Texas Woman Fined for Feeding the Homeless Cites Religious Freedom Law
LatestJoan Cheever, a San Antonio woman who’s been feeding the homeless for the past decade, is arguing that Texas’ religious freedom law should protect her from the $2,000 fine she’s facing for her charitable work. Cheever was cited by police last week for handing out food in a local park. She argues the Religious Freedom Restoration Act legalizes her activities.
According to the San Antonio Express News, which we saw via Raw Story, Cheever, a chef, runs a nonprofit food truck called the Chow Train, promising healthy, gourmet meals to the hungry. She says she’s been feeding people at Maverick Park since 2005 without incident, until last week, when four bike patrol officers ticketed her for providing food out of a vehicle other than her food truck.