Phoenix will not move forward with review of police actions at Trump rally
The Phoenix City Council will not continue with an independent investigation into police actions during a President Donald Trump rally last week.
Phoenix police keep the streets clear as people protest outside the Phoenix Convention Center, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, in Phoenix. Protests were held against President Donald Trump as he hosted a rally inside the convention center. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council will not continue with an independent investigation into the actions of Phoenix Police Department during a protest at a President Donald Trump rally last week.
The city council did not vote on the measure after Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher withdrew his recommendation to authorize OIR Group to conduct an independent review of police actions during the rally.
Zuercher withdrew the recommendation after five city councilmembers said they would not support the item. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton supported the measure.
Newly-reelected Councilman Sal DiCiccio wrote on Twitter that “we won and won big tonight.”
City Mgr just now withdraws proposal to investigate police. Game Over. Yes we won and won big tonight.
— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) August 31, 2017
The motion to withdraw the recommendation came late Wednesday night, after city council members listened to five-plus hours of citizen comments. A majority of the comments spoke out against the actions of the police department.
During last week’s rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, the area around the building was surrounded by thousands of people protesting peacefully.
But just three hours later, as Trump was wrapping up his speech, the protests devolved into officers using different chemical means to disperse crowds after several people allegedly became violent. Four protesters were arrested.
By the end of the week, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego had called for an investigation into the event and Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said her department would conduct a review.
On Monday, Zuercher noted the department’s “professionalism in ensuring the safety and First Amendment rights of the community” in a letter to Williams, but explained that the city was going forward with an assessment from an outside firm due to the concerns from the community.
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Comments
20 Comments
An embarrassing defeat for Stanton and for the Dim-Bulbs that hate the police, and a huge win for Phoenix taxpayers
Thank you Sal DiCiccio and the other council members who shot this truly STUPID idea down.
I watched the babies cry tonight, basically putting their fingers in their ears and yelling 'na-na-na' anytime anyone had an opinion different than theirs.
This doesn't work in the grown up real world.
I'm amazed at the restraint the police showed during the riot.
I wouldn't have been as patient.
The babies are trying to set the rules. What they want is ZERO consequences for their actions. Guess what? This isn't your far-left university setting. It is the grown up world.
If you have a permit to protest, if you have parameters of where you can stand and when you must end it... then you better have a watch and do what you signed up for.
If I was a policeman and had full bottle so water thrown at me, I'd have implemented counter measures a lot sooner than our police did. They gave you lots of breaks.
The public opinion was over 80% against spending tax money for this study. It was another Stanton idea to appease lawbreakers.