An Arizona grandmother is committed to supporting her community despite being told to stop feeding homeless individuals in public parks. This week, a federal court dismissed Norma Thornton’s lawsuit against Bullhead City.
Thornton’s attorney, Suranjan Sen from the Institute for Justice, expressed disappointment over the ruling. In March 2022, Thornton was arrested for distributing food in a city park, violating an ordinance that requires a permit for such actions. Though the charges against her were dropped, she sought to challenge the ordinance in federal court, arguing it is unconstitutional.
Thornton believes the city’s regulation hinders her charitable work and wants to resume serving meals in the park. Currently, she continues her efforts from an alleyway.
