Overview
- The City Council passed the parks ordinance on May 6 and the law took effect June 5, requiring permits for food distribution and medical services in Phoenix parks.
- The ordinance limits each park to two permits per month, forces permitted activity to operate under a tent or from a mobile vehicle, requires food-handler certification and imposes misdemeanor penalties of up to $2,000 or six months in jail.
- St. Herman’s Table and founder Lance Brace sued in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order, arguing the permit rules violate their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and noting the group serves about 12 to 25 people weekly at Cave Creek Park.
- The law explicitly bans needle-exchange programs and syringe-administered naloxone while exempting nasal naloxone, prompting medical professionals and advocates to warn it could reduce access to life-saving harm-reduction services.
- The city says the ordinance responds to trash and used needles in parks and will defend the law in court, and the legal fight could shape how Phoenix and other Valley cities regulate charitable aid in public spaces.