On Friday, my colleague Bonchie wrote about several members of the Minneapolis City Council, including the council president, vowing to “dismantle” and “transform” their police force.
Now, as the voices calling for police departments to be re-imagined as a mirror of a Leftist pipe dream full of unicorns and puppy dogs – in the wake of George Floyd’s death after a white, Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck become more strident – and the attacks on police around the U.S. more violent – some lawmakers are standing their ground against it and for the rule of law. Including in my home state of Arizona.
Sal DiCiccio is a rarity in Phoenix city government — he’s a conservative who hasn’t been afraid to speak out against onerous regulations placed on businesses by his fellow city councilmembers. Like when they decided to slap a “fee” for using ride-sharing companies to and from Sky Harbor Airport in 2019 — a burdensome tax that will end up costing travelers $5 each way:
"There's always a nice thing that's out there, and government finds a way to come in and screw it up for everybody." This new rideshare tax is so outrageous, @Uber & @lyft will just leave Sky Harbor if it passes. Check out my interview w/ @BruceandPamela:https://t.co/miEUFt4O1C
— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) December 18, 2019
And he has long track record of standing with police, including last fall, when he called out police chief Jeri Williams’ firing of two officers.
Williams claimed that she had to, because “trust was eroded” and “the brand called the Phoenix Police Department” was tarnished. This, despite a disciplinary board’s recommendation that one officer be given a six weeks unpaid suspension after the “viral shoplifting incident. [Officer] Christopher Meyer was seen in the video sweeping the legs out from Dravon Ames,” 12News reported.
Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego showed support for Williams’ decision, saying that she “was clear in her message that public safety officers will be held accountable for actions that do not reflect the values of the police department.”
DiCiccio’s Chief of Staff, Sam Stone, “[who] said the statement was like a parody, adding DiCiccio believes Williams made the wrong decision. ‘He believes she is caving to political pressure instead of standing for the officers she is sworn to help and protect,'” according to 12News.
Now, the issue of leftist radical activists pushing for “transformation” has reared its ugly head in the Valley of the Sun, during a week that saw Governor Doug Ducey impose a week-long, 8p.m. to 5a.m. curfew after looters and other miscreants trying to hijack otherwise peaceful protests caused mayhem in Scottsdale and Phoenix.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Phoenix City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon, asking for the Council to defund the Phoenix Police Department by 25%
So, instead of city government passing a budget, as it was scheduled to do this week, Phoenix City Council will keep talking about it Monday morning, 3TV/CBS5 reported.
Now, Dicciccio is saying that enough was enough, letting the leftists know where conservatives stand — with law enforcement. After using some salty language while doing that during a council meeting this week, he shared it on Twitter, prefacing the video with:
“WARNING: SORRY FOR THE BAD LANGUAGE
Some people are saying I went too far. What do you think? This was after 183 comments demanding huge cuts to our police budget, trashing our cops, calling them murderers and rapists, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Note: the following video is NSFW (contains bad language).
Phoenix Police worked hard to address our citizens concerns. They have made huge numbers of reforms, and it’s never enough. But I’ve had enough. Again, sorry for the language, I’m just sick of being the only one on the Council willing to speak out.
— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) June 5, 2020
DiCiccio’s comments serve to remind Americans that giving in to progressive actist demands isn’t an option, because “it’s never enough”:
“Phoenix Police worked hard to address our citizens [sic] concerns. They have made huge numbers of reforms, and it’s never enough. But I’ve had enough.”
He added: “I’m just sick of being the only one on the Council willing to speak out.”
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