Source: The Miami Herald
On June 4, 2006 The Miami Herald reported, "For months, Kendall homeowners asked police about animal carcasses on rail roads and backyards, questioning whether it was related to religious practices and what legal actions they could take. Realizing the recurrent interest in the topic, Miami-Dade Police Kendall District Maj. Grace O'Donnell called in an expert Wednesday for the Kendall District Citizen Advisory Committee meeting. Officer Amy Godoy, a specialist in Santeria religious practices for 16 of her 22 years on the force, offered information on the 1993 Supreme Court ruling that allows the rituals to take place under religious freedom. Godoy also gave guidelines for observing possible cases of animal cruelty. 'It's in your community, and the best thing to do is educate yourself about what's going on,' Godoy said. She also addressed the findings of animal carcasses along rail road tracks and their possible tie to cleansing rituals practiced within the religion, explaining the popularity of the tracks as symbolic of specific deities. It is this symbolism, Godoy said, which often leads practitioners of the religion to dispose of items illegally. '[It's] a struggle between law and religion,' she said."