TEMPE, Ariz. — A man who was taken to court for refusing to stop feeding homeless people in Tempe without a permit has agreed to not enter city parks for a year after pleading guilty to failure to obtain a special events permit in violation of city code.
Austin Davis was also facing charges including trespassing, but those charges were dismissed, Tempe officials told 12News.
Davis entered the plea agreement, which also placed him on unsupervised probation, at Tempe Municipal Court in mid-September.
"Compassionate giving is a quality that the City of Tempe values. As a community, we don’t want anyone to miss a meal or spend a night on the streets," a statement from the City of Tempe said. "This case has never been about charitable giving or providing food to the homeless. Like cities everywhere, Tempe requires a permit to host large-scale events on public property."
Davis said he founded AZ Hugs when he was a student at ASU when he saw people experiencing homelessness in the city's riverbottom area.
"I was seeing no one had water down there. So I think that's when we really became first super connected with the Tempe homeless community," Davis said.
That evolved into his Sunday picnics where he provided food, water and information about resources like shelters and rehabs to those experiencing homelessness.
City officials told him that he needed a permit for his picnics and said they were getting complaints from neighbors about excessive trash and drug paraphernalia being left behind in the park following the picnics but Davis continued to hold the events.
City officials said posted rules in the parks are there to safeguard residents and those who may attend the events.
"The City of Tempe spent $72 million last year on affordable housing and homelessness outreach," the statement said. "Of that, $20 million was spent on a bridge shelter to give unhoused people a place to stay."
The city asks anyone who wants to donate to those experiencing homelessness in Tempe to visit tempe.gov/nonprofits to find a list of organizations that help with food, clothing, shelter, mental health and substance abuse treatment
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