Local media are still abuzz about the Snoop Bowl that was held the last weekend of the year at the University of Arizona stadium.
The university is near downtown Tucson, a downtown that has been gentrified with tax-abatement financing. The gentrification had an inauspicious start years ago, resulting in a financial fiasco of $200 million or so, for which no one was ever prosecuted.
Meanwhile, things aren’t so rosy outside of downtown, as shown in the following three examples.
First, local media have reported that over the last six months, 445,000 feet (84 miles) of copper wire have been stripped from 1,000 street lights by thieves.
That’s almost enough wire to stretch from Tucson to Phoenix.
The city can’t keep up with the repairs. Sometimes, after repairs are made to a street light, the copper is stolen again a few days later from the same light.
News stories on this haven’t said where in the city this is happening.
Me thinks that when people steal this much wire, something is haywire with the local economy, law enforcement, and governance.
Second, the following complaint and photo were filed on Dec. 30 with Pima County by a resident via the app SeeClickFix. It is an all-too-common complaint and is representative of scores of similar complaints that were filed over 2024.
Re: 417 East Burrows Place Tucson, AZ, 85704
This is disgusting and was reported Dec. 9th. It’s all still there. Tucson is turning into one big dump and nothing gets done no matter how often ALL the homeowners, that PAY taxes, complain.
The trash is along River Rd. between 1st Ave and Stone, just east of the Tucson Mall and just north of the city limit in the suburban neighborhood known as Casas Adobes.
Stone is the crime-ridden street that the city wants to turn into a rapid bus corridor to run from River to the airport. The vicinity of River and Stone is dotted with homeless encampments.
Such complaints get a big yawn from the establishment and the political monopoly that runs the city and county.
Third, 2024 was another year of high crime. Below is a list of the violent crimes committed during the year in metro Tucson. Yellow indicates an injury; red indicates a death. Go here for a fuller description of each incident and where it happened.
Shooting Jan. 4
Shooting Jan. 9
Shooting Jan. 15
Shooting Jan. 16
Shooting Jan. 17
Stabbing Jan. 18
Shooting Jan. 26
Agent-involved shooting Jan. 26
Stabbing Jan. 29
Stabbing Jan. 29
Shooting Jan. 29
Rape Jan. 30
Shooting Jan. 31
Officer-involved shooting Feb. 2
Aggravated assault Feb. 3
Stabbing Feb. 5
Shooting Feb. 8
Officer-involved shooting Feb. 10
Double shooting Feb. 12
Shooting Feb. 17
Shooting Feb. 17
Shooting Feb. 19
Shooting Feb. 21
Deputy-involved shooting Feb. 24
Attempted murder Feb. 26
Stabbing Feb. 27
Shooting March 2
Standoff March 2
Double shooting March 5
Accidental discharge March 8
Officer-involved shooting March 10
Shooting March 11
Stabbing March 13
Body found March 13
Road rage shooting March 15
Suspicious death March 16
Murder-suicide March 19
Shooting March 23
Double shooting March 25
Body found March 26
Shooting March 27
Aggravated assault March 27
Shooting March 28
Body found March 28
Shooting March 30
Shooting March 31
Shooting March 31
Shooting April 3
Officer-involved shooting April 3
Shooting April 4
Shooting April 10
Shooting April 11
Shooting April 12
Shooting April 15
Officer-involved shooting April 17
Deputy-involved shooting April 19
Shooting April 19
Shooting April 21
Aggravated assault April 24
Double shooting April 25
Quadruple shooting April 28
Shooting May 3
Shooting May 11
Stabbing May 14
Shooting May 18
Body found May 26
Standoff May 31
Shooting May 31
Officer assaulted June 1
Assault June 1
Shooting June 2
Officer assaulted June 2
Stabbing June 4
Shooting June 5
Shooting June 7
Triple shooting June 10
Double shooting June 12
Shooting June 17
Shooting June 19
Officer-involved shooting June 19
Road rage shooting June 20
Shooting June 21
Road rage shooting June 21
Shooting June 21
Road rage shooting June 22
Shooting June 23
Shooting June 26
Double shooting June 30
Shooting July 2
Shooting July 4
Shooting July 4
Young girl dies July 9
Domestic violence incident July 10
Aggravated assault July 12
Shooting July 15
Shooting July 17
Shooting July 17
Domestic violence July 20
Aggravated assault July 26
Shooting July 29
Shooting Aug. 2
Man found dead Aug. 3
Mass shooting Aug. 11
Assault Aug. 11
Deputy shot Aug. 13
Suspicious fires Aug. 14, 15
Shooting Aug. 15
Triple shooting Aug. 16
Shooting Aug. 17
Attempted kidnapping Aug. 18
Shooting Aug. 20
Officer-involved shooting Aug. 20
Shooting Aug. 21
Shooting Aug. 27
Stabbing Aug. 26
Negligent homicide Sept. 1
Shooting Sept. 1
Shooting Sept. 1
Shooting Sept. 3
Double stabbing Sept. 6
Triple shooting Sept. 7
Armed robbery Sept. 10
Shooting Sept. 10
Shooting Sept. 12
Homicide Sept. 13
Shooting Sept. 14
Shooting Sept. 14
Shooting Sept. 14
Shooting Sept. 22
Shooting Sept. 23
Shooting Sept. 26
Aggravated assault Sept. 26
Body found Sept. 27
Shooting Sept. 27
Aggravated assault Sept. 28
Shooting Sept. 29
Stabbing Oct. 5
Shooting Oct. 8
Double shooting Oct. 10
Shooting Oct. 12
Shooting Oct. 12
Shooting Oct. 12
Officer-involved shooting Oct. 16
Fatal child abuse case Oct. 21
Shooting Oct. 22
Aggravated assault Oct. 23
Shooting Oct. 25
Double shooting Oct. 25
Shooting Oct. 26
Shooting Oct. 27
Shooting Oct. 27
Shooting Oct. 29
Shooting Oct. 29
Officer-involved shooting Oct. 31
Double shooting Nov. 1
Double shooting Nov. 5
Double shooting Nov. 6
Standoff Nov. 8
Shooting Nov. 8
Shooting Nov. 11
Shooting Nov. 11
Shooting Nov. 12
Shooting Nov. 18
Shooting Nov. 20
Shooting Nov. 20
Shooting Nov. 23
Shooting Nov. 27
Shooting Nov. 29
Shooting Nov. 29
Shooting Nov. 30
Shooting Dec. 2
Aggravated assault Dec. 2
Officer-involved shooting Dec. 5
Shooting Dec. 8
Road rage shooting Dec. 10
Body found Dec. 14
Shooting Dec. 15
Shooting Dec. 19
Body found Dec. 24
Shooting Dec. 30
Shooting Dec. 30
