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"Accountability, Anti-Racist Policies Needed for True Change"
by Sergio Avila
Special to the Arizona Daily Star July 1, 2020 Updated Jul 10, 2020)...
The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
In late May, Paul Durham, my City Council member for Tucson’s Ward 3, made an incipient statement in his weekly newsletter about the killing and lynching of Black men George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. This was before the marches, protests, and subsequent violence at the hands of police departments across the country, occurred.
Durham’s statement was three sentences: “I want to take a moment and acknowledge the hurt and anger that many are feeling right now following the killing of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. I typically do not weigh in on matters that are not directly before Mayor & Council and have not previously spoken about the harms experienced by our African American and Mexican American communities caused by deep-seated racism. I wish to echo and amplify the following statement from my colleague … ”
He then copied and pasted the words of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, which expressed outrage at the killing of an unarmed Black man and demanded accountability and justice. Given last week’s news made public the brutal killing of Carlos “Adrian” Ingram Lopez while in custody of the Tucson Police Department, these words ring hollow.
I write to demand that Paul Durham, Mayor Romero, and the whole City Council take direct action to address Ingram Lopez’s murder, a death that the police hid from not only the public, but seemingly from the mayor and council.
Tucson has been lauded in recent weeks for being one of only two cities in the United States that has adopted the “Eight Can’t Wait” measures. The killing of a human being, the hiding or ignoring of a video that showed those events and the protection of the perpetrators of the killing makes TPD’s adoption of these and other ostensibly progressive measures moot.
They must not whitewash this event by saying it was the result of “bad apples,” and instead address police violence at the department level.
I call for the mayor and council to charge and process accountability to the officers involved in Ingram Lopez’s killing and hiding of the video. I call them to repeal Ordinance 11746, which not only serves to protect the police, but to further endanger the citizens of Tucson.
I call for the defunding of the police and redirecting funds from TPD to other needs in the city instead of directing one-third of the city’s budget to state-sanctioned violence trainings, purchase and use of military equipment for intimidation, and over-policing of the Black and brown members of our community.
Council members must listen to their constituents, specifically Black people on the front lines of this struggle, who can better inform and express the needs of over-policed yet under-resourced communities, neighborhoods and businesses. Supporting those communities benefits all people in our city. For example, the recent Supreme Court decision on DACA protecting “dreamers” was a legal fight led by the NAACP, a Black-led organization.
The win benefits immigrant communities and adds strength to all who are fighting for immigration reform. Furthermore, investing in communities goes beyond financial investments. Council members must invest in fostering relationships, in listening, in learning, and in spending time, not just spending money.
In the words of academic and political activist Angela Davis: “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” I call for Tucson’s City Council to take action. Stop the posturing and empty words. We want systemic change to the whole garden, not just cutting the “bad apples.” Attack this issue at the root. Water it with real action, not good intentions; weed out bad policies and programs; fertilize it with accountability and investments that support our community so that we can all enjoy the fruits of your work. This is why we elected you.
~ Sergio Avila
Sergio Avila is a wildlife biologist and conservationist, an immigrant, living and working on ancestral Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui lands since 2004. He is a member of the city of Tucson’s Commission on Climate, Energy and Sustainability.
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