Norma Thornton is a retired grandmother who used to run a restaurant in Alaska. When she moved to Bullhead City, Arizona she decided to use her food skills to help feed those in need.
In March 2022, Norma was arrested for violating Bullhead City’s ban on feeding people for “charitable purposes” in public. She was threatened with jail time, probation and a fine of more than $1,400.
Norma found a private alley where she could continue feeding the needy, but the number of people she could help dropped without the visibility of the community park.
Now, Norma has teamed up with IJ to challenge Bullhead City’s ban on charitable sharing in federal court.
Related Case
Arizona Charitable Sharing
Norma Thornton was arrested for feeding the hungry in Bullhead City Community Park. Now, Norma has teamed up with IJ to fight back against Bullhead's law criminalizing charitable sharing in federal court.