A 78-year-old woman arrested for feeding the homeless in a public park is suing her city after they made it a "crime to feed the needy".
Norma Thornton, from Arizona, US, was coming to the end of giving free hot meals to the homeless when she was arrested by Bullhead City police earlier in March this year.
Police claimed the grandmother had violated a city ordinance after serving the needy in her local Bullhead City Community Park.
She had just finished dishing out her last meal and was getting ready to go home when two police officers arrived at the scene.
Mrs Thornton told the Institute of Justice: “I’d just finished up serving approximately 26 or 27 people, and the very last person that came through.
"I literally was scraping the bottom of my pans, finished off the food, gave him, and as he was walking away, these two police officers drove up."
When the officers arrived to talk to the 78-year-old, bodycam footage of her arrest shows an officer asking his boss what action he should take against the charitable grandmother.
In the footage, which was obtained by the Institute of Justice, his superior says to his colleague he should arrest the woman.
However, his colleague believes it wouldn't be a good idea and is overheard saying it would be "a PR nightmare".
Despite the reservations the officer is seen taking Mrs Thornton into custody for her fingerprints.
The officer is heard saying to the elderly woman: "Here’s the bad news… you’re under arrest for violating the city ordinance."
But he doesn't place her in handcuffs as he reveals in the video the woman is not a "hardened criminal".
The officer added: “Technically I’m supposed to be handcuffing you and everything too, but I’m not going to do that because I don't think you’re a hardened criminal.”
Bullhead City has a law where sharing prepared food in a public park is not permitted and deemed an offence without an official permit, the Institute of Justice said.
But despite this rule locals are allowed to share food in parks for social events.
Mrs Thornton was left baffled at her offence, she said: “The city has made it … that I can have a party and host up to 100 people with no consequence at all, so long as I am not feeding the homeless."
She was banned from feeding the homeless in the park and faced a potential fine of $1,400 (£1,200) and up to four months in jail.
In addition, she was issued an order to appear in court but the charges were later dropped.
Mrs Thornton confessed all she was trying to do was help people less fortunate than her.
She said: "The city of Bullhead has made it a crime to feed the needy. The thought of people being hungry, I mean, I’m not making a big impact… but at least some people have enough food to survive.
"And I can’t even imagine living in this country and being hungry to be told that you cannot feed the hungry regardless of the circumstances are.”
Just this month, the grandmother launched a court case against Bullhead City claiming her constitutional right to take part in charitable causes was violated.
She demanded the court remove the city’s ordinance which stops her from feeding the homeless.
In her lawsuit it claims “the permit’s conditions are so restrictive that, in practice, it is not a permit requirement but is a categorical prohibition on giving prepared food to the needy in public parks.”
The widowed mum-of-five said she grew up in poverty and wanted to help out her community.
However, Bullhead City hit back at Mrs Thornton and claimed “A video created by the Institute for Justice about a Bullhead City woman feeding the homeless in City parks is misleading and lacks many critical details.”
Mayor Tom Brady also added individuals are free to serve food to any homeless people but only at their homes, churches, or private property.
He said: “Individuals are free to serve food to any homeless person at their place of residence, church or private property. Our ordinance applies to public parks only."
