Summer in Tucson brings to mind the first verse of “Summer in the City,” by the Loving Spoonful:
Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half-dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
One revision is necessary, though: The line, “All around, people looking half-dead,” should be rewritten as, “All around, people being shot dead.”
To that point, following my commentary is a list of the shootings so far in the city for the month of August.
And following the list are two recent news stories that are important only because stories like them are so common in Tucson. The first shows the danger of living near a park in Tucson. The second is about a pastime that is growing in popularity with a large number of nincompoops in the city: taking over intersections to do donuts—this in a city where pedestrians are run over with great regularity by stoned drivers, and where stoned pedestrians walk in front of cars.
Meanwhile, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero has spoken at the Democrat Convention. (Not wanting to be covered in manure, I don’t watch conventions of gaseous donkeys or conventions of elephants with intestinal problems.)
The mayor is the latest in a long line of Democrat politicians in Tucson who have kept the city poor and an economic backwater, thus inflicting on the populace everything that comes with keeping prosperity at bay—namely, crime, bad schools, widespread seediness, and dependency on government.
Speaking of dependency on government, with its paucity of high-paying private industries, Tucson would probably resemble Nogales, Mexico, if it were not for government money flowing into the University of Arizona, into Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, into the defense contractor RTX, into a medical-industrial complex dependent on Medicare and Medicaid, into transfer payments of every kind, and into nonprofits of every kind.
My guess is that Mayor Romero didn’t speak at the convention about her success at perpetuating poverty and her failure at bringing prosperity.
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List of Tucson Shootings so Far in August
Source: 13 News Tucson:
On Aug. 2, a man was found shot to death near Tucson Boulevard and Forgeus.
On Aug. 3, a man was killed in a fight near Interstate and Grant.
On Aug. 11, four people were injured in a mass shooting in a parking lot at Speedway and Swan.
On Aug. 13, Deputy Gonzalez was shot near Valencia and Jeffrey.
On Aug. 15, a man was found shot near Glenn and Stone.
On Aug. 16, three men were shot in the 1000 block of North Stone Avenue. One died, one suffered life-threatening injuries and the third is expected to survive.
On Aug. 17, a man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting near Winter Palm Drive and Desert Palm Drive.
On Aug. 20, a man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting near Craycroft and Littletown.
Two Recent News Stories
Tucson Police K-9 injured at scene of officer-involved shooting
Suspect allegedly chased woman, child with knife at Rudy Garcia Park before shooting
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A Tucson Police K-9 was injured at the same scene as an officer-involved shooting near Sixth and Irvington in Tucson on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The Tucson Police Department said it started around 5:30 p.m. when a woman called 911 from Rudy Garcia Park. She said a man with a knife was chasing her and her son.
As officers were talking with the victim the suspect was spotted near the Laos Transit Center, which is less than a half mile from the park.
The suspect, who has not been named, then ran from officers and was found near South Sixth and Irvington.
The TPD said that is when the K-9 was deployed. The suspect allegedly injured the K-9, who was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The suspect ran again and officers caught up with him near West Oklahoma Street and South Seventh Avenue.
The TPD said officers tried to get the man to surrender, but he refused so they attempted to use less-lethal methods.
It did not work so an officer had to catch up with the man. During that struggle, the officer’s firearm was discharged into the ground. The TPD said no one was injured in the shooting.
The suspect was taken into custody and transported to a hospital with minor injuries. The TPD said a few officers also suffered minor injuries, but nothing serious.
No community members were injured, according to the TPD.
Man arrested following street takeover in Tucson
By 13 News Staff
Published: Aug. 19, 2024 at 2:07 PM MST
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Tucson Police officers located and arrested a driver at an illegal street takeover after he fled from the police.
Tucson Police said the driver was involved in a hit-and-run crash and nearly hit a mother and child.
The TPD said the incident happened after several individuals blocked an intersection [what intersection?] and did donuts in the street, prompting numerous community members to call 911.
Tucson Police identified the driver as 22-year-old Patrick Gratzer.
Tucson Police said Gratzer faces charges of felony endangerment and felony flight, and his vehicle was impounded.
When not eating donuts at an intersection, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at [email protected].
