Last Week This Morning: What we already knew
By TJ Hernandez
Defying Ducey. School districts across the state are refusing to comply with Gov. Ducey’s ban on mask mandates and will require masks to be worn by students on campuses as COVID-19 cases rise. The three major universities in the state, ASU, UA, and NAU will also enforce masking, and many education groups are suing the state over the law that bans mask mandates. Ducey is blatantly disregarding children’s and teachers’ lives for his political games—the law banning mask mandates was inserted into the state budget as a way to secure the support of anti-mask Republicans in order to pass Ducey’s historic tax cuts for the wealthy.
Listen to Black organizers. Last week, outside reports conducted by the DOJ confirmed what Black and Brown organizers with Poder in Action, Mass Liberation AZ, and Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro have been saying for years—the Phoenix Police Department is corrupt and violent. Not only did Phoenix Police collaborate with Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel on false gang charges against protestors, but Chief Williams failed for years to investigate racist coins circulating in the department that celebrated the shooting of a protester in the groin with a rubber bullet. Black and Brown people have been bringing attention to this issue for years, yet most elected officials in the state have been silent until this point. Activists continue to organize around reallocation of police funding, and are calling for the firing of any officers and officials involved.
Senate on recess. The Senate left for August recess after Republicans again obstructed the effort to pass the For the People Act and other legislation that would end gerrymandering of congressional districts. This is a significant failure as the next phase of redistricting begins with the newly released census data. The Senate did pass a budget resolution, and will resume work on passing the Build Back Better budget package when they return. The Build Back Better Agenda is a critical step forward in expanding the social safety net and investing in green energy. New polling shows that Arizonans overwhelmingly support the budget plan, which will be paid for by making corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes.
Arizona Dream Act Coalition. Check out ADAC’s latest short video about what budget reconciliation and immigration reform would mean for millions of undocumented immigrants.
Path to citizenship. Phonebank with LUCHA and United We Dream in support of a path to citizenship in the reconciliation package.
Fire Chief Williams. Send an email to the city of Phoenix and demand that Phoenix Police Chief Williams be fired for her role in the fabrication of charges against protestors.