City of Bullhead
AZFamily, Bullhead City, Arizona — Despite being instructed to stop feeding homeless people in public parks, a grandmother in Arizona is adamant about continuing to aid those in her community.
Norma Thornton’s case against Bullhead City was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona last week.
Suranjan Sen, Thornton’s lawyer with the Institute for Justice, said, “Well, I think it’s unfortunate.”
Thornton was arrested in March 2022 for providing meals to homeless individuals in a public park. According to a local regulation, distributing meals in public parks without a permit is a crime.
She intended to take the matter to federal court even though Thornton’s charges were ultimately withdrawn.
“We have argued that this ordinance is unconstitutional for a number of reasons, and she feels that it is,” Sen added.
Since she feels that the city’s regulation restricts her ability to do good deeds, Thornton has been campaigning to get it overturned.
Sen said, “She wants to be able to return to serving people in the park like she used to.”
As of right now, Thornton is still helping people out of an alley.
According to the city, the court’s ruling supports its legislation that governs food distribution in order to safeguard public health and safety.
Sen stated that they will file an appeal within a few months.
“There aren’t any factual disagreements in this case or question. “The question is about what the Constitution requires and demands,” Sen said.
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