mick silver
18th April 2015, 08:23 PM
Fined for Feeding Homeless, Woman Says Her Religious Freedom Is Under Attack By Rebecca McCray | Takepart.com 12 hours ago Takepart.com (http://www.takepart.com/)
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nsflsPJy1UQBeW4IXlknGw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM3NztpbD1wbGFuZTtweG 9mZj01MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02NzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Takepart.com/cheever.jpg (http://news.yahoo.com/fined-feeding-homeless-woman-says-her-religious-freedom-145115871.html#)
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Fined for Feeding Homeless, Woman Says Her Religious Freedom Is Under Attack
A Texas chef turned a “religious freedom” bill on its head when she told police this week that the controversial legislation protects her right to feed the homeless in her city.
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Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act Is Contemptuous: The Never-ending Battle Against the Dark and Reactionary Forces (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-i-mitroff/indianas-religious-freedom_b_7026220.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
Religious Freedom Restoration Acts Restore Bigotry and Repression (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-j-blumenfeld/religious-freedom-restora_b_6959662.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
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Joan Cheever has been serving restaurant-quality meals to homeless people from her nonprofit truck, dubbed the “The Chow Train (http://www.thechowtrain.com/),” in a downtown San Antonio park for 10 years. But on Tuesday police issued her a citation for allegedly serving food without a permit. The citation could cost her up to $2,000 (http://mic.com/articles/115664/a-texas-woman-is-using-the-religious-freedom-law-in-the-best-way-possible), Mic reports.
“I have a legal right to do this,” Cheever told the police (http://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-woman-ticketed-feeding-homeless) officer who stopped her, citing the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Cheever told Mic that as a Catholic, her charitable acts are how she prays, so they should be protected under the act.
So-called “religious freedom” bills like the one Cheever cited have sparked controversy in recent months as some Christian small-business owners have said they have the right to refuse services to the LGBT community, such as baking their wedding cakes or photographing the big day. Indiana’s bill in particular landed in the spotlight as advocacy groups around the country challenged it, saying it was a thinly veiled way to legalize discrimination. Though Indiana ultimately watered down its bill after boycotts and protests, at least 28 states (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/01/boycotting-indiana-dozens-states-consider-similar-laws) have introduced similar legislation, according to the Human Rights Commission.
“I am not enabling people on the street,” read a post from Cheever on the Chow Train Facebook page. “I am just trying to give them a safe, hot, and catered meal until they can get their life together. I should be writing you all a citation for violating the 1st amendment, the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Texas Religious Freedom act that protects our right to share food.”
Cheever plans to challenge the citation in court on June 23.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Can This Innovative Approach Eradicate Homelessness? (http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/05/can-innovative-approach-eradicate-homelessness)
• Homelessness Declines, but the Rent Is Still Too Damn High (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/03/homelessness-declines-rent-still-too-damn-high)
• A Paycheck Doesn’t Mean You Won’t Go Hungry in America (http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/19/working-hungry)
Original article (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/18/fined-feeding-homeless-texas-woman-cites-her-religious-freedom) from TakePart
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
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http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nsflsPJy1UQBeW4IXlknGw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM3NztpbD1wbGFuZTtweG 9mZj01MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02NzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Takepart.com/cheever.jpg (http://news.yahoo.com/fined-feeding-homeless-woman-says-her-religious-freedom-145115871.html#)
. View photo
Fined for Feeding Homeless, Woman Says Her Religious Freedom Is Under Attack
A Texas chef turned a “religious freedom” bill on its head when she told police this week that the controversial legislation protects her right to feed the homeless in her city.
Related Stories
Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act Is Contemptuous: The Never-ending Battle Against the Dark and Reactionary Forces (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-i-mitroff/indianas-religious-freedom_b_7026220.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
Religious Freedom Restoration Acts Restore Bigotry and Repression (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-j-blumenfeld/religious-freedom-restora_b_6959662.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
Religious Freedom Restoration Act is No Way to Govern (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/byron-williams/religious-freedom-restora_b_6970108.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
9 of the Lamest Arguments in Support of Discrimination (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stefanie-williams/9-of-the-lameest-argument_b_6956282.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
Indiana Lawmakers Announce Proposed Religious Freedom Law Changes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/02/indiana-religious-freedom-law_n_6992026.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592) Huffington Post
Joan Cheever has been serving restaurant-quality meals to homeless people from her nonprofit truck, dubbed the “The Chow Train (http://www.thechowtrain.com/),” in a downtown San Antonio park for 10 years. But on Tuesday police issued her a citation for allegedly serving food without a permit. The citation could cost her up to $2,000 (http://mic.com/articles/115664/a-texas-woman-is-using-the-religious-freedom-law-in-the-best-way-possible), Mic reports.
“I have a legal right to do this,” Cheever told the police (http://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-woman-ticketed-feeding-homeless) officer who stopped her, citing the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Cheever told Mic that as a Catholic, her charitable acts are how she prays, so they should be protected under the act.
So-called “religious freedom” bills like the one Cheever cited have sparked controversy in recent months as some Christian small-business owners have said they have the right to refuse services to the LGBT community, such as baking their wedding cakes or photographing the big day. Indiana’s bill in particular landed in the spotlight as advocacy groups around the country challenged it, saying it was a thinly veiled way to legalize discrimination. Though Indiana ultimately watered down its bill after boycotts and protests, at least 28 states (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/01/boycotting-indiana-dozens-states-consider-similar-laws) have introduced similar legislation, according to the Human Rights Commission.
“I am not enabling people on the street,” read a post from Cheever on the Chow Train Facebook page. “I am just trying to give them a safe, hot, and catered meal until they can get their life together. I should be writing you all a citation for violating the 1st amendment, the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Texas Religious Freedom act that protects our right to share food.”
Cheever plans to challenge the citation in court on June 23.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Can This Innovative Approach Eradicate Homelessness? (http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/05/can-innovative-approach-eradicate-homelessness)
• Homelessness Declines, but the Rent Is Still Too Damn High (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/03/homelessness-declines-rent-still-too-damn-high)
• A Paycheck Doesn’t Mean You Won’t Go Hungry in America (http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/19/working-hungry)
Original article (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/18/fined-feeding-homeless-texas-woman-cites-her-religious-freedom) from TakePart
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Click to view comments
View Comments (1185)