Tucson Speaks Out: February 2

Mayes criticism unfair

I don’t understand the uproar over Attorney General Kris Mayes’ comments regarding the potential for violence when the current ramped-up immigration enforcement and Arizona’s “stand your ground” law come into conflict. As reported in the Daily Star, Federal agents are often masked, without identification, and are ready to use lethal force. There clearly could be instances of violence resulting from a masked, unidentified, armed intruder bashing his way into a home without a warrant and being confronted by a resident who “stands his ground.” Either we should eliminate the “stand your ground” law in Arizona, or immigration enforcement agents should act like police officers and not cover their faces, wear clearly marked uniforms with name plates and badges, have body cameras, and use judicial warrants when they enter residents’ houses. You can’t have it both ways. Mayes should not be criticized for pointing out the risks.

Hilary Ring

Northwest side

Rush-hour protests

Last week I participated in a rush hour protest. The participants were peaceful and committed.

However, many of the signs were not effective at persuading the commuters in cars. Many of these drivers are busy with work and family responsibilities for children or elderly relatives, and are not focused on current national events.

Signs which are vulgar, demean physical attributes of the current president, or denigrate his supporters, are not effective at reaching uncommitted voters.

The purpose of a rush-hour protest is to inform and persuade. One sign I saw quoted Anne Frank on the horror of a government separating families – a message that would resonate with most people. Some protesters waved U.S. flags, demonstrating that they are patriots seeking a return to traditional American values.

I encourage protesters to think about the purpose of their signs, and refrain from counter-productive messages.

Kathleen Fullin

West side

Local leaders, we need help

Anyone who believes a sanctuary city like Tucson will not be a target of the president's armed militia is, at this point, willfully ignorant or wildly naive. So why is Tucson not actively preparing for the inevitable?

Please Mayor Romero, our Rapid Response Team, Pima County Board of Supervisors, TPD and anyone else with a credible voice and active social media presence, we need your help! As witnessed in Minneapolis, we can begin by distributing whistles and exchanging contact info with our neighbors. We can pack and deliver food boxes to households living in fear. With training, we can escort kids to school or community members to immigration appointments. As a city, we need to be prepared.

And because there is real urgency now, we -- the people -- need immediate help getting organized. We need meeting places, channels of communication and - sometimes - training. We need experienced community organizers and social media influencers. Most importantly, we need our local leaders to assume responsibility for preparing us for what is sure to come.

Leslie Kanberg

Downtown

Trump's prophetic statement from 2016

On January 23, 2016, in Sioux City, Iowa, Donald Trump said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and I wouldn’t lose any votes.”

This week, Arizona Republican leadership met in Prescott. In the wake of the shootings in Minneapolis, several members were quoted as saying such things as: “FAFO,” “They (protesters) are doing it to themselves,” “They (ICE) are just federal workers doing what they have been asked to do,” “If it takes a little inconvenience to get the job done, then I’m all for it," and “When you pull a gun on an ICE officer… well.”

Several of those interviewed said they had not bothered to look at videos, but believed Kristy Noem’s and Gregory Bovino’s reporting of the incident.

At least for the Arizona Republican leadership, Trump’s people can shoot people in the middle of the street and he won’t lose their vote. Trump’s statement, made 10 years ago, is prophetic and very worrisome.

Gary Haslett

SaddleBrooke

Kavanagh should resign

John Kavanagh wants Kris Mayes to resign because she stated the obvious. So I have question for him. It's the crack of dawn and your door is busted open. A dozen men wearing tactical gear and 12 different types of clothing (blue jeans, T-shirts, etc.) looking more like Russian mercenaries than police. They do have velcro patches that say police, but they are cursing like drunken sailors. Are they cops of impersonating police? What if they are criminals with a badge? They will knock you out, steal what they want or beat you to death. You call us terrorists, but these are our homes and these people do not look nor act like police. Why should we treat them as such? You put all Arizonans in jeopardy by creating a situation that puts us at the mercy of any punk that can score a velcro patch.

Dan Pendergrass

West side

Re: Sanctuary cities/states

ICE is not in Minneapolis because it is a "sanctuary city." They are in the city because Trump is seeking retribution against Governor Walz for damaging Trump's fragile ego. They are in the city primarily because of Trump's racism against the Somali community, as well as the fact that a Democrat is the mayor.

The author of the LTE falsely implies that all of the undocumented are criminals and is apparently unaware or unconcerned that the Constitution applies even to the undocumented. He also characterizes the demonstrations as "far from peaceful" and that they are funded by Soros, a claim which in addition to being false, also has its roots in antisemitism. And no right-wing trope would be complete without mentioning that not only do they vote, but that they do so exclusively for Democrats.

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The most ridiculous claim in the LTE is that it is Democrats who "hate" American citizens while striving for "power and control".

Glen Vann

West side

Jesus vs. Trump

I don't care who you voted for. I know you're busy, we are all overwhelmed. It is time for us, as a nation, to have a Come to Jesus moment because these people rape children, imprison babies, murder citizens, and arrest journalists. We have to stop all of it. Now.

Jeannie Perry

Northwest side

Props 418, 419

The RTA Board would have a better chance of convincing a skeptical public to support Props 418 and 419 if they provided standard project metrics - Earned Value, Cost Variance, Schedule Variance, Estimate At Completion, etc. - especially if the did it regularly, like monthly. Accountability builds trust.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

Hobbs slams Mayes over comments

I read this article twice, and I didn't see anything that Kris Mayes said that was either untrue or objectionable. She has nothing to retract. Mayes apparently said that "the Trump administration has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to act in ways that could lead to dangerous encounters." That's putting it mildly. When actions lead to the senseless killing of two citizen protesters, that definitely qualifies as dangerous. And when she mentioned our "stand your ground" law here in Arizona, I didn't see that as provocation of any sort, but rather as explaining the way things are here. I stand with Kris Mayes. Also, as stated in this very paper recently, if ICE's mission is to apprehend illegal immigrants, the "worst of the worst", they should have been sent to Texas and Florida, not Minnesota. We the people aren't naive enough to not know why Trump chose Minnesota instead of Texas or Florida.

Aston Bloom

East side

Trump's betrayal of America

The America that my parents immigrated to in 1947, that I learned about and learned to love in my social studies classes in Indiana, that my classmates fought for in the '60s and '70s; that made life-changing inventions to raise standards of living around the world; that funded institutions promoting peace, health, and cooperation; that enacted protections for the only planet mankind can occupy; that advanced awareness of the need for tolerance and justice, is gone.

The very mantra of DEI - diversity, equity, and inclusion - has been inverted from an aspiration into an abomination.

Racism is again openly embraced - in immigration, higher education, employment. Suspicion and devaluation - by the white and wealthy - are once again coin of the realm. The "summer of love" has faded into the winter of hate in the snow-covered Minneapolis streets.

Trump, the hater-in-chief, doesn't speak for me. We cannot be free of him and his deplorable lackeys soon enough.

Regula Case

Midtown

Mayes is right

Attorney General Kris Mayes did nothing wrong by merely stating Arizona law. She is right that unidentified masked men breaking in could be mistaken for intruders. Much like Senator Kelly, she is stating the law. The baldly political pearl-clutching make Finchem, Hoffman, and especially Petersen, who is running against her, look like the mountain-from-a-molehill people they always are.

ICE is dangerous, and we can see that from the Minnesota killings. Mayes is allowed to talk about the law. It’s her job. All these hissy fits are pure theatre. Mayes was in no way calling for the endangerment of officers in any uniform. The insanity is saying that talking about our laws should be illegal.

Joe Clure of the Arizona Police Association says, “she can try to wordsmith that…”. No, Mayes spoke clearly. The wordsmithing, twisting, and gaslighting are on the part of Republicans. It is madness to have a law, then say it is impeachable to dare to speak of it.

Christi Driggs

Northwest side

Renaming and removal

Following Donald Trump's narcissistic renaming of iconic sites in his honor, Trump has been removing names and information throughout America, giving a new dimension to the term whitewashing. Recently, the National Park Service removed exhibits about slavery at the President's House in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, resulting in Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro's condemnation of the acts as the “sanitation of historical exhibits.” The Arizona Daily Star article “Native history exhibits at Grand Canyon targeted” details the National Park Service's removal of “signage, exhibit text and images that refer to the removal of Native peoples or discuss restrictions placed on tribal cultural practices.” Jim Enote, Chair of the Grand Canyon Trust, noted such action “separates people from place,” adding “It strips both land and humanity of their whole meaning.” The article continues with other atrocious efforts to remove or reframe history. Ironically, rather than glorify Trump, these efforts will reflect a morally hollow man in constant need of validation.

Roger Shanley

East side