NOTE: During the course of reporting, volunteers spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, so they are referred to by their first names only.
In a Tulsa church basement - at a location they’d rather not reveal - a small group of volunteers is working together to make 400 quesadillas.
Nearby, more volunteers sit at a table to wrap napkins around utensils for the coming meal.
This is Tulsa Food Not Bombs - a collection of locals who believe in mutual aid and systemic change. The group meets each Wednesday for what they call a “sharing” – providing meals and other resources for Tulsa’s unhoused.
This is more than a community meeting - it’s a protest against war and hunger. One volunteer, Nic, said the City of Tulsa has been giving them a hard time.
“It sucks to feel like we're doing something that they have failed and refused to do and we're also being literally persecuted for,” said Nic. “We're literally being chased down in the courts over it.”
In May, Tulsa police arrested four Food Not Bombs volunteers during their weekly public sharing for resisting or obstructing an officer and operating an event without a permit — the latter comes with a penalty of up to a $1200 fee and six months jail time. Six others were given citations.
Scott Goode, one of the lawyers representing the defendants pro-bono, said video evidence shows the resisting and obstruction charges are not viable. The permitting charge, he said, comes up against the First Amendment.
“They are alleging that you have to be permitted to have this event,” said Goode. “Our allegations and our belief and our position is we don’t have to have a permit to conduct free speech. We are protesting by feeding the homeless. It is a speech.”
Their most recent hearing was held at the Tulsa Municipal Court on July 22. It is the third time the group has stood before a judge regarding the case.
These are not the first Food Not Bombs volunteers to face a legal battle for what they argue are their constitutional rights.
In 2018, a ruling from the 11th circuit upheld Food Not Bombs volunteers’ sharing food in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment.
Oklahoma is within the 10th circuit — but Michael Smith, associate professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law said, while rulings from other circuit courts aren’t binding, they are influential.
“The fact that a court of appeal somewhere else in the country has handled a very similar case isn't nothing. And it's something that these courts, especially at the trial level, are going to look towards.,” said Smith. “There's these pretty consistent findings that the conduct in a case like this is expressive and therefore deserving of some protection.”
Both the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Police Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Local support via letters
Earlier this month, local brewery Heirloom Rustic Ales hosted a letter writing party in support of Food Not Bombs, organized by Tulsa-based writer Liz Blood.
“As Tulsans, we need to support the work they do because they do a lot of things that are really needed for a vulnerable population,” said Blood.
To Blood, the letters are a call to action for city officials to drop the charges. They illustrate supporters' belief that the city’s energy — and money — can be better spent elsewhere.
This is what a few of their supporters had to say in their letters:
Blood dropped off over 150 letters addressed to City Attorney Jack Blair, Mayor Monroe Nichols, and other Tulsa officials to City Hall the following day. Blair and other officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Back at the sharing
Amid the legal proceedings, on July 22nd, Tulsa Food Not Bombs met a milestone — six years of running their weekly sharing event.
Volunteers came equipped with birthday signs and cupcakes to share in celebration. A table with birthday cards was also on site for anyone to fill out.
During the sharing, a single Tulsa Police vehicle drove through the site as people grabbed food or a new shirt in their size from the free store. The lively chatter dulled as people visibly slowed to watch the patrol.
While no other law enforcement showed up, one volunteer, Auntie, said their presence alone makes people feel afraid.
“Now see all the people that were chilling, hanging back, enjoying themselves and just being able to freaking be — And now they're up. They're strapping their things down. They're getting ready. Because their brains are now like, their brains are trauma wired,” said Auntie.
Volunteers said the patrol cars have become an infrequent occurrence since the arrests. However, they maintain they will continue their weekly protests throughout the legal proceedings.
“We have no peace. We have no sense of security. The trust we have is that everyone stayed,” said Auntie.
“We’re gonna help. We’re gonna help feed people.”
The defendants’ next hearing is set for Nov. 4, 2026.
