It has come to our attention that the City of Asheville is considering an ordinance that will require a permit to share food with 25 or more people in public parks or spaces and could be limited to only 2 times a year.
Show up and let the City of Asheville know that people of faith will not be silent and complicit in the mistreatment of our un-housed and hungry siblings.
Here are three things to consider:
Firstly, I want to dispel the myth that unhoused folks in Asheville are just white-addicted-mentally ill persons. NOT TRUE! Ask “O”, a black-bodied man who the BeLoved Street Medic team found with icicles attached to his nose and on the brink of freezing to death before he was met with kindness, warmth and a meal. Or ask those who are living in winter shelters as we speak because they have no where else to go.
We know white supremacy culture creates illusions of scarcity, either/or narratives, and seek to divide and conquer by spreading misinformation and pitting one group against the other. The fact is according to the July 2021 U.S. Census only 11.2% of Ashevillians are black-bodied people, and yet this year about 23.7% of the un-housed population in Asheville are Black.
Secondly, this would mean that in the midst of Covid 19, where outdoor space is the safest way to convene, people would not be able to share food…
- at a Birthday Party
- cookouts or barbeques in the summer
- family reunions
- community gardens
- or other community gatherings
Here is what can you do about it:
- Sign this petition from BeLoved Asheville! People of Faith need to let the City of Asheville know that we value the lives of people in poverty who are unhoused and want this ordinance to STOP in its tracks.
- Let your congregations and communities know what is happening through your church announcements, prayer requests, newsletters, websites, and social media and ask them to reach out to City Council.
- Sign up by 9:00 am, Tuesday (1/25) for public comment using this link and let the City of Asheville know you care and you are watching and waiting for them to do what is humane, just, and right!
- Show up at 11:00 am, Tuesday (1/25) to comment at the Public Safety Committee meeting. You do not have to sign up to comment at the beginning or end of the meeting and more information about the Public Safety Committee meeting can be found here.
- Preach it from the pulpit! Consider Isaiah 58:7&10, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 19:7, James 2:15-17or Matthew 25:34-40.
- PRAY for a change of heart and for revelation to City Council members to find creative and collaborative solutions to hunger and lack of housing in Asheville and stop attempting to remove and erase the people harmed by hunger and homelessness. This prayer was shared with the community by Rev. Amy Cantrell of BeLoved.
Thirdly, those who are trying to support those already in winter shelter at Trinity United Methodist Church need your help. Please sign-up to volunteer at this link.
Volunteer roles include:
- Evening Shift – 5PM-11PM- bring food for 25, serve meals, clean-up and help settle for overnight)
- Overnight Shift – 11PM -7:30AM -help respond to needs overnight and serve breakfast