Phoenix residents are petitioning the Phoenix City Council to improve security on the city’s light rail, claiming the transportation remains far too dangerous.
The state of the light rail was once again the focus of the council in a Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee meeting last month.
Dangers of the light rail contributed to the defeat of the city’s plan to landlock the State Capitol.
Jessica Mefford-Miller, Valley Metro CEO, reviewed their light rail security. Mefford-Miller reported that their private security does face limitations: only 75 percent of their scheduled shifts were filled, or 80-85 security officers out of the 110 needed; they only have 87 percent fare compliance; and they can’t issue citations to those riders who refuse to provide ID unless police are present. Each shift only has nine law enforcement members: one sergeant, four officers, and four police assistants.
Mefford-Miller noted that they would be expanding their police presence on stations and trains in the future. However, challenges to Mefford-Miller’s presentation revealed that the actual presence of security was lower.
Councilman Jim Waring questioned how many security personnel a rider could expect to encounter on the light rail. Mefford-Miller said only “about a third” of trains have personnel on them at any given time.
Waring further disclosed that multiple constituents had complained of seeing “vomit everywhere” and “people [that] were acting crazy.”
“I got tired of hearing too many constituents call and say, ‘Wow, I rode that one time. Never doing that again.’ It’s too expensive and too ungodly inefficient to justify anything we’ve spent, but now that it exists, you know, at least we shouldn’t be chasing away our customers,” said Waring.
Waring said he was “curious” with Mefford-Miller’s reference to homeless riders that were, “presumably, not paying.” He said her messaging was “unsound.”
“Those aren’t actually customers. They’re chasing away people who might actually be customers,” said Waring. “You’re not a customer if you didn’t pay. Then you’re stealing services from the people who did pay, and I guess asking the rest of us to subsidize it. And, if you’re harassing people who did pay, and making them never use it again, leaving more cost to be picked up by taxpayers who never use it.”
Mefford-Miller rejected Waring’s claim that riders were at significant risk of witnessing an incident or sustaining a personal attack. She said that “most” of the assaults on passengers in the Phoenix area were between two individuals known to each other, not strangers.
However, Waring rebutted that even the fact that so many fights were breaking out at all was cause for concern.
“To say, ‘Well, they’re attacking each other, so you’ll be perfectly fine.’ Well, okay, I’m not sure I’m going to be using that mode of transportation again,” said Waring. “The idea that this is great for everybody, this is not the feedback I’m getting.”
Valley Metro sustained over 575,100 incidents from January to July of this year across Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe. Those incidents consisted of nearly 24,600 removals, nearly 300 trespasses, over 100 assaults on passengers, over 30 assaults on security, and over 400 citations issued.
During that same time period, police reported over 3,500 criminal investigative reports, and over 1,100 transit unit arrests for drugs, criminal damage, and assaults.
Waring further shared that his and other councilmembers’ constituents have endured waves of criminals obtaining transport to their areas, where before the light rail they couldn’t.
Councilman Kevin Robinson responded that the 12 Arizona State University (ASU) students in his class reported enjoying the light rail and felt safe. Robinson said he would try riding the light rail himself to gain his own perspective on it.
Public comment was overwhelmingly negative.
Jeff Spellman with the Violence Impact Project Coalition said that light rail security has been a “disaster” for years, despite consistent constituent complaints.
Shannon McBride with North Mountain Village Planning Committee said that all but one from over 300 respondents to a survey of those living near the light rail described the light rail as very unsafe.
Darlene Vallo, with the 19th Avenue Community Safety Plan and Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board, reported observing drug deals, individuals high on drugs, individuals drinking alcohol, fights taking place on the light rail, and individuals taking baths in the public water fountain daily along her neighborhood patrols near the light rail.
Despite Mefford-Miller claiming that Valley Metro upholds a “See Something, Say Something” program, Vallo reported that Valley Metro employees have dismissed her reports of criminal activity on light rail property.
Councilwoman Betty Guardado expressed concerns with how much it would cost to add more police to Valley Metro. Guardado also expressed concerns with the impact that fully staffing the transit with law enforcement would have on the current police shortage. The councilwoman indicated that Valley Metro should make do with their current resources.
“Is it worth it at the end of the day?” asked Guardado. “Is it going to be cost efficient?”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
In the ongoing standoff over 13 agency appointments, Gov. Katie Hobbs took issue with the Senate’s vetting process; yet, she was forced in recent months to withdraw one of her nominees over his alliance with antisemitic extremism.
Former Democratic State Sen. Martín Quezada failed to be confirmed as the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AROC) director following discovery of his support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
Quezada purged his X timeline of several anti-Israel posts. In a deleted May 2021 post, Quezada urged his followers to listen to a speech by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) and to “free Palestine.” In her speech, Tlaib called for the U.S. to cease funding to Israel over the alleged apartheid of Palestinians. Traditionally, apartheid concerns state-sanctioned racial segregation and discrimination such as the denial of voting rights.
‘How many Palestinians have to die for their lives to matter?’ — Rep. Tlaib called out U.S. involvement in Israeli violence during this powerful floor speech pic.twitter.com/mOYdd0VW8F
Tlaib’s remarks came about a month after the Human Rights Watch (HRW) declared that Israeli policy in the West Bank amounted to apartheid, one of the first international organizations to do so. Tlaib, HRW, and other pro-Palestinian entities and actors have accused the Israeli government of apartheid for denying certain rights and privileges enjoyed by its citizens to Palestinians, as well as their engaging in a military conflict to maintain control over the disputed territory.
Two days after Quezada reposted Tlaib’s remarks, he appeared as a guest speaker for a Council on American-Islamic Relations of Arizona (CAIR-AZ) protest against the alleged Palestinian apartheid. CAIR-AZ has been identified as an entity of the Muslim Brotherhood and linked to activity with Hamas: the terrorist militant group behind this most recent attack on Israel.
As of this report, at least nine Americans were killed and an unknown number remain hostage. Authorities estimate that at least 150 individuals were taken hostage, if not more. Early estimates declared that 800 Israelis were killed, and over 2,500 were wounded in this most recent attack.
In his May 2021 speech for the CAIR-AZ protest, Quezada called the Israeli government a “Zionist state” enacting terrorism: invalid military occupation, human rights abuses, and ethnic cleansing. Quezada called for President Joe Biden to cease funding for the Israeli military.
“All of those billions of dollars, that is directing military aid that is going to occupation forces that are committing terrorism against the people of Palestine right now,” said Quezada. “This — what we are witnessing — is oppression and occupation in action right now. This is murder in action right now.”
Today, CAIR-AZ joined over 1000 Arizonans at the State Capitol to demand justice for the human rights violations and the #apartheid occurring in Palestine! We demand that our tax dollars do not go to fund the killing and the forced displacement of the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/ZiYe73nOOI
After the protest, Quezada wrote in a since-deleted post that he was a proud ally to the Free Palestine movement.
“I was proud to be present today as a friend and an ally to the Palestinian people,” said Quezada.
The next month, Quezada voted against legislation enhancing school curriculum on the Holocaust and antisemitism. In a speech on the Arizona Senate floor, Quezada derided the legislation as a lobbyist push to root out any criticisms of Israel.
“There is a strong and a well-funded lobbying effort that’s underway right now to take advantage of this crisis, to redefine antisemitism to include any criticism of the nation-state of Israel,” said Quezada.
Despite these past remarks and actions, Hobbs nominated Quezada for the AROC directorship in January.
By May, the Senate Committee on Director Nominations rejected Quezada’s nomination, dubbing him “an unqualified extremist with [a] racist past.” The committee uncovered Quezada’s antisemitic sentiments through its vetting process.
Although Hobbs apparently conceded to the committee’s findings by withdrawing Quezada’s nomination, only several months later the governor accused the Senate of poor vetting techniques. Hobbs cited canceled hearings and failures to bring committee-approved nominees to the floor for a vote. The governor accused the committee of “slow walk[ing]” acceptable nominees.
“[I]t is clear the Senate’s vetting process is not functioning as intended by law or tradition,” said Hobbs. “I have fulfilled my responsibility of nominating eminently qualified directors who meet the requirements of law.”
Hobbs withdrew her 13 nominees and reappointed them as executive deputy directors in an attempt to bypass the Senate confirmation. The move prompted a feud between Treasurer Kimberly Yee and Hobbs after the former declined to recognize several Hobbs appointees as valid members at the last Board of Investment meeting, followed by the latter accusing Yee’s concern with the law of being “extremist” behavior and “partisan obstructionism.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Phoenix College, the flagship institution for Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), hosted a drag queen story hour for all ages on Tuesday featuring banned books.
Drag Story Hour AZ held the event. The banned books read were “My Princess Boy” by Cheryl Kilodavis, which advocates for the normalization of gender nonconformity; “Neither” by Airlie Anderson, which advocates for the normalization of nonbinary and transgender children; “Prince & Knight” by Daniel Haack, which advocates for the normalization of same-sex relationships; and “Red: A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall, which advocates for LGBTQ+ normalization.
In an email, Phoenix College described the story hour as a “Freedom Read” inclusive opportunity to build community. The college hosted the story hour in celebration of Banned Books Week.
“Drag story hours offer inclusive environments for community building and informal learning through a familiar (and fun!) literacy activity,” read the email. “Beyond asking that you encourage our students (and their families!) to attend the event, we warmly welcome your participation.”
The Equality Maricopa PRISM Drag Ball Fundraiser is this week! 10/7 |5:30 PM – 8:30 PM| Bulpitt Auditorium
A community activist and parent opposed to drag queen story hours for children posted that he attempted to obtain tickets for the event, but was restricted from doing so.
Well! I was still going to attend the @PhoenixCollege event where Drag Story Hour AZ was doing a SECRET banned book reading children can attend.
They just emailed me and canceled all tickets and want me to prove I know someone to get tickets. How creepy
Drag Story Hour AZ also lists other banned books on its Bookshop page. In addition to the books read on Tuesday, the organization recommended the following LGBTQ+ advocacy books for children and their families: “Worm Loves Worm,” “10,000 Dresses,” “Antonio’s Card,” “I Am Jazz,” “When Aidan Became a Brother,” “The Boy Who Cried Fabulous,” “Pink Is For Boys,” “This Day in June,” “And Tango Makes Three,” “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” “Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens,” “Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World,” “Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States,” “A Queer History of the United States,” “Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes,” “The Gender Creative Child: Pathways For Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes,” “Helping Your Transgender Teen: A Guide For Parents,” “This Is a Book For Parents of Gay Kids: A Question & Answer Guide to Everyday Life,” and “Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story.”
The organization’s founder and president, David Boyles, is an English professor at Arizona State University (ASU). As reported previously, Boyles has been featured in several events promoting drag entertainment through local libraries and the Arizona Humanities.
Boyles has held that LGBTQ+ storytelling to minors remains important because it “counter[s] the erasure of queer stories,” and advocates for their attendance at drag shows as well.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ ex-press secretary, Josselyn Berry, ousted for tweeting a death threat to “transphobes” hours after the Nashville school shooting, has returned to the dark money organization she worked for previously.
After laying low for several months and privatizing her social accounts, Berry reactivated her LinkedIn and publicly announced her hire by Progress Arizona. She began working with the organization in June.
“After a much-needed sabbatical I’m thrilled to announce I’ve returned home to my Progress Now family as their Senior Director of Campaigns,” said Berry. “I’ll be working with our battleground states to help them run winning programs for the 2024 election cycle.”
Although Berry has reactivated her LinkedIn account, her X page (formerly known as Twitter) remains private. At some point after inciting controversy and making her X page private, Berry updated her profile header image from a picture of Hobbs to the phrase “Trans Rights Are Human Rights.”
Those who reacted positively to Berry’s characterization of her departure from the Ninth Floor included Hobbs’ policy advisor, Molly Murphy; Hobbs’ deputy chief of staff, Will Gaona; Arizona House communications director, Robbie Sherwood; Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus communications director Calli Jones; Arizona House Democratic Caucus senior policy advisor Vicente Reyna; and Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari’s communications director, Emily O’Neil.
Berry resigned within days after issuing a general death threat to those opposed to transgender ideology. The morning after the Covenant School shooting, Berry posted a gif of a woman holding guns in each hand with the caption “Us when we see transphobes.”
Less than 24 hours before, a woman who identified as a transgender man shot and killed three elementary school-aged children and three teachers at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Press Sec. for @GovernorHobbs has RESIGNED over this vile tweet calling for violence against Democrats’ political opponents.
Katie Hobbs should stop surrounding herself with far-left partisans & instead hire people focused on doing the work of the people. pic.twitter.com/bVu6xqXCcd
— Arizona Freedom Caucus (@AZFreedomCaucus) March 29, 2023
Prior to her communications gigs with Hobbs, the Arizona Democratic Party, and the Arizona Senate Democrats, Berry served as the Progress Arizona executive director and chairman.
The dark money nonprofit has received funding from One Arizona, which in turn received funding from the dark money behemoth Arabella Advisors’ five nonprofit arms.
The nonprofit has also received funding from George Soros directly, such as through his Democracy PAC, and indirectly, such as through the Future Now Fund (aka PAC For America’s Future).
The nonprofit then turns around and issues funding to a number of progressive nonprofits including the Arizona Advocacy Network, CASE, Civic Engagement Beyond, League of Women Voters AZ, LUCHA, Our Voice Our Vote, Poder Latinx, and Rural Arizona Action.
Berry also previously worked as the program manager for Arizona Wins and communications coordinator for the Arizona Advocacy Network, two key organizations within the state’s leftist dark money network.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer says that a number of progressive social issues aren’t major threats to America.
Richer dismissed the notion that transgender activism, woke corporations, and critical race theory were the most important challenges facing America. He also deprioritized the concerns over globalization, worker power, and financialization.
Rather, Richer declared that he believed government regulation, tax rates, free trade, and illegal immigration were the top challenges facing America.
Specifically: tax rates on corporations and job creators are too high, regulation is discouraging business growth and innovation, and tariffs on China are raising prices and interfering with free trade.
Of these 12, my top 3 of my top 4 issues are the 3 at the bottom in blue. (Immigration reform other)
This puts me firmly in what the study calls the "old right."
Very interesting report by @AmerCompass on "The New Conservative Voter."
— Stephen Richer—MaricopaCountyRecorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) October 1, 2023
The county recorder elicited his self-characterization in response to an American Compass report on a survey of Republicans describing “The New Conservative Voter.” By the report’s standards, Richer declared himself to be the “old right.”
“Naive of me to think politics was about competing ideas for a governing philosophy,” stated Richer.
A majority of survey respondents believed, in order, that transgender activism, woke corporations, illegal immigration, critical race theory, and globalization were the top five most important challenges facing America.
Those survey responders most concerned with the threat of progressive cultural issues were characterized as “cultural” Republicans. They agreed that transgender activists are trying to erase the differences between boys and girls; that “woke” corporations are forcing their values on Americans; and that schools, businesses, and even the military are telling Americans that the country is racist.
Survey responders most concerned with illegal immigration, family and fertility, and higher education were characterized as “consensus” Republicans. They agreed that illegal immigration undercuts American workers and lowers their wages; not enough people are married and having kids; and the education system only works for people who are able to succeed in college.
Those survey responders most concerned with globalization, worker power, and financialization were characterized as “new right” Republicans. They agreed that American manufacturing has been gutted by globalization and trade with China; workers have little control over their jobs and can’t do anything about it; and people make more money working Wall Street than building real businesses.
The survey respondents also overwhelmingly agreed that it’s become harder for a family to achieve middle-class security in America, that employers should offer better jobs and higher pay to bring in more workers, that colleges should have to bring down their costs and make loans themselves to students who need them, that tariffs are good and needed to boost American manufacturing, that the government should provide support to ensure that America is a leader in advanced technologies like semiconductors, that politicians should focus on cutting taxes and never consider raising them, and that the government shouldn’t implement welfare stipends under a “family benefit” policy.
However, survey respondents were more evenly divided on two issues. A lesser majority agreed that Wall Street investors are getting rich doing things that weaken our economy, and that unions are a negative force that harm workers, employers, and consumers.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
