An activist feeding Croydon’s homeless was warned for antisocial behavior, sparking reactions.
Ringo Vision says he served over 13,000 meals. His videos of Croydon’s homeless got millions of views. He is well-known for his food trolley.
Police warned him after an incident at Surrey Street Market. The warning concerns behavior from his activities. He paused helping the homeless temporarily.
Ringo questions getting a warning for feeding people. A petition wants the warning cancelled and already has 2,000 signatures so far.
His work at Surrey Street Market became a focus. Some say antisocial behavior increased there. This happened as people with Ringo argued.
Jose Joseph said Ringo’s friends caused problems often. He asked Ringo to control them. People respect Ringo and observed him.
People fought, and someone stopped a tram briefly. On January 8, people gathered by Ringo’s trolley and acted aggressively to others.
Ringo said things got “passionate.” A fight occurred between Ringo, followers, and marketgoers. Police questioned him afterwards at the market and issued a Community Protection Notice Warning (CPNW).
CPNWs stop antisocial behavior and aim to improve community life. The police said they received many complaints, with people feeling intimidated.
The police added the CPNW acts only as a warning. It doesn’t ban harmless actions. Ringo, born in Jamaica, cooked for over 20 years.
Last year, he felt a new purpose. He provides stews and jerk chicken, and his meals became popular locally.
Jose said Ringo is still family to them and does great things for Croydon. However, his companions attracted fights, not the homeless.
Jose is unhappy about the warning. His children signed the petition too, wanting Ringo to keep helping. Ringo was disappointed, but not stopped and said he will return.