Public forum exposes deep divisions over Food Not Bombs feeding site; council amends resolution supporting downtown businesses

A lengthy public forum at Burlington City Hall on May 19 produced sustained testimony on the city's downtown conditions and a volunteer-run daily food distribution most commonly known as Food Not Bombs (also called Food Not Cops by some participants).

Hundreds of minutes of testimony split roughly between speakers who described the daily distribution at the Marketplace Garage as life-saving mutual aid and speakers who said downtown safety, shoplifting and visible drug use are discouraging customers and harming local businesses.

"People building community, reducing crime, reducing poverty, finding each other shelter, and bettering their lives," said Julie Masuda, an in-person speaker who described the distribution as "precious." Several volunteers, organizers and recipients told councilors that the distribution has provided warm meals, hygiene supplies, tents, blankets and other essentials for years.

Other residents and downtown business owners said they are seeing open drug use, petty theft and aggressive panhandling on Church Street and in the park areas near…