“You people are disgusting.”

That’s the message the Fort Lauderdale chapter of Food Not Bombs had for the OutSFL staff this weekend on Instagram when they repeatedly criticized us for allegedly supporting the police in a news article.

Their accusations though were not true.

In another comment, the organization called an OutSFL reader “racist, transphobic, whorephobic,” which has no basis in reality.

Either the group is incompetent or willfully spreading disinformation. For instance, they also said, “If you can’t figure out how to have an event without giving pigs money, then don’t have the event.”

Stonewall, like all other major events, requires security. Period. To pretend otherwise is disingenuous.

Also, OutSFL is not in charge of the event.

I was taken aback by the level of vitriol that was being spewed at us from a supposedly far left group. At first, I thought the Instagram account was fake.

But the person in charge of their Facebook account confirmed its authenticity and also had some choice words for us: “You should be ashamed of yourself. Both people who run the Instagram are queer. Being queer isn’t an excuse for working with the police. Disgusting and shameful.”

The news article, “City Saves June’s Stonewall Festival in Wilton Manors,” tells the story of how the city is stepping in to help cover Stonewall’s security costs from last year in order for them to be able to hold an event this year.

I am surprised Food Not Bombs is unable to distinguish between the Stonewall Festival and a newspaper covering the festival. So let me make it clear: we are not Stonewall. The Stonewall organization is paying for security, with the help of Wilton Manors. OutSFL has nothing to do with this.

Feeding the unhoused, and others who are in need, is a noble cause, but the Fort Lauderdale chapter of Food Not Bombs has lost sight of its goals if it thinks it’s a good idea to spread disinformation and attack a progressive news outlet that is queer owned and employs mostly queer staff.

If they’re unhappy with the City of Wilton Manors or the organizers of Stonewall – protest them. Write us a letter to the editor. But to turn their ire on us? To act as if we’re the perpetrators – it’s beyond the pale. Newsflash – we report the news – it’s up to you to decide what to do with that information. By the way: Food Not Bombs wouldn’t even know about this story if it wasn’t for us.

Some of their criticisms of the Broward Sheriff’s Office are certainly valid. In fact, we recently printed a letter from Broward’s Public Defender Gordon Weekes calling for accountability in the death of Janard Geffrard, a queer inmate who died after being beaten while incarcerated.

But to describe cops as “pigs” is also beyond the pale.

In another ill-informed comment, they posted: “police do not keep us safe. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Really?

A few years ago, the police quickly diffused a situation when a car in the Stonewall Parade ended up hitting some of the marchers in the parade. The police acted quickly and kept the scene under control. We thank them.

When the Pulse massacre killed 49 LGBTQ people and allies, it was the first responders that killed the perpetrator, attended to the survivors, and prevented more deaths. We thank them.

Speaking of Pulse, Craig Jungwirth, the man who once threatened to blow up Wilton Manors in a Pulse-like attack, has a warrant out for his arrest, and it's the police that are searching for him. Not “Food Not Bombs.” They won’t be saving us from Jungwirth, or arresting him, or frankly doing anything useful.

So, my advice to them: stick to feeding the poor. We’ll stick to covering the news.

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