In Tempe’s public parks, something beautiful used to happen.

Without a budget, without city funding, and without corporate sponsors, volunteers from different organizations like AZ Hugs, New Deal Meal, ARIS and Phoenix DSA’s Mutual Aid Committee would show up with food, water, free clothing, hygiene supplies, and a simple idea: to provide aid to the valley’s unhoused and less fortunate.

But in Tempe, this kind of care is apparently a strain on city resources..

Instead of supporting these community-led efforts, the city has been pushing back. In 2024, they began citing volunteers for feeding people without an expensive "special event permit." Austin Davis, the 23-year-old founder of AZ Hugs, was arrested, banned from all city parks, and hit with dozens of charges—just for continuing to serve food to the people who rely on it. Phoenix DSA’s Really Really Free Market was also shut down under the same permit crackdown.

Then, in the dead of night after hours of community backlash from over 70 attendees, Tempe City Council made things even worse.

They voted unanimously to pass a new ordinance requiring expensive permits for any gathering of 30 or more people in a public park. That includes charity events, cultural celebrations, even birthday parties. The fees range from $150 to $3,500, with insurance and city approval required—essentially putting public space behind a paywall and giving an unelected task force ultimate decision-making about what our parks can be used for.

Tempe is trying to price us out of public space. But we know this fight isn’t just about one ordinance—it’s about the kind of city we want to live in. Do we let cops and developers decide who gets access to public space—or do we organize to build a city that belongs to all of us?