A social justice volunteer in Houston has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing a law banning sharing food with people outdoors violates his freedom of expression and freedom of religion. On Friday, a jury found Food Not Bombs volunteer Phillip Picone, 66, not guilty of breaking the law for feeding unhoused people outside a public library. Dozens of citations have been issued recently against volunteers for the group in Houston for feeding more than five people outside, a violation of a city ordinance , lawyers for the group told USA TODAY. "For 12 years these people have been feeding the homeless at the same location with no problem," attorney Paul Kubosh said. "These people even fed every day during COVID. This was the only place people could get a hot meal. And now, all of sudden the city’s got a problem." The nation’s fourth-largest city has an unhoused population of more than 3,000 people, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County . Food Not Bombs had provided meals four nights a week outside the Houston Public Library for decades without incident. But the city posted a notice at the site warning that police would […]
