Christian Texas Lady Thinks Religious Freedom Protects Her Right To Feed The Homeless, AS IF

[niyad]

what would jesus do?


Christian Texas Lady Thinks Religious Freedom Protects Her Right To Feed The Homeless, AS IF

Texas takes its religious-flavored freedoms VERY SERIOUSLY, as we know. Sometimes, anyway. For important things like gay-hatin’ and slut-shamin’ and gun-totin’ and prisoner-executin’.

But Joan Cheever of San Antonio has some CRAZY idea that she should have the freedom to feed the homeless, as she’s been doing since 2005:
Cheever has been cooking for the hungry and her “street peeps” for many years. The Chow Train is a nonprofit food truck that serves hot, healthy and restaurant quality meals to the hungry and homeless and those individuals who are temporarily homeless like the residents of the devastated towns of Joplin, MO, Moore, OK, La Place, LA and those who lost their homes in the Bastrop fires.

Lady, we don’t know what version of the Bible you’ve been misreading, but there ain’t nothin’ in there ’bout feeding the hungry, DUH, at least not without the proper permits: As she’d done every Tuesday for years, Cheever was giving out free meals from her food truck in a public park last week when police rolled up and started writing a ticket. Right away, she told the officers they were burdening her free exercise of religion, according to an on-the-scene report from Texas Public Radio. Cheever pointed to the federal and state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts — the same kinds of laws that caused massive controversy in Indiana and Arkansas last month over concerns they would allow religious business owners to discriminate against the LGBT community.

“One of the police officers said, ‘Ma’am if you want to pray, go to church,'” Cheever told the local NBC affiliate last week. Pfffft. Everybody knows that the proper way to exercise your religion is in a church — or by denying health care to lady employees or refusing to provide floral arrangements and pizzas to gay couples gettin’ gay-married to each other. Ms. Cheever, however, does not understand how the rules work and foolishly told the ticketing officer, “This is how I pray, when I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate.”

Sorry, Ms. Cheever, but according to the city of San Antonio, if you want to do your do-gooding, you’ll have to take it to the city’s designated homeless shelter downtown. And pay a $2000 fine for illegally feeding the homeless from your unlicensed food truck in a No Feeding The Homeless Zone, as you’ve been doing for the last decade but all of a sudden, it is A Issue.
. . . . .
Read more at http://wonkette.com/582988/christian-texas-lady-thinks-religious-freedom-protects-her-right-to-feed-the-homeless-as-if#47EA0fdvAADYoQP5.99

[KittyWampus]

1. I love what she's doing but she needs a permit OR finds a code kitchen in a church or somewheres

to prepare the food.

I think food trucks to feed the homeless and indigent is a brilliant idea. Maybe she can start a gofundme page to collect enough money to pay the fines, get a permit and become certified.

Food trucks are especially great cause businesses get torqued out of shape by having homeless people show up en mass.

Hope something gets worked out for her and she gets SUBSTANTIVE support in making her food truck safe.

[niyad]

4. what do you see as the problem, since she has been doing this since 2005, without

any complaints?

[jwirr]

8. Yes, why now?

[freshwest]

18. An outbreak of food borne illness? It doesn't say. n/t

[Voice for Peace]

51. maybe because lots of places are cracking down on the homeless lately?

spikes on benches, no feeding the homeless, make life as miserable
as possible for them.

Still the bigger message is

"ok to have religious freedom for discrimination, but not for compassion?"

[ncjustice80]

56. How aabout we repeal stupid religious freedumb laws and go with neither

[yellowcanine]

11. Depends on the reason for the citation. There is no grandfather clause on food safety.

And unlicensed means uninspected and potentially unsafe. Even if you are giving food away, for whatever reason, the government has an obligation to determine that the food is safe.

In most jurisdictions food trucks need to have a health department permit and undergo inspections of their food prep area.

The city of San Antonio says the problem is that Cheever didn't have the right permits for a mobile food vendor.

"The citation was issued for failing to adhere to long-standing regulations that are in place to ensure public health and safety," city spokeswoman Thea Setterbo said in an email to The Huffington Post,

I hate when people hide behind religion to excuse breaking common sense laws.

[niyad]

13. are you missing the fact that she has been doing this since 2005, without any issues?

[KittyWampus]

17. Actually, at this point I know a lot more about Chow Train than you do because I actually CARE

about what she's doing and don't feel compelled to see this as a story to trash Christians or Texans.

I actually searched for background and info and contact info for this woman and her non=profit.

[niyad]

19. wow.

[yellowcanine]

20. I repeat, "no grandfather clause on food safety." I don't care how long she has been doing it.

She needs to have the proper permits. Maybe she had them before and doesn't now. Maybe the city was lax in enforcing the law. I don't know. The reason really doesn't matter. If you are serving food from a food truck TODAY, you need the proper permits.

[Gore1FL]

48. I don't know if that is a reasonable argument.

Nestle' has been extracting water from CA without a permit since 1998 without any issues until now.

I'd be interested in the reasoning for shutting her down.

[bvar22]

54. Technically, I don't believe she is a "Food Vendor"...

...if she is giving it away for free.

[KittyWampus]

14. The Wonkette article you linked to has a lot of snark and little useful info

I seemed like she had no permit or truck up to health code.

HOWEVER> I just did some searching and found out she does have a permit. On her Facebook page it says when police first approached her she presented an expired permit and then presented the valid current one.

And then another story says she has a permit but wasn't using her permitted truck that night.

People who serve food to the public, paying or not paying, need to prepare that food in a certified kitchen and have proper permits.

Cause of things like food poisoning.

[gcomeau]

30. Doesn't matter how long she's been doing it.

There are very good and legitimate reasons for requiring licensing for anything that involves distributing food to large numbers of people.

"Well, I wasn't licensed before and I haven't killed anyone yet" not being a good enough reason to bypass them.

[tammywammy]

53. I agree.

I think using food trucks is a fantastic idea. But at the same time, just because she's giving the food to the homeless doesn't mean she can skip any sort of health inspections. Food given to homeless should be held to the same standard as anyone else.

I think permitting is the correct thing to do and I would encourage her to do a kickstarter or whatever to get the money for the permits.

[gratuitous]

2. Dammit, get it right

The RFRA is for use only by bigots to protect their bigotry; start doing some of that other stuff, and you can look for the hob-nailed boot of justice to come down on your throat toot sweet.

[niyad]

5. sadly, you are correct.

[phil89]

3. Why would

need a religion to tell you to assist homeless people? Good for her anyway.

[KittyWampus]

6. More info: sounds like she has a permit for truck but was caught not using it?

Maybe her truck was broke down?

But on Facebook page it says she showed police an expired permit first and then found the current permit…

Hoping producers from Rachel Ray see this and donate.



Cheever has been serving restaurant-quality meals to the city's homeless population for the past 10 years, and has been profiled on Rachel Ray's cooking show for her charitable efforts.

Over the years, police officers have passed by and waved as she fed homeless people, but last Tuesday night four bike-patrol officers stopped in the park and gave Cheever a ticket that carries a potential fine of $2,000. Cheever has a food permit for her mobile truck, but she was cited for transporting and serving the food from a vehicle other than that truck.

Cheever is scheduled to go before Municipal Court on June 23, but she remained defiant after receiving the citation, arguing that under the 1999 Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, she has a right to serve food to the homeless because she considers it a free exercise of her religion.

According to the restaurant's Facebook page, Cheever will be holding a "candlelight vigil" at Maverick Park Tuesday night to raise awareness for the incident.

[KittyWampus]

7. Here is her Facebook page for Chow Train. She is a non=profit and must have a donation link.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chow-Train/147428511995895

[niyad]

9. was there supposed to be a link there?

[KittyWampus]

15. I am busy trying to learn more about Chow Train. Your only interest here seems to be to trash

Christians.

[niyad]

21. again, just. . . .wow.

[ieoeja]

49. She's better than Betty Bowers.

You and I, of course, are not even in the same league.

[niyad]

55. you are so very correct. betty bowers was exactly who came to mind.

[BrotherIvan]

10. Let's see how Christians of Texas defend this

Where are the churches coming to her defense? I thought that was how they deserved their tax-free status: because they help so many unfortunate people. Well, we'll see.

[niyad]

12. you are not holding your breath, I trust?

[BrotherIvan]

27. I tried, but...

Now if she owned a pizza place that refused to serve gays, well! Let's go pray in the parking lot! They're so easy to bash when there is so much to bash them for. If I identified as a Christian, I would be bashing away at the fake ones every chance I got.

[KittyWampus]

16. a good many people (including Christians) in Texas support the Chow Train.

[BrotherIvan]

29. You're making this statement based on reading ther Facebook page

today?

[KittyWampus]

33. In part, yes. Unlike other DU'ers who base their comments on a snarky, poorly informed piece

from Wonkette…. I just did some searching.

Cause I am supportive of what this woman is doing and how she's doing it.

My main interest isn't trashing Christians.

[BrotherIvan]

36. I support her too

But I don't like fake Christians who try to impose their twisted ideology on the rest of us. If saying I don't like it equals "bashing" then so be it.

[KittyWampus]

46. fake Christians may -or may not- have anything at all to do with this story.

And if Wonkette had bothered to do a little digging rather than just go for snark, she'd know that.

[TexasProgresive]

22. Ms. Cheever works out of the local Catholic Worker house

The Catholic Worker movement was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin during the Great Depression. It is all about Personalism, non-violence and faith centered action. We remember Sister Megan Rice who is in prison, 3 were arrested for that action, one is a Catholic Worker.

https://dccatholicworker.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/transform-now-plowshares/
TRANSFORM NOW PLOWSHARES

Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Mike Walli among 3 Plowshare Activists

July 28 ,2012 Oak Ridge, TN—Early this morning three plowshares activists Performed a disarmament action in response to Government plans to invest $80 billion to sustain and modernize the nuclear weapons complex.
Calling themselves Transform Now Plowshares, Michael R. Walli (63), Megan Rice (82), and Greg Boertje-Obed (57) entered the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility before dawn.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/restaurants/article/Chow-Train-A-food-truck-for-the-homeless-3410746.php
Cheever says she has a mobile food vending permit, but not the special permit required to operate a mobile food establishment in the downtown central business district.

That doesn't stop Cheever, who wears an apron reading, “I Feed the Hungry/Arrest Me!”

Mary Powers, a volunteer with the Catholic Worker House who has worked with Cheever, praises her dedication.

“She's a ball of fire,” Powers says. “She has amazing energy. She's an excellent cook, organizer and motivator for the volunteers and the people living on the street. She's a fabulous voice for all of them.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/search/?action=search&channel=food&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Catholic+Worker+House+on+the+East+Side%22
Chow Train: A food truck for the homeless

March 15, 2012 | Jessica Belasco

... She also serves lunch about once a month with Under the Bridge Inc. downtown at Austin and Ninth streets and some Mondays at Catholic Worker House on the East Side. The food is fresh and nutritious, heavy on the vegetables. ...

The Mission of the Catholic Worker House of San Antonio:

http://www.sa-catholicworker.org/mission.php
Home, Hope and Hospitality
Of The Heart To Those In Need

" 'For I was hungry and you gave me food;
I was thirsty and you gave me drink;
I was a stranger and you took me in;
naked and you clothed me;
sick and in prison and you visited me.'
Then they will answer Him saying,
'Lord, when did we ever see you
Hungry and feed you?'...
Then He will answer them,
'When you did so to the least of my family,
You did it to Me' "

Matthew 25:40

[niyad]

23. thank you for this valuable information.

[KittyWampus]

28. LOL!

[KittyWampus]

35. So it may be that she was cited because of where she was serving food. In a business district.

If -IF- this is true, she needs to find another spot.

Business owners, including restaurants, don't want food trucks near them. Whether they are for paying or non-paying customers.

The city should work with her to find a location.

And charitable and religious organizations should back her up.

[TexasProgresive]

40. That's one of the places where you can find a lot of people in need.

I worked in city center Houston years ago. There are no houses and few hotels, but there were a lot of people that survived in alleys, door ways, etc. There is no reason to exempt the business district.

[KittyWampus]

47. Yes, there is. The businesses operating there including food establishments. The ones paying RENT

to be there in a brick and mortar.

If I own a pizza shop, I don't want a food truck outside my door.

Edit- most cities have limitations where food trucks can operate. I know three people who've had a food truck in this town. Only a few permits issued and for only a few locations.

IMO, the city needs to work with this woman to find an acceptable location.

[Scalded Nun]

24. This whole thing in San Antonio is Bullshit

For a Blue-leaning city we have some serious non-Blue-leaning issues.

Most of this comes from city/county leadership that seems to think no one (especially tourists) should see poor people, especially poor people getting free food.

We are a service-oriented city, mainly driven by the tourism industry. That also translates into a minimum wage city. Yes, there are several industries (insurance, health care) that deliver above minimum wage jobs, but they really do not drive the train that seeks to separate the needy from the rest of San Antonio society (and, again, the tourists).

There are a lot of really good people in this city who are willing to put their resources to work for those in need. It is disgusting to see our leadership (to include law enforcement leadership) trying to thwart those actions.

We must (at least for the time being) live with religious incursions into our legal system. Why not use that paradigm to help others rather than just use it for advancing nut-job agendas?

I say bravo to Ms. Cheever and all those like her and fuck the others getting in the way.

[niyad]

25. thank you for this.

[lark]

26. This just proves the point that the laws aren't about freedom to follow your conscience at all.

The laws one purpose is to allow legal discrimination against anything the legislature doesn't like - like gays, women, minorities, pregnant women, etc. Religion and conscience don't matter when it's something the legislators do like - like penalizing the homeless.

[niyad]

32. you have that quite correct.

[KittyWampus]

31. More info from a lawyer commenting on use of religious freedom laws/feeding homeless:

Apparently, religious freedom laws HAVE BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY TO PROTECT FEEDING HOMELESS

Doug Laycock, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and an expert on religious freedom laws, said there have been several court cases involving religious freedom and homeless feeding operations over the years, resulting in victories for both sides. Laycock said Cheever's case could come down to whether the permitting process is overly burdensome.

"If she really doesn’t qualify for a permit, because of some reason related to the safety of the food, the court may be more deferential and less protective," Laycock said in an email. "But it sounds like that is not the most likely possibility."

Laycock said Texas courts have been willing to enforce the state's religious freedom law. A federal court in Texas in 2013, for instance, ruled against a Dallas ordinance limiting where charities could feed the homeless. District judge Jorge Solis wrote that "the homeless feeders are religiously motivated institutions that are afforded statutory protection to practice their religions without being substantially burdened by government regulation."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/15/homeless-feeding_n_7066860.html?utm_hp_ref=religion&ir=Religion

[F4lconF16]

34. Interesting, thank you for the link.

Good info you've been posting in this thread.

[passiveporcupine]

50. Why should feeding the homeless be about religion anyway

Why can't a secular group set up a food truck for feeding the homeless? You can bet they would also be required to have all appropriate permits and operate under all appropriate laws for the safety of the public they are feeding.

Just because you believe in one religion or other, shouldn't allow you to break laws that others have to follow. If the laws are wrong, work on changing them. Don't make it about religion. Poor people and homeless people deserve to be fed (safely), whether by a nun or by an atheist. This should not be about religion.

I can't help but wonder why she followed the rules and had valid permits all these years, but now that these "religious freedom laws" are being voted in all over the country, suddenly she's taking a stand that she no longer needs to follow the rules because "religion"?

Sorry...I'm all for feeding the poor and I don't care if it's right downtown next to the fanciest restaurants. All people need to eat and downtown should not be just for the wealthy. A food truck for the poor does not need to be shabby. Homeless often hang out in parks. The food trucks for profit often hang out in parks. Food trucks for the homeless should be able to hang out in the same parks as long as they have the right permits.

Doesn't it say in the bible to pray silently? To not make your good works public? There is a reason for that. Why do people need to broadcast the reason they are doing good is because they are religious? Cannot secular people be just as good and care just as much for the homeless?

I don't care if this woman is religious or not. I do laud her for feeding the homeless. I wish more people would volunteer for things like this. I do wish she felt following the laws of safe food handling and delivery were for everyone to follow. Because this doesn't sound like she just chose the wrong place to serve the food. She did not use her permitted truck. That meant she was serving hot food from insulated coolers, instead of from properly heated sources. That can lead to problems. I wonder how she would feel if she did serve food that made a lot of the homeless sick and or even killed one or two. Would she still think it's OK not to follow the rules because "religion"?

[zeemike]

37. It's no surprise to me that they are hypocrites.

They are the new Pharisees, and Jesus had his harshest words for them in the bible...which they apparently never read.

[niyad]

38. or only read the parts that suit them.

[zeemike]

43. Yep and it is never the part where Jesus speaks.

Because that would mess up their political belief.

[left-of-center2012]

39. She read the wrong Bible?

If she were to read the Bible used by the Christian right, she'd let the poor starve.

[samsingh]

41. she's also fortunate the police didn't shoot her - likely would have happened if she was black

[951-Riverside]

42. These white christian bigots make me sick!

Hey lady! They're called homeless shelters and soup kitchens!

Now pay your fine, take your bigot hateful beliefs and GO HOME!

[B2G]

44. What the fresh fuck was THAT about?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

45. Oops

Guess they thought religious freedom was only about gay bashing.

[smokey nj]

52. Religious freedom only applies to restaurant owners who refuse to cater pizza to gay weddings and

pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for oral contraception.