The Arizona Black Lives Matter campaign plans a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Phillips Memorial CME church, 1401 E. Adams St. in Phoenix. The meeting, called Moving Phoenix Forward, is open to the public.
On Saturday, after the protest lead by Jarrett Maupin, Phoenix City Councilmembers Sal DiCiccio and Michael Nowakowski, chair of the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee, issued a joint statement regarding the diversion of police resources for protests. “We have both expressed strong concerns about the serial killer plaguing our city as he continues to victimize our Hispanic and African-American communities. We have both raised concerns with the Phoenix Police Department about the amount of resources being devoted to these marches and protests when those resources should be focused on protecting all of our citizens,” said the councilmen.
“The Phoenix Police Department, through our conversations, has also acknowledged that the amount of time required for planning and follow-through on each of these protests may drain resources away from the serial killer investigation and public safety throughout our city,” continued the councilmen.
“It is our hope that a more constructive way of dealing with the concerns of these individuals is found that would take into consideration the amount of resources that are being devoted to the public protests and the fact that there are other important issues facing our city,” concluded the councilmen.
Reginald Walton, the chairman of the Arizona Black Lives Matter campaign, said the town hall is meant as a forum for residents to discuss issues with community leaders and city officials. He expects City officials to attend the event.