists of volunteers from all over Los Angeles, including members of Axis of Justice. Preparation for our Sunday meal starts early Saturday morning and does not end until late Sunday.

This chapter of Food Not Bombs has been active in Venice and Santa Monica for a number of years opposing criminalization of homeless people, feeding hungry people healthy vegan food on a weekly basis, and providing services that no Social Service agency does in this area. We are the only activist/charitable organization on the Venice Boardwalk serving people in such a public fashion while opposing militarization and we have been on the cutting edge of legal issues in Venice. Prior to the March 1, 2005 enforcement of the recently amended Venice Beach Ordinance LAMC 42.15, we had an all-day peace camp on Sundays - rain or shine - in order to provide services and raise awareness of the plight of homeless people while the west side of Los Angeles is fast being gentrified.Since the permit system, we have had to move out of our Peace Camp, as it is only for those with permits. We now serve every Sunday in front of Dudley pagoda from around 2 pm until the food and other donations are given out.

The new Venice Boardwalk ordinance does not permit organizations - only individuals - and most tables (with or without permits) on the Boardwalk are selling merchandise for profit. The Venice Food Not Bombs collective is proud of the work it does in Venice opposing police abuse and defending Freedom of Speech for those who may be less able to do this for themselves. The Venice Food Not Bombs has been the only organization documenting incidents in an organized fashion. Since our inception, we have been under moderate to heavy police surveillance and interference.

Food Not Bombs is an international organization that has been supported by Amnesty International and it is celebrating its 25-year anniversary. The co-founder of Food Not Bombs, Keith McHenry, recently visited and stayed with collective members of the Venice/Santa Monica Food Not Bombs so he could attend and speak at a benefit organized by Axis of Justice for Southern California Food Not Bombs chapters.

The Food Not Bombs Collective, Venice Beach

Which article are you refering to? And what are the specific arguments that you disagree with?

Dear John:

Thank you for posting your article in defense of Venice Food Not Bombs.

While I agree that the mother organization, Food Not Bombs, has a highly commendable track record, FNB members' (Miss Peggy & Calvin) mismanagement of the Venice Boardwalk Association (now defunct) created to defend our 1st Amendment Rights may, unfortunately, have reflected negatively on the FNB organization as a whole.

Candidly, I would say that, while Miss Peggy Lee Kennedy and Calvin are, probably, well-suited for feeding and defending the homeless; they were not particularly well-suited for the leadership role they assumed on behalf of Venice Boardwalk 'vendors'. A role that, ultimately, discredited them with many people (myself included).

Subsequently, they had the chance to redeem themselves, when they filed the lawsuit, but chose to exclude, rather than include, those they had attempted to lead, adding insult to injury.

Perhaps you should spend some time on the boardwalk to find out what I'm talking about.

That was just an email we got. I didn't write it. I'm passing it on as a "letter to the non-editor" of sorts. Thanks for the information on the situation. In my opinion, it's bad that the city wishes to silence what the people have created in Venice. All defenders need to look at the big picture at all times, because the free speech vibe barely exists in LA. I haven't been out to Venice in much since I worked out there years ago. Mad props to Beyond Baroque, an awesome venue and bookstore. Same to Sparc and the graffiti pit, and all the artists and activists on the boardwalk.