Valley group reaches out to gang members to stop violence

 

 

PHOENIX – To some gang members, kids in south Phoenix are potential recruits. But to the people behind Project TRUCE, they are the future, and a catalyst for peace in a neighborhood riddled with gun violence.

“It’s probably one of the things that keeps me up at night, when you see a 4-year-old throw up a gang sign,” said Advisory Board Member Deborah Kidd Chapman, who teaches children from her neighborhood to follow a productive path.

“I learned a lot on those streets, and I learned a lot about what it means to make good choices in your life,” said Chapman. “When I was given a do-over, I said I would try to direct children to make positive choices in their lives.”

 

Valley group reaches out to gang members to stop violence

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Phoenix officer charged with murder has mixed past, prior problems

The records show an up-and-down career for the officer, who now faces second-degree murder charges after he shot and killed 29-year-old Daniel Rodriquez during a domestic violence call on October 5.

Rodriquez’s mother called police after an argument. The situation escalated and Chrisman shot him twice. He died shortly later.

Rodriquez was not armed and the killing has ignited the Hispanic community.

Chrisman’s partner also called the incident “the worst day of his life,” arrest records show.

via Phoenix officer charged with murder has mixed past, prior problems.

Cop, 2 suspects die during drug raid shootout

 PHOENIX, Ariz. — At least one police officer and two suspects were killed Wednesday when a gunbattle erupted during an undercover drug operation in Phoenix, police said.

The shootout left two other officers wounded and two other suspects hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Steve Martos, a Phoenix police spokesman.

Two more suspects were detained and being questioned, Martos said. A seventh was being sought.

All three officers were from the Chandler Police Department. One was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, authorities said. One of the wounded officers was in critical condition at the same hospital while the other was in stable condition.

The names of the officers were being withheld until their families were notified, authorities said.

via Cop, 2 suspects die during drug raid shootout – U.S. news – Crime & courts – msnbc.com.

Officer in councilman fray praised in records

by Michael Ferraresi – Mar. 27, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic The Phoenix police officer accused of abusing his authority in the handcuffing of City Councilman Michael Johnson was known as a goal-oriented rookie who supervisors praised for his sensitivity in working with south Phoenix residents, records show.

Brian Authement, 27, received near-flawless marks on a February job review and has not been disciplined during his time at South Mountain Precinct, according to records released Friday. He’s worked in that precinct since graduating from the academy.

via Officer in councilman fray praised in records.

To understand the discontent

The criticism surprised Jeri Williams, the assistant police chief who oversees operations in south Phoenix. The first African-American woman to achieve her … .
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/03/26/20100326fri1-26.html

More allegations against Phoenix police South Mountain precinct

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Phoenix City Council approves budget plan

A handful of African-American community leaders made one final plea to restore year-round funding for the decades-old South Phoenix Youth Center. Food-tax revenue will keep it open only during summers.”Youre closing the community out by closing these centers,” said longtime Valley broadcaster Art Mobley.

via Phoenix City Council approves budget plan.

Operation targeting gangs nets numerous arrests

by Michael Ferraresi – Feb. 6, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic Authorities say gang investigators in the past week arrested 23 of 34 people accused of fueling a prominent street gang known as one of the more-violent groups in south Phoenix.

The arrests and indictments were announced Friday.

Police arrested 118 gang associates in addition to those indicted.

The operation targeted gang members and associates involved in drugs, prostitution and violence primarily in the area between 15th and Seventh avenues south of Buckeye Road, according to police.

South Mountain Precinct officers worked with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and other organizations after they noticed a spike in drug-related activity in the area.

“When you get down to the street-level guys like this, these are the ones terrorizing the neighborhoods,” said Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson, a former police officer.

via Operation targeting gangs nets numerous arrests.

Phoenix Elks lodge a problem, police say

After-hours parties at group’s south Phoenix location tied to frequent officer calls, liquor-license violations   

by Jahna Berry – Dec. 2, 2009 12:00 AM     

The Arizona Republic     

A Phoenix Elk’s lodge with ties to Councilman Michael Johnson has been cited repeatedly for liquor-license violations and is a magnet for illegal, late-night activity, police documents show.   

An Arizona Republic investigation found that since January, police have been called more than 50 times to the William H. Patterson Improved and Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World at 1007 S. Seventh Ave. That includes a Nov. 7 incident in which police officers found after-hours drinking violations, according to state records.   

Other police calls included more than a dozen incidents of alleged liquor-license violations, suspected fights and possible gunfire.    

Also last month, the lodge’s kitchen was closed and the electrical power was shut off due to code violations.   

On Tuesday, the Elks withdrew an application for a special-event liquor license for an annual toy drive that city council was expected to vote on today. The Police Department had recommended against granting it because of “repeated criminal acts.”   

In an interview, Johnson, a former Phoenix police officer, downplayed his ties to the organization, saying he knows of no criminal investigation or complaints about the lodge, other than the recent code violations. Johnson is one of four Elks members named on the lodge’s state liquor license, Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control records show.   

“I am still a member,” Johnson said. “I am not an officer or anything or haven’t really been actively involved in, like, three or four years.”   

The 85-year-old south Phoenix Elks group is known for community outreach, especially to poor children. The average age of a member is mid-60s, the group’s outgoing president, Virgil Turman, said.   

After-hours parties

Since the 1970s, a major source of lodge revenue has been weekend dance events and non-alcoholic after-hours parties that start at 2 a.m.   

Those events can draw hundreds of people, and rowdy crowds of much younger non-Elks, to the south Phoenix neighborhoods near the lodge.   

A police spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday because an officer was expected to testify about the Elks special-event liquor-license application at today’s City Council meeting. After the item was pulled from the council agenda, a police representative could not be reached for response late Tuesday.   

Records from the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control show that the Elks lodge paid a $250 fine in February for serving alcohol to non-members or guests of members. The group paid $1,000 for the same offense in July.   

Since 1996 the lodge has been cited seven times for violating state liquor laws, including for selling alcohol between 1 and 6 a.m., gambling and selling liquor to patrons who are not Elks members or Elks guests.   

Loiterers to blame?

The lodge has had past liquor-license problems but they were resolved, said Turman. The problem isn’t the after-hours parties, it’s the crowd that hangs out in the lodge parking lot and surrounding streets during the events, he said.   

The lodge hired five off-duty police officers to provide security at the lodge parking lot on weekends.   

The off-duty officers can’t do much about people who linger off lodge property, Turman added.   

Patrons can only buy fruit juice, water and soda at after-hours events, Turman stressed.   

Residents put up with noisy rows of parked cars, public urination and sometimes, outdoor dice games, said Julian Sodari, president of the Grant Park Neighborhood Coalition.   

Neighbors have met with police, but Sodari said he hasn’t spoken with Johnson.   

Johnson is a longtime member of Lodge No. 477 and was the president from 1996 to 2006.   

Turman said Johnson goes to monthly Elks meetings and advised the group about how to handle its recent troubles with the city at the November meeting.   

Johnson said that he was unaware that he was still on the lodge’s liquor license, because he was supposed to be removed several years ago.   

People on an establishment’s liquor license “have a voice in how the premise is run and you are responsible for what happens on the premises,” said Lee Hill, spokeswoman for the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control.   

via Phoenix Elks lodge a problem, police say.

Phoenix braces for more cuts to services

Phoenix braces for more cuts to services

by Scott Wong – Nov. 27, 2009 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Closed.

That's a word Phoenix residents are encountering more often as they head to public libraries, swimming pools and after-school and senior centers.

While garbage trucks are still rolling through the city each week and firefighters still show up within minutes of a 911 call, Phoenix leaders and residents say they are seeing a gradual erosion of services that is expected to worsen in the coming year. Reading with her brother and parents outside the Cesar Chavez Library earlier this week, Laura Hernandez, 17, said her family used to make weekly visits to study, check out books and use the Internet. But with budget cuts forcing the south Phoenix branch to close at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, the Hernandez family now drops by just once a month.

“If they close early, there isn't enough time to get your homework done,” the high-school senior said.

Over the past seven years, Phoenix has cut $360 million from its $1 billion-plus general-fund budget, which pays for most city services. About $156 million worth of service cuts were implemented this year.

Mayor Phil Gordon says that without new taxes, more federal aid and a quick economic recovery, Phoenix may be forced next year to take the unprecedented step to ax entire departments and lay off police officers and firefighters.

By Monday, city departments are required to propose up to 30 percent in cuts to address declining sales-tax collections – about $23 million, or 9 percent, below projections from January to August – and threats by the Legislature to keep state revenue normally shared among cities. The City Council will hold public hearings in February before voting on a new spending plan in April.

But the dozens of cuts made last spring already are taking a toll on the city's nearly 1.6 million residents, many of whom are relying on city services now more than ever.

Waiting out the crisis

Shorter library hours and some Sunday closures mean wait times for computers can be as along as two hours for those looking for jobs or doing research.

Two senior centers have been shuttered, forcing residents to drive or take a shuttle to another facility for a meal and social activities.

And with buses running less frequently, those dependent on public transit are waiting longer – and paying more – for a ride.

Phoenix's recreational and cultural points of pride have taken a hit as well. Half of the softball leagues and swim teams have been shelved. Fewer employees are staffing the Japanese Friendship Garden and Irish Cultural Center.

“At a certain point if you keep cutting and cutting, you start eating away at the fabric of what makes your city your city, what makes it different…

more after the jump Phoenix braces for more cuts to services.