Activist group issues travel advisory due to Phoenix police shootings

PHOENIX — Phoenix-based activist group Poder in Action issued an advisory for “black and brown” travelers Friday morning in response to police violence in the city.

Visitors “should exercise increased caution in the city of Phoenix due to the record number of police shootings,” the group said in a press release.

The 43rd officer-involved shooting in Phoenix this year occurred Wednesday night when police shot and killed a man they said attacked an officer.

Last year, there were 21 officer-involved shootings in Phoenix. The previous record was 33 in 2013.

Phoenix Police are shooting people of color at 4 times the rate of white people. If you, or someone you love, is traveling to Phoenix, please exercise extreme caution.
Please read the entire travel advisory at https://t.co/bHekreNL3t for more information.

— Poder in Action (@PoderinAction) December 21, 2018

According to the advisory, people of color were involved in 63 percent of officer-involved shootings in Phoenix but only make up 42 percent of the city’s population.

“As black and brown people, we know that the Phoenix mayor and City Council has refused to hold the Phoenix Police Department accountable to residents, or take steps to end police violence,” the group said in the release.

The department commissioned an outside study on the number of officer-involved shootings in May. The study is expected to be complete in February.

Poder in Action accused local government officials of blaming victims of police violence.

Earlier this month, a New York Times article titled “How Phoenix Explains a Rise in Police Violence: It’s the Civilians’ Fault” echoed this criticism.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams responded to that article, saying her previous statements have been misinterpreted, and the department is awaiting the study’s results before reaching a conclusion about the cause of the uptick in shootings.

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