Hours into a contentious Lancaster City Council meeting this week, Pastor David Cowan stepped to the lectern.
The Antelope Valley city had proposed changes to the Municipal Code that would sharply restrict how charitable groups like his church could feed homeless people in public spaces.
This angered good Samaritans like Cowan, who spent the meeting criticizing the proposal as officials including Mayor R. Rex Parris tried to quiet audience members by threatening to eject them if they spoke out of turn.
“When we see a person who has need, it’s our responsibility to take what they need to them,” Cowan said as cheers went up during the four-hour meeting, which was often contentious. “I have to go where the need is. The need might be up under a bridge. The need might be in a brook. The need might be anywhere.”
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