Every week, we share fresh food and clothing with the residents of a low-income apartment complex in Decatur.  Many families depend on having a distribution point where they live, and it’s especially important to elderly residents and those with less mobility.  Until recently, we got nothing but appreciation for our efforts there.

But on Tuesday, the property manager of Park 35 Apartments told us we were no longer welcome to share food at the complex.  The reasons cited were that giving out so many free resources made the area look “too poor”, and that our literature included information for tenants on how to avoid being abused by landlords. The manager threatened to call the police and remove us by force if we continued sharing food there.

Residents complained, and told us the property managers were rude, overly strict, and wouldn’t repair issues with the apartments.  Clearly this landlord is not concerned about the wellbeing of their tenants.  They seem accustomed to treating their tenants with contempt and giving orders, so they assumed they could do the same to us.

We believe food is a human right, and a landlord does not have the right to separate poor people from access to human needs.  The landlord may hold the deed to Park 35 Apartments, but it’s not their home.  As long as the people who live there want us, we intend to continue our distributions.  But we can’t do this without help!  Please join us Tuesdays at 3529 Robins Landing Way, Decatur, GA 30032 at 12pm. Bring a friend, something to share, or just a helping hand…let’s make a stand for the right to share food.