FAILED CITY POLICIES: A Horrific Death; NO ON Prop 414; City Changing Ordinances to Sidestep Prop 312?
A HORRIFIC DEATH ON TUCSON STREETS, WITNESSED BY A TCFC MEMBER
Story Submitted by a Tucson Crime Free Coalition Member/Witness:
On February 6th at approximately 7pm, I came across a horrific sight while driving northbound on Oracle after a long day at work. A vehicle in front of me fatally struck a pedestrian directly across the street from the Evergreen Cemetery. The driver fled and continued one block down before coming to a stop after crashing into 2 additional vehicles.
Seeing a body on Oracle, I immediately got out of my vehicle to render first aid. A priest traveling ahead of me, Canon, Bryan Silvey, had already gotten out of his car to administer last rites. Canon Silvey asked me and other witnesses to join him in silent prayer for the victim.
In this very moment, Tucson’s realities came together on Oracle Road, in a horrific scene. The local media failed to report any of the details beyond what was contained in a police department press release. Here is additional information, exclusively provided by TCFC:
- The driver, Juan Carlos Urquidez, 21, was driving the under the influence at 7pm and arrested.
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Like most fatally struck pedestrians, Antonio Benjamin Dorame, 25, was found with drug paraphernalia near his body. The deceased, released from prison in 2023, has a long criminal record in Pima County:
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Courtesy of multiple sweetheart plea agreements offered by Soft-on-Crime, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, Dorame was in and out of trouble his entire adult life, and should have been in prison at the time of his death at age 25:
- Charges from the past 7 years include: shoplifting, organized retail theft, armed robbery, assaulting a health care professional and committing crimes while on probation. Weak plea agreements over numerous charges/trials allowed Dorame to continue his drug fueled lifestyle on/around Oracle Road.
- On February 4th, his probation was revoked by the court. 2 days later he was struck and killed.
- On February 11th, a week after his death, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
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Courtesy of multiple sweetheart plea agreements offered by Soft-on-Crime, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, Dorame was in and out of trouble his entire adult life, and should have been in prison at the time of his death at age 25:
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The majority of the streetlights on Oracle around Ft. Lowell and near the Evergreen Cemetery are dark due to copper theft. The exact spot where this fatality occurred is dark. 3 weeks later, those lights are still out.
Lawlessness abounds and apathy pervades. Other drivers who witnessed this incident were deeply shaken. For those who care including the other witnesses and Canon Silvey, thank you. May our community rally together to fight the evils of narcotics and an unresponsive government.
NO on PROP 414: A PROPOSTION THAT HURTS THE POOR THE MOST
NO414.com
There is a lot going on with The City of Tucson. Prop 312 passed because of Tucson Crime Free members. Please watch this video with Mayor Romero, City Attorney and City
Council. What do you think - are they cleaning up or changing existing ordinances that
they have failed to enforce?
The following are some examples of the Public Nuisance that the City has created by not following the laws that are currently in place.
● Illegal Camping or encampments/Loitering
● Panhandling
● Public Urination or defecation
● Possession/open use of illegal drugs
● Obstructing Public Thoroughfares
● Public Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages
LINK TO CITY COUNCIL MEETING DISCUSSING CHANGING ORDINANCES:
CLICK HERE: https://youtu.be/jy4vh9Cto0U?si=Y-QGkdiMKYcZ1TsC
It seems like the city is going to be doing a lot of work to try and change or clean up the
laws so they can keep promoting what is happening on our streets and on our property.
Please call 911 or 311 if you have these things happening on your property - residences or business. Keep a record of what you have called in or reported on line. Keep your receipts
of what you are doing to repair the damage that has been done by the city ignoring what
they should be doing about public nuisance items.
This is unsafe for the people living in dire situations that need help. It is inhumane to allow
these types of actions to continue. If the law was enforced some of the people that are
living with addiction or mental health would be getting the help that they need.
Jail Chairman Romero along with city comrades and bring in DOGE. Tucson does not have a revenue problem but a spending problem.
If you are against it, I support it. Your yellow journalism tactics, dismal research, poor writing, constant whining, and hypocrisy make you completely uncredible. Isn’t there a person in our organization capable of constructing a thought above a fifth grade level? I think I just answered my own question.
The foolish comments directed at my comment demonstrate how uneducated and deluded many of your supporters are. If they don’t like Tucson I suggest they pack up and move. Tucson’s cost of living is extremely low.
It is NOT the City Council’s responsibility to enforce the law — that is the responsibility of the police, which you fail to support through your misguided and ignorant objection to Prop 414.
Go educate yourselves, learn to do research, and stop whining. Tucson doesn’t deserve your constant, unfounded and twisted view of reality. Grow up.
I am SO confused. Prop 414 gives loads of money to law enforcement. Why would you be against that? It’s a half-cent tax increase to help police. It excludes groceries. It’s not a big increase but people are acting like they’ll have to donate plasma to pay for their bills if this passes.
I have watched this clip of the City Council meeting and have to agree that their definition of “clean up” the by the City Attorney is going a but further than just cleaning up ordinances which have been negated by state or federal statutes. Instead of actually acting upon the problems identified in Prop 312, they’re wanting to circumvent the whole thing by removing the ordinances that were instituted to secure the city and thereby turning the city into a literal dump.
I realize that there are situations that land people on the streets. Tucson is known for it’s high cost of living and low wages which makes it even tougher for the average citizen. But that still doesn’t mean that those of lower means want to live in a crime ridden neighborhood. The mayor and council are still responsible for maintaining the city as free of crime as possible whether you live in the 85705 area or the Sam Hughes Neighborhood.
The first priority of the city council is the infrastructure of the city. What do I mean by that? The city council is responsible for the safety and security of the city. That means police, fire department, clean water, proper sanitation (trash and sewer services) and navigable streets. How do you achieve that, by having an adequate police force and fire department; a proper sanitation department and maintained streets. I believe those to be the primary responsibility of the city. If they can’t keep those going, they shouldn’t be spending any money on anything else. You can’t just put something out there and not maintain them; they have to be maintained. When a neighborhood is added, the homeowners pay the initial cost of putting in the roads but afterwards it’s up to the city and county to maintain them. That’s why we pay taxes.
Our mayor and council have decided that our tax revenue should be spent on “poop art,” parks and rec programs and other BS programs to divert the city funds to organizations run by family members. Poop Art is my wife’s favorite description of the overpriced sculptures paid for city beautification. The reason for “Poop Art” is because of the sculpture that used to be at the corner of Ft. Lowell and Mountain. It was supposed to be a water main breaking out through the ground pouring out water onto the ground. The only problem was that the artist wanted to keep a “natural” theme and instead of the “water” being blue as water is usually depicted, this “water” was brown to keep with natural desert colors. So instead of it looking like water, it looked like sewage… appropriately depicting how the city does things. And then the city wondered why the citizens of the area had a distaste for it and the artwork which they fund.
I don’t mind artwork and other programs as long as we have the funds to do so. The Tucson City Council has been irresponsible with their funding since Uncle Sam moved me to this city over 40 years ago. Their irresponsibility is finally catching up with them. They used to chip seal the streets almost every summer to keep them in repair and extend the life of the road. Then someone filed a claim against the city for a broken windshield and they paid it; then the floodgates opened. Instead of telling the residents that there are signs posted telling them to slow down and beware of the rocks and that the resident was responsible for damages and stopped paying for broken windshields, they quit chip sealing and maintaining the roads. This and other actions by our city council is why our city is in the state that it is in.
The enforcement of City of Tucson laws 100% falls under the responsibility of the mayor, council and city manager. Please refer to TUCSON, ARIZONA CHARTER AND GENERAL ORDINANCES for clarification. Some examples are provided herein for your reference: Chapter VI THE MAYOR Sec. 1 “The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the city…and shall see that the ordinance thereof are enforced” City Chapter X POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS OTHER THAN MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL Sec. 1 City manager “Subject to the control of the mayor and council, the manager shall have the general supervision and direct the official conduct of all appointive city officers…it shall be his duty, as well as that of the mayor, to see that all of the ordinances of the city are enforced.” Chapter V OFFICERS AND SALARIES Sec. 7 Appointment, term, removal of police chief and fire chief “The city chief of police…shall be appointed by the manager, by and with the consent and approval of the mayor and council…and… shall hold office until removed or reduced in rank by the manager.” Chapter 11 CRIMES AND OFFENSES – I’ll leave it to the reader to determine which ordinance the mayor and council have opted not to enforce.
The assertion made by a TCFC commentator that the City Council cannot stop drunk driving, drug abuse, or careless street crossing overlooks key facts. According to tucsonaz.gov, effective traffic enforcement, combined with engineering and education, plays a crucial role in minimizing traffic accidents and fatalities. In 2019, the Tucson Police Department issued 51,577 traffic citations, but by 2024, this number had dropped by 47% to 27,747, which coincides with a rise in fatalities on our streets. Our legal system dictates that the chief of police, under the direction of the city manager and with the consent of the mayor and council, must implement measures to safeguard our community. The mayor, council, and city manager are tasked with ensuring appropriate budget distribution for traffic enforcement, enforcing all laws, maintaining safe roads, and delivering other services mandated by the charter, while also overseeing the efficient functioning of city departments led by appointed officials. An informed citizen recognizes that the mayor, council, and city manager are failing to fulfill the obligations set forth by the Tucson, Arizona Charter and General Ordinances. Respectfully submitted.
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