An Orange County spiritual nonprofit that was penalized and threatened with legal prosecution by Santa Ana for feeding homeless folks now has the assist of the U.S. Division of Justice in its ongoing authorized battle with town.
After Santa Ana officers ordered the nonprofit, Micah’s Method, to cease distributing meals and drinks at its useful resource middle — arguing that doing so violated the municipal code — town denied its certificates of occupancy and warned it may very well be fined and prosecuted. That drew a lawsuit from Micah’s Method this 12 months claiming that town’s actions infringed on the nonprofit’s proper to non secular train.
The Justice Division agreed, saying the Christian group’s distribution of meals and drinks to homeless folks “is an integral a part of its spiritual train,” based on a press release of curiosity filed Tuesday in response to town’s movement to dismiss the go well with.
Santa Ana’s denial of the occupancy license for the Micah’s Method useful resource middle additionally positioned a “substantial burden” on the group’s spiritual expression in violation of the Spiritual Land Use and Institutionalized Individuals Act, which bars governments from imposing land use guidelines that intervene with spiritual train, the division mentioned.
“Below the Metropolis’s calls for, [Micah’s Way] can be fully prohibited at its present location from distributing meals and drinks to homeless people who come to its doorways, a service that [Micah’s Way] believes it has a ‘spiritual obligation’ to carry out,” the Justice Division mentioned.
“Many faith-based organizations throughout the nation are on the entrance strains serving the wants of individuals experiencing homelessness,” Assistant Atty. Gen. Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned in a press release. “The Justice Division is dedicated to implementing federal civil rights legal guidelines to make sure that all spiritual teams can freely train their spiritual beliefs.”
Micah’s Method, which has been working since 2005, mentioned in its criticism that Santa Ana started to warn it in fall 2021 that offering meals and drinks out of its useful resource middle was in violation of the municipal code.
After town issued Micah’s Method an administrative quotation and informed it to acquire a certificates of occupancy, the group utilized for the certificates however was denied on the premise of zoning restrictions, based on the criticism.
Micah’s Method utilized for the certificates a second time however was once more denied final summer time on the grounds that its meals distribution practices weren’t permitted within the “skilled district” that the useful resource middle occupied.
In its movement to dismiss, town mentioned the meals distribution was not a non secular exercise “however was merely an incidental use of minor significance” and argued that barring the group from giving out meals and drinks didn’t violate federal legislation.
In a press release to The Occasions, Santa Ana officers mentioned town “absolutely helps the expression of spiritual beliefs in addition to serving to these in want, as proven by the operation of our 200-bed homeless navigation middle, internet hosting the County of Orange’s homeless shelter, and funding homeless outreach groups.”
Micah’s Method improperly used its administrative constructing at hand out meals, “leading to a number of complaints from residents” within the surrounding neighborhood, metropolis officers alleged.
“Micah’s Method has not proven that the Metropolis has positioned a considerable burden on its spiritual train,” town mentioned.
The movement to dismiss is ready to be heard June 5.
