Gilbert’s fire and police departments had a gay old time at Phoenix Pride Parade over the weekend — but some are questioning whether they misused taxpayer funds.
The Gilbert Fire Department and Gilbert Police Department issued a joint post commemorating their participation in the pride parade. The video depicts first responders smiling, waving rainbow gear, and walking with parade attendees, and a fire truck and police car flash their lights; the remix of Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “September” popularized by TikTok trends plays over the video.
Both the fire and police departments were an hour (50 miles) round trip from the Phoenix Pride Parade. Factoring in the drive time at the parade and the average cost of gas in the area ($5.33), that appearance likely cost between $60 and $90 in gas for the fire truck alone.
Gilbert’s first responders don’t attend every large annual parade. For example: they didn’t participate in the Arizona for Life March & Rally in January.
Gilbert Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes told AZ Free News in a statement that this was another example of the town’s wasteful spending for the sake of virtue signaling.
“Despite the Town insisting the organization is as lean as they can possibly get without impacting services, this latest antic is clear indication that they are plagued by a paradigm of waste,” said Yentes. “After all, as residents just struggle to afford putting gas in their car, the town is deploying expensive assets to drive 20+ miles to essentially virtue signal. Town equipment is meant to provide value to town taxpayers. It is not a tool for employees to make their own personal and political statements. This is wholly inappropriate and a slap in the face to taxpayers.”
Some social media users praised the Gilbert first responders for attending the parade, but some questioned the appropriateness of their involvement.
“What does the fire department and police department have to do with people’s sexual kinks?” wrote one user.
“Pretty sure everyone here wouldn’t be just as happy for the police and fire department if they rolled in a MAGA rally for our president a few years ago…” wrote another user.
The manager’s office reportedly promised to look into the first responders’ use of taxpayer funds. However, it’s unlikely town leaders intend to investigate, since the town posted it on their official TikTok account as well.
“Gilbert Fire & Rescue, Gilbert Police Department, and other Gilbert members participated in the 2022 Phoenix Pride Parade,” stated the post. “The Phoenix Pride Parade brings our diverse LGBTQ+ and allied communities together for a weekend of camaraderie and celebration of our past, present and future. #gilbertfire #gilbertfireandrescue #gilbertpd #gilbertaz #gilbertpolice #gilbertarizona #phoenixarizona #phoenixaz #pride #prideparade #phoenixpride.”
The Gilbert Water Tower will be lit rainbow tonight for Pride Month.
This lighting request was submitted by ALL – Arizona LDS LGBTQIA.
The Gilbert Fire Department’s use of taxpayer funds to attend a Pride Parade occurred less than a month before voters will decide on Proposition 310, a new statewide sales tax to increase revenue for fire districts. Firefighter union leaders say that they’re struggling to meet operation costs due to inflation. Unlike a general fund allocation, the sales tax revenue wouldn’t require transparency on expenditures.
This year’s Phoenix Pride Parade sponsors included Albertsons/Safeway, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bank of America, Bank of the West BNP Paribas, Banner Health, Bud Light, Carvana, Corona, Desert Financial Credit Union, Discover, DriveTime, Edward Jones, Embry Health, The Foundry, The Hartford, In-Power Motors, Nationwide, PetSmart, Progressive Leasing, SVB, Slalom, Snooze, Solari, Starbucks, Target, Toyota, and Upgrade.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Thomas Freeland, an Arizona World War II veteran, finally received the honors due to him decades ago.
Freeland, a Merchant Marine veteran, received the Congressional Gold Medal late last month. It’s one of the highest honors an individual may receive, accounting for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Recently, my office presented the Congressional Gold Medal to a World War II veteran named Thomas.
This is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation.
Rep. Andy Biggs’ veteran services director, Lee Huff, told AZ Free News that Freeland’s entire family was present to witness him receive the medal. Huff and Department of Disabled American Veterans Commander Carl Fortner presented Freeland with the medal.
“When it was presented to him, he just teared up and could not speak,” said Huff. “He had his entire family at the event. Huge family, beautiful family.”
The delay came, in part, due to the fact that World War II-era merchant mariners were denied veteran status until 1988.
Although President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the bravery and sacrifice of those merchant mariners for undertaking the most “difficult and dangerous transportation job ever undertaken,” they were denied military benefits and other accolades.
While serving as general, President Dwight Eisenhower also commended the work of the merchant mariners.
“[E]very man in this Allied command is quick to express his admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of the officers and men of the Merchant Marine,” stated Eisenhower. “We count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty as we do our own; they have never failed us.”
“The feats and accomplishments of the Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public recognition. The United States will be forever grateful and indebted to these merchant mariners for their effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods and resources in enemy territory throughout theaters of every variety in World War II. The goods and resources transported by the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and enabled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate way to shed further light on the service of the merchant mariners in World War II and the instrumental role they played in winning that war. Many students of the Merchant Marine Academy lost their lives as they sailed through enemy-controlled waters or unloaded cargo in overseas combat areas, and, as a result, the United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only institution among the five Federal academies to be authorized to carry a battle standard as part of its color guard.”
It was a privilege to present a long-overdue Congressional Gold Medal to WWII Merchant Marine Russell Inzinga.
Russell was one of nearly 250,000 Merchant Marines who undertook the dangerous mission of transporting troops through German U-boat infested and air patrolled waters. pic.twitter.com/Mzn8bFJZU9
Freeland joins two other Arizona veterans who received the Congressional Gold Medal recently. In May, two women from the 6888th Central Post Directory Battalion, or “Six-Triple-Eight” battalion, were awarded the honor for clearing years of backlogged mail, ensuring that loved ones’ letters made it to those serving overseas during World War II.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus, formerly Tucson’s police chief, is reportedly falling asleep during and skipping border-related meetings.
Numerous Biden administration officials working with Magnus revealed this information to Politico. They insisted that Magnus has virtually no grasp of border operations, observing that the commissioner often sends deputies to meetings in his stead.
“Operationally he’s not even in the conversation,” said one official. “He knows the border, but the ins-and-outs and the size and capabilities of CBP is pretty far outside his remit and understanding how to deal with other parts of the administration.”
Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) both supported Magnus in his nomination.
Officials also claimed that Magnus “bad-mouths” other agencies, and distracts CBP from solving the border crisis issue. They shared that Magnus is reportedly more concerned about systemic racism and negative cultures within Border Patrol (BP) than addressing the historic high of illegal crossings.
“He’s not in the game,” stated one anonymous official to Politico. “Every time there’s a meeting and he’s in it, we’ll get to a conclusion and Magnus will have some sidebar issue that he wants to raise and we’re all like ‘What the f**k is that about?’”
Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. Mental health is a critical public health issue, and I'm committed to ensuring that @CBP's workforce has access to the resources they need to improve their overall wellness.
— CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus (@CBPChrisMagnus) October 10, 2022
Magnus’ reported indifference to the border crisis aligns with his repeated denial of the border crisis and past refusal to enforce immigration law while Tucson’s police chief. It may also be why he was the Biden administration’s pick for commissioner, considering the White House has downplayed the severity of the border crisis continuously.
Last month, Magnus again downplayed the border crisis to NBC News, declaring that the border was in a state of order.
“I think people across the country should know it’s not chaos here [at the border],” said Magnus.
Biden’s CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus denies reality, claiming “it’s not chaos here” at the border. pic.twitter.com/ppi1jyC9QP
Magnus denied his colleagues’ allegations. He blamed multiple sclerosis for falling asleep, and claimed that he was almost always asking “too many” questions at meetings.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Earlier this month, a lawsuit against the city of Phoenix for facilitating a crime-riddled homeless encampment in the downtown area dubbed “the Zone” received a legal boost. The Zone has over 1,000 individuals, making it the largest homeless encampment in the state and one of the largest homeless encampments in the country.
The Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix-based public policy think tank and litigation organization, submitted an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit in early October. They petitioned the court to require the city to clean up The Zone.
The brief summarized that the city’s dereliction of duty violated multiple laws, including a 1985 Arizona Supreme Court decision constituting the invitation of vagrants into an area as an illegal nuisance as well as state law forbidding cities from maintaining activities that pollute public waterways.
In a press release, the Goldwater Institute’s vice president for legal affairs, Timothy Sandefur, contested that it was “outrageous” that the city would withhold police protection from the property and business owners within The Zone.
“It’s not compassion to let people live on the streets, in an atmosphere riddled with unpoliced gang violence,” wrote Sandefur. “Hardworking Phoenicians should be able to rely on the public services their tax dollars pay for — and their elected officials owe them a duty to enforce the laws.”
Sandefur highlighted one of the businesses harmed by the city’s facilitation of The Zone: Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA), a trade organization for the mining and rock industry. Sandefur relayed how the homeless started fires, left used needles and condoms, defecated and urinated, broke into cars, trespassed, and stole food from a refrigerator on ARPA property.
“ARPA is one of the many crucial contributors to Arizona’s economy, all of whom deserve to have their public officials enforce the law and protect their rights,” wrote Sandefur. “Yet thanks to this nuisance the city has created, ARPA is finding it increasingly difficult to do business at all in Arizona.”
.@GoldwaterInst today filed a brief in support of business & property owners challenging the City of Phoenix's maintenance of one of the nation's largest homeless encampments-a nuisance that is destroying businesses in the area. https://t.co/kQjSANKUAX
The case, Brown v. City of Phoenix (CV2022-010439), was filed in August in the Maricopa County Superior Court and will be heard by Judge Alison Bachus.
The 19 plaintiffs represent property and business owners located within The Zone: Freddy Brown, Joel and Jo-Ann Coplin, Joseph and Deborah Faillace, Karl Freund, Gallery 119, Michael Godbehere, Jordan Evan Greeman, Rozella Hector, Daniel and Dianne Langmade, Ian Likwarz, Matthew and Michael Lysiak, Old Station Sub Shop, PBF Manufacturing Company, Phoenix Kitchens Spe, and Don Stockman.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs accused the city of Phoenix of concentrating the homeless population within The Zone. The plaintiffs noted that city officials had full authority to adopt “irrational” policies, but asserted that those policies couldn’t cause nuisance and damage to civilians.
“In short, instead of seeking to solve the homelessness crisis, the City has effectively invited this population to construct semi-permanent tent dwellings on the public sidewalks and rights of way in Plaintiffs’ neighborhood, and to make the Zone their home,” stated the lawsuit. “The City has not only permitted this illegal conduct and maintained it on public lands within its control, but it has also encouraged it through a policy of directing other homeless persons from around the city to the Zone.”
The plaintiffs noted that a “substantial portion” of the homeless residents within The Zone were mentally ill or addicted to drugs, and consistently in violation of quality-of-life ordinances prohibiting loitering, disturbing the peace, drunken and disorderly conduct, drug use, domestic violence, and obstruction of streets, sidewalks, and other public grounds.
“In the Zone and its environs, laws are violated with impunity; residents are subject to violence, property damage, and other criminal and civil violations of laws designed to protect the quality of life of residents; property values have been erased; trash and human waste litter streets and yards; and, most tragically, a great humanitarian crisis unfolds as homeless residents of the Zone die on daily basis,” read the lawsuit.
BREAKING NEWS:
Neighbors file major homeless lawsuit vs. City of Phoenix.
Phoenix has long pushed homeless into Neighborhoods. People are fed up and taking matters into their own hands. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/55FXJtQ5oW
According to the latest ACT scoring data, the average Arizona student doesn’t achieve an ACT score recommended as a minimum by Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU), and the University of Arizona (UArizona).
On Tuesday, the ACT organization announced that the national average score for its eponymous college admissions test was the lowest it’s been in over 30 years: 19.8. However, Arizona fared worse: 18.3. The state’s students, on average, also fell below the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks.
ACT achievement data for the 2022 U.S. high school class of ACT test-takers finds that the average ACT Composite score has dipped to the lowest since 1991. Read more: https://t.co/lnUCTPvxgCpic.twitter.com/199WCHWmVt
If students go by their ACT scores, ASU requires first-year in-state applicants to have scored at least a 22 overall, while out-of-state applicants must score a 24. Both NAU and UArizona require freshmen applicants to score at least a 21 in English, 24 in math, and 20 in science.
All three universities present the ACT score as one of several possible criteria for admission, offering SAT scores, GPAs, and even certain courses taken as alternatives. During the pandemic, the three state universities made the SAT/ACT optional.
The organization noted in its state-by-state breakdown of data that the most accurate way to compare composite scores would be to compare the averages of states sharing similar percentages of graduates tested.
Even within that context, Arizona fared poorly according to the 64 percent of student scores available for review. The state with the next-highest percentage of graduates tested, Missouri (66 percent), boasted a composite score of 20.12. The state with the next-lowest percentage of graduates tested, South Dakota (58 percent), boasted a composite score of 21.42.
In a press release, ACT CEO Janet Godwin explained that this year of poor performance was the fifth consecutive year of decline: a “worrisome trend.” Godwin noted “longtime systemic failures” in the educational system, predating the pandemic, brought the nation’s students to this point.
“A return to the pre-pandemic status quo would be insufficient and a disservice to students and educators,” stated Godwin. “These systemic failures require sustained collective action and support for the academic recovery of high school students as an urgent national priority and imperative.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
