Patriot,
Can you IMAGINE being arrested for helping someone in need?
Austin Davis was.
As a college student, he realized that homeless people were going hungry on the weekends, so he took it upon himself to feed them on Sundays. He got donations of food and time from friends, local businesses, and other nonprofits and took to the streets to do good.
He named this venture the Sunday Family Picnic and gracefully fed people every week for about two years. The city even gave him an award for his community service!
Not long after receiving that award, local officials had the opportunity to bring a professional sports team to the area, so they had to move the homeless people that Austin worked so hard to help.
Instead of communicating the income opportunity for the city and trying to find a new place for the homeless people to live, local police officers were sent to arrest Austin and claimed that he failed to get the required “special event” permits, costing $125-$3,000, and liability insurance needed to provide meals to the homeless, in hopes that those people would stop hanging out in the area.
In pursuit of one goal, government officials simply dismissed the vital importance of feeding people in favor of paperwork and following a process.
And Austin, and the hundreds of people he helped, were the ones who suffered the consequences.
Respect America is exposing government coercion and the devastation it causes. Your gift will help us share more stories like Austin’s. Donate now >>
Austin’s full story shows that logic wasn’t the driving force behind the coercion in Tempe.
Instances of gross negligence and unnecessary bureaucracy need to be brought to the public’s attention. That’s why we founded Respect America: to make sure every American hears the harrowing stories of everyday coercion and how that coercion ALWAYS has a negative effect on human happiness, harmony, and prosperity.
We are working toward a world where individuals find voluntary solutions to social problems instead of turning to the intolerable mechanisms of violence, theft, and coercion.
I need your help to make the American people fully understand just how many lives government coercion destroys. Will you click below to donate today?
Austin’s nonprofit, called AZHugs, had built relationships with larger nonprofits, had been meeting with the mayor and other city officials, and was looking to grow the services AZHugs provided.
But everything changed when city officials made an effort to bring the Arizona Coyotes professional hockey team to Tempe and stop the Sunday Family Picnics.
But Austin refused to stop feeding hungry people.
In response, the City –
They treated Austin like a criminal. But he isn’t violent. He isn’t a danger to anyone.
“Literally, all we're asking you to do is not arrest us if we feed people.”
-Austin Davis
If anyone else were persecuting Tempe residents for nonviolent crimes, it would be considered unacceptable, but the government officials claimed special permission to do harm.
Austin’s story isn’t uncommon. He and the people he works to help are just the latest in a long line of people who’ve suffered at the hands of coercive government practices.
At Respect America, we use our platform to highlight a particular type of human suffering that is often overlooked.
By showing people a human face, real names, and the real consequences of government coercion, we can make sure EVERY American sees how these intolerable mechanisms do more harm than good.
Your generous support ensures these stories will be impossible to ignore. Please donate to Respect America today >>
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Thank you so much for your help.
Hannah Henriksen
Respect America Foundation is a Section 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Our EIN is: 86-4617492. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.