On Sunday, Mother’s Day, the Mesa Police Department commemorated 10 years since the death of Sergeant Brandon Mendoza.
At 32 years old and with 13 years on the force, Mendoza was slain while returning from work by a drunk illegal immigrant driving the wrong way on the freeway. His killer, Raul Silva-Corona, had a lengthy criminal record and was driving without a license at the time of the accident. Silva-Corona was high on meth and his blood-alcohol content was .24 percent, three times the legal limit.
Mendoza died the day after Mother’s Day that year. Mendoza was survived by his parents, siblings, and extended family. It was Mendoza’s dream since childhood to become a police officer, according to his obituary and subsequent interviews with his mother, Mary Ann Mendoza.
It’s been 10 years and your family, friends, and community still feel your loss. Sergeant Brandon Mendoza was killed on his way home from work on May 12, 2014 by a wrong way driver on the freeway. Remembering you, today and always.. Sgt. Brandon Mendoza EOW 05-12-2014. pic.twitter.com/PDEK32s4bp
Silva-Corona’s criminal record dated back for nearly 20 years to 1994, when he was arrested for burglary and assaulting an officer in Colorado. Silva-Corona skipped out on his sentencing hearing, avoiding detection until 2012 when Border Patrol discovered him in Arizona and transported him back to Colorado. Instead of imprisonment or deportation, Colorado sentenced Silva-Corona to probation and freed him.
Mendoza’s mother, Mary Ann, would later become a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, a sharp departure from predecessor Barack Obama and successor Joe Biden. Mary Ann appeared frequently on Trump’s 2016 campaign trail.
“Every person who’s here illegally is going to have a sob story about their family being ripped apart,” said Mendoza in 2017. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for them if they’ve committed a crime. My family’s already been ripped apart.”
After her son’s death, Mary Ann petitioned Obama to ban illegal immigrants from registering vehicles. She also founded Angel Families, a national support and advocacy group for families of individuals killed by illegal immigrants. Mendoza’s organization is engaging in a class action lawsuit against the Biden administration over not enforcing immigration laws.
Mary Ann was a guest speaker for the 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC).
“Every one of the crimes [Silva-Corona] committed had laws that should’ve resulted in jail time, but it didn’t happen. Instead, I had my son’s life stolen from me by a man who was three times the legal limit drunk, was high on meth, and drove for over 35 miles the wrong way on four different freeways, and he had no business being in this country,” said Mary Ann. “His death has left a large void in many people’s lives. This is a good cop’s story, cut short.”
Mendoza was one of the first officers to volunteer to wear a body camera.
Mary Ann was the guest of Congressman Andy Biggs for the 2020 State of the Union address.
The City of Mesa honored Mendoza’s memory in 2015 through the renaming of its baseball field at Guerrero Rotary Park, “Mendoza Field.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A majority of college students support pro-Hamas protests and a significant percentage condone violence.
According to a survey of nearly 800 full-time college students by Intelligent.com, 65 percent of students were supportive of the pro-Hamas protests. 36 percent of those students supportive of protests condoned the use of violence. About 18 percent of respondents opposed punishment for student protesters who broke the law, compared to 60 percent who were supportive of punishment for lawbreakers and 22 percent who were unsure.
A slightly higher percentage of students expressed opposition to punishment for student protesters who violate school policy, compared to 55 percent who expressed support for punishment and 24 percent who were unsure.
51 percent of protest supporters said they sympathized with Hamas. By comparison, 40 percent of all respondents said they sympathized with Hamas. However, 71 percent of all respondents expressed the belief that Israel has the right to exist.
While not all condoned acts of violence, a greater majority supported aggressive and even unlawful protest tactics. 75 percent reported support for encampments, 45 percent reported support for blocking students from attending class, and 38 percent reported support for canceling graduation ceremonies.
36 percent of students revealed that the protests caused them to be more supportive of Palestine, and 46 percent said the protests didn’t sway their level of support.
Eight percent of protest supporters revealed that they disliked Jewish people, 39 percent said they had no opinion, and 51 percent had a favorable opinion.
The survey also offered insight to a main source of information for college-age students: TikTok. 31 percent reported that the Chinese-owned social media app provided them with the background and updates on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
By comparison, about 15 percent of college students reported TV news as their source of information on the conflict. As for the others: a little over ten percent cited Instagram and YouTube, respectively, while about ten percent cited friends and family. Less than ten percent cited newspaper articles, and less than five percent cited professors, academic papers or books, or other sources of information.
This survey took place from May 1 to 2, across 763 full-time college students ages 18 to 24 balanced across four U.S. regions: Northeast, Midwest, West, and South.
Though gatherings and smaller protests began after Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the larger and rowdier pro-Hamas protests — marked by their encampments — broke out across all of Arizona’s public universities late last month. Many persist despite encampment teardowns from law enforcement as well as punitive measures like arrests and student suspensions.
Several activist groups have led in organizing the protests, facilitating resources for protesters, or establishing encampments, including: Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Mass Liberation Arizona, Muslim Students of America, Students for Justice in Palestine, Tucson Coalition for Palestine, Arizona Palestine Network, and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Activists with Mass Liberation Arizona and other groups also plan to pack the Maricopa County courthouse next Tuesday to protest the charges filed against those who encamped at Arizona State University.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona State University (ASU) banned a professor after his verbal confrontation with a Muslim woman on campus went viral online.
ASU professor Jonathan Yudelman, a School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership postdoctoral research scholar, confronted a hijab-clad Muslim woman during a pro-Israel protest near campus last Sunday, captured in viral footage amplified by pro-Hamas activists.
The events leading up to the heated, expletive-laden exchange weren’t captured or circulated, and the identity of the woman is unknown. It is also not known if she is an ASU student.
“You’re disrespecting my religious boundaries,” said the woman.
“What does this have to do with religion? You’re spewing hate,” said the man with Yudelman, former IDF soldier Sammy Ben.
“You disrespect my sense of humanity, b****,” said Yudelman.
“Get the f*** out of my face,” responded the woman.
“Get the f*** out of here,” said Yudelman.
“Go back to Jihad,” said Ben, to which another woman recording the viral exchange began screaming “Hate Crime!” and yelling for the cops to come handle the two men. At that point, Ben turned around to face the woman filming.
“What do you say about the seventh of October? Do you have an opinion about it? You also glorified it? You’re happy about it?” asked Ben.
His identity must be discovered and revealed! Footage shows a former Israeli soldier harassing a Muslim woman in the United States, along with other pro-Israeli gang members. The police do not intervene in Islamophobic and racist attacks against women. pic.twitter.com/oFz1vMePb2
Clemson University professor C. Bradley Thompson, a peer of Yudelman, offered some background to the viral exchange: the mystery woman had allegedly engaged by verbally accosting him first, and Yudelman wasn’t initially part of the pro-Israel protest.
According to Thompson, Yudelman is talking with a lawyer about his situation.
ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement that Yudelman was not only dismissed, but completely banned from campus and future teaching opportunities.
“He is no longer permitted to be on campus and will never teach here again,” said Crow.
Yudelman resigned before Sunday’s incident, though his resignation wasn’t scheduled to take effect until the end of June. Yudelman is an associate professor with University of Austin, a new private university enrolling its first undergraduate class this fall.
Yudelman formerly held positions with Harvard University, Princeton University, Baylor University, and the University of Texas.
Activists and organizations such as the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) demanded Yudelman to be arrested and fired for the exchange.
CAIR-AZ Executive Director Azza Abuseif said Yudelman’s rhetoric amounted to a “broader pattern of Islamophobia and religious intolerance weaponized by pro-Israel, pro-genocide extremists.” Abuseif also called for any criminal charges possible to be filed.
In a Wednesday press release, ASU reported that it had placed Yudelman on leave on Monday pending their investigation. The university referred the matter to Tempe police.
“Arizona State University protects freedom of speech and expression but does not tolerate threatening or violent behavior,” said ASU. “While peaceful protest is welcome, all incidents of violent or threatening behavior will be addressed.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Charter school students are making a name for Arizona schools nationwide: two BASIS Charter School students were named presidential scholars by the Department of Education.
The department selected only 161 high school seniors for the honor, and two of the three came out of Arizona charter schools: Matteo Huish from BASIS Mesa, and Sruti Peddi, from BASIS Scottsdale. The third student, Vivian Saavedra, attends Chaparral High School.
There are an estimated 3.7 million students expected to graduate from high school this year. Out of that total, over 5,700 candidates qualified for the scholars recognition.
The three Arizona students were selected out of 144 Arizona candidates total, and 19 semifinalists from the state. This year’s presidential scholars announcement marks the program’s 60th anniversary.
In a press release, BASIS Charter Schools CEO Carolyn McGarvey said she was proud of Huish and Peddi for their hard work and talent.
“Their achievements reflect the rigorous academic standards and commitment to excellence that define BASIS Charter School campuses nationwide, and particularly here in our home state of Arizona,” said McGarvey.
11 of BASIS Charter Schools were recently ranked in the top 100 public schools out of 24,000 schools in America by U.S. News & World Report, including the number-one school in the country overall: the BASIS Peoria campus. Both Huish and Peddi’s campuses were among the 11 ranked.
Semifinalists represented Bell Academy Homeschool, BASIS Scottsdale (three students), Brophy College Preparatory, Primavera Online High School, Paradise Valley High School (two students), BASIS Mesa (two students), Desert Mountain High School, University High School, BASIS Phoenix, BASIS Chandler (two students), Chaparral High School, The Jones-Gordon School, Arcadia High School, and Northland Preparatory Academy.
Presidential scholars are not selected on an application basis; the recognition comes through invitation only.
Eligible students must have scored exceptionally well on either the SAT or ACT. The Department of Education takes the top 20 male and female scorers in each state, and reaches out to them to submit candidacy materials such as essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports, and transcripts. The department evaluates the candidate materials on academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and essay content.
Each Chief State School Officer — in Arizona, the superintendent — may also nominate 10 male and 10 female candidates, and partner programs may nominate up to 40 candidates.
Semifinalists were selected by an independent national committee of educators convened by the Commission on Presidential Scholars.
The Department of Education also recognized three Arizona teachers for distinguished teaching paired with their respective 2024 Presidential Scholars: Sadie Puerner, a chemistry teacher out of Chaparral High School nominated by Saavedra; Charity Taylor-Antal, an English teacher out of BASIS Scottsdale nominated by Peddi; and Greg Thorson, an economics teacher out of BASIS Mesa nominated by Huish.
The department also recognizes presidential scholars in the arts as well as career and technical education. This year, however, Arizona didn’t have any scholars listed in those categories.
BASIS Charter Schools has had one or more Presidential Scholars in seven years since its inception in 1998: 2023, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2013.
The network of charter schools has 40 campuses serving over 24,000 students in Arizona, as well as Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen were key speakers for the McCain Institute’s 2024 Sedona Forum.
The McCain Institute is a D.C.-based organization within Arizona State University (ASU).
Blinken’s remarks were the headline of the forum, where he discussed global threats to U.S. interests, such as the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and relations with China. Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney joined Blinken on that panel.
A transcript of Blinken’s full remarks are available here.
Great to join @SenatorRomney at the @McCainInstitute’s Sedona Forum to talk about the importance of U.S. leadership in the world. Our commitment to an engaged America is more important than ever as we address challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, with China and beyond. pic.twitter.com/Y5RQOjMXnp
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 4, 2024
Yellen’s speech, “Democracy Delivers: An Economic Case for an Uncertain Era,” focused on improving the American economy to better ensure democracy and support the nation’s allies.
A transcript of Yellen’s full remarks are available here.
TUNE IN: I am about join the @McCainInstitute’s Sedona Forum to deliver major remarks on the importance of democracy to America’s economic success. https://t.co/h5WIcuz7Zd
While in Arizona, Yellen also visited Mesa with Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers and Mesa Mayor John Giles. In her Mesa remarks, Yellen claimed that the economy under the Biden administration had recovered historically and only grown in strength. Yellen also claimed that the job market was healthy, and that families were spending more from their savings and extra income.
The two-day forum featured remarks from mainly Democrats, with a few Republican elected officials sprinkled in: Gov. Katie Hobbs; Sen. Mark Kelly; Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and founder of a nonprofit dedicated to establishing female leadership across the public and private sectors; David Axelrod, ASU professor and formerly Obama’s chief campaign strategist and senior advisor; Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow; West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin; Damon Wilson, National Endowment for Democracy president and CEO, and formerly a top longtime NATO strategist; Sarah Margon, director of Democratic dark money tycoon George Soros’ Open Society Foundations; David Pressman, U.S. ambassador to Hungary, formerly Obama’s assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security and UN ambassador; Vermont Sen. Peter Welch; Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle; Jon Finer, deputy national security advisor, formerly an Obama administration staffer; Colorado Congressman Jason Crow; and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
Other left-leaning individuals who spoke at the event included Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
Other notable attendees included Alex Soros, the heir apparent to Democratic dark money tycoon George Soros’ $25 billion empire; Carl Bildt, co-chair of European Council on Foreign Relations and World Health Organization special envoy; and Nat Rothschild, of the famed trillionaire family.
McCain Institute forum in Sedona this weekend and was glad to get time to catch up with Senator @SenMarkKelly in his home state. Inspiring as ever and attentive to the threat posed in November if Trump wins. #SedonaForum2024pic.twitter.com/BhOhYih7s3
The McCain Institute’s executive director, Evelyn Farkas, was Obama’s deputy assistant secretary of defense to Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. While in that role, Farkas advised on Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014. Farkas was largely responsible for Russian escalation with her role in initiating the admission of Montenegro into NATO, an apparent threat to Russia. All the while, Farkas urged greater U.S. involvement in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Farkas’ work on these European relations was key to her resignation from the Obama administration.
Farkas was one of the first to push the Russiagate conspiracy against President Donald Trump.
After war escalated again between Russia and Ukraine, Farkas again advocated for more U.S. involvement.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
