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City of Tucson leaders held a press conference on Tuesday to reaffirm their commitment as an immigrant friendly community. The statement has no real value to Tucson’s illegal or legal residents, but it does serve the leaders’ political agendas.
For years, Tucson’s leaders have failed to provide even the most basic services to all residents; both legal and illegal. For example, residents in the immigrant friendly community, which should ensure that those in the country illegally can report crimes to authorities without legal repercussion, cannot count on the stretched-thin ill-equipped police force to respond routine calls. Instead, they are directed to file complaints on-line in the hopes that at some point someone might take action in the matter they have reported.
Apparently Tucson does offer some services, according to Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. He stated, “Tucson remains an immigrant-welcoming community with resources available to help visitors, permanent residents and those seeking to become naturalized U.S. citizens, and none of that is going to change.”
Despite the fact that Trump supporters are few and far between in Tucson, as evidenced by the recent vote, the duo noted that there is an increase in hate crimes.
According to Tucson News Now, the YMCA has launched a website to track instances of hate. Tucson News Now reported that the instances included:
One man reported seeing a group of African American teen girls walking on Oracle Road by the Tucson Mall, when a car with two white men made a fast left turn, then sped up and drove right at them as they crossed the street.
As they swerved around the girls, barely missing them, he said they yelled racial slurs, including the “N-word.”
A woman reported that she was verbally harassed and bullied by a man who told her he lives in her neighborhood while she was at the dog park.
She said she is afraid he might hurt her, and she is scared to go back to the park.
Another woman sent the YWCA a screenshot of her phone.
It showed a Facebook exchange with a man who disagreed with something she said, and told her: “You can’t believe everything you read, you wetback.”
One woman was only recently able to get a protective order from her neighbor who has been tormenting her for years.
That’s because another neighbor finally witnessed what was going on.
“It took 17 years of antisemitic comments, property damage and 11 killed animals to catch one of my neighbors and to get an harassment order because no one believed me,” she said, adding that Tucson police just told her to move out of her house.
Rothschild assured residents on Tuesday that the City would fight any unconstitutional actions by the federal government.
The City Council also called for an increase in the City’s sales tax. The regressive tax, should the voters pass it, will have the greatest impact on all of the City’s poorest residents.