Phoenix park ordinance lawsuit: Nonprofits fight food, medical care limits
PHOENIX - Two more Phoenix groups are now suing the city over the new ordinance restricting food distribution and medical care to people in need at parks. That makes three groups that are claiming the ordinance violates their constitutional rights.
What we know:
Circle the City’s street medicine team was out early Thursday morning, but their route now looks different. Typically, they rely on city parks to meet and treat people in need, but the city’s new ordinance makes the group’s daily park stops impossible.
For groups like Circle the City, their mission is clear.
"It’s really important that we meet our patients where they are at to provide the care they desperately need," said Perla Puebla with Circle the City.
They are out Monday through Friday, providing medical care for people experiencing homelessness.
"Imagine you’re living outside, and you don’t have a phone, you don’t have a way to get anywhere, not even to know what time it is, right? So how hard would it be to get any type of health care," Puebla said.
But under a new Phoenix ordinance, providing non-emergency medical care or passing out free food in public parks without a permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor. And the city caps permits at two per park, per month.
"The problem is that’s not really how street medicine works. Street medicine, they go and meet people where they are and that isn’t necessarily on a schedule that’s tied to a permit," said Jared Keenan, who is representing Circle the City and Valle del Sol.
Phoenix church group sues city over park food distribution restrictions
A local church group is suing Phoenix over an ordinance that restricts food distribution in parks, but a federal judge has granted a temporary order pausing the rules for the group.
Dig deeper:
Circle the City is now one of three groups suing Phoenix over the ordinance, in addition to Valle del Sol, a healthcare nonprofit, and St. Herman’s Table, a church food ministry, saying it violates their constitutional rights.
"It prevents people from exercising their right to provide this type of aid to people. I mean, humans have been called to help those in need for millennia and that is what our clients are doing," Keenan said.
A judge granted St. Herman’s Table a temporary restraining order to continue without a permit. Circle the City and Valle del Sol have requested the same temporary relief as they fight to permanently overturn the ordinance.
"Our clients, we all want safe and clean parks, but this ordinance doesn’t accomplish that. It actually is counterproductive," Keenan said.
A spokesperson for the city of Phoenix says they can’t comment on pending litigation, but sent FOX 10 the following statement: "I can tell you the City of Phoenix maintains that our ordinance is lawful and remains committed to ensuring all residents can enjoy their neighborhood parks. We will vigorously defend the ordinance which provides an effective tool to regulate and manage the growing competition in City parks between food distribution events and other, more traditional park uses, like children’s play, youth sports, adult recreation, and family outings."