Norma Thornton, Image: Institute for Justice
The Gateway Pundit reported on the arrest of an Arizona grandmother, Norma Thornton, 78, in 2022 for feeding homeless people in public, violating Arizona law.
The grandmother said that she was so shocked about being arrested that she thought it was a joke.
“Still, I thought it was a kind of joke, someone playing a prank– until I was put in the back of the police car,” Thornton told Fox 5 Vegas. “I have always believed that when you have plenty, you should share.”
The Institute for Justice (IJ) filed a federal lawsuit against Bullhead City in October 2022 on Norma’s behalf.
IJ now reports that a new ruling from a U.S. district court has concluded that the law in Bullhead City, Arizona, making it a crime to share food in public parks for “charitable purposes” is constitutional.
IJ Senior Attorney Paul Avelar shared, “Americans have a constitutional right to engage in charitable activities and cities can’t pass laws that outlaw doing so. The district court failed to grapple with the fact that charity is deeply rooted in American history, and we look forward to proving to the appeals court that Bullhead City’s actions criminalizing charity violate Norma’s right to help others.”
The district court ruled that “the right to serve one’s community, while important, is not a fundamental right.”
For decades, Norma has helped the less fortunate in various cities, a passion that continued when she retired and moved to Bullhead City.
“Being told that I cannot feed the hungry is absolutely heartbreaking to me, which is why I will continue fighting against this unjust law,” she shared. “All I want to do is help people in my community, so they can survive and get back on their feet. It makes no sense for the city to prevent me from doing so.”
Bullhead City’s law was passed in 2021 and requires a permit for the sharing of prepared food in public parks as part of a “non-social gathering” motivated by “charitable purposes.” This is not really a “permit” requirement, however, but a ban: Obtaining a permit is expensive and, even with a permit, the city allows people to share food only once per month. Meanwhile, because the law applies only to sharing food for a “charitable purpose,” Norma is allowed to throw a pizza party in Community Park for 50 of her friends without limitation. But once she offers food for charity, she runs afoul of the ordinance. Each violation of the law is punishable with a fine of up to $1,431, 120 days in jail and 24 months of probation.
“Homelessness is a multifaceted issue, but criminalizing efforts to help is absolutely the wrongsolution,” said IJ Attorney Suranjan Sen. “Government should be encouraging and facilitating Norma’s efforts, not threatening her with jailtime.”
Norma and her attorneys from IJ will appeal the decision.
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