TCFC Community Safety & Accountability Roundup - Pedestrian Death up 200% - May 2026
Community Safety & Accountability Roundup — May 31, 2026
Three stories this week speak directly to what the Tucson Crime Free Coalition has been saying for years: residents want a city that puts safety, basic services, and accountability first. Here are the excerpts, with links to read each in full.
A Conversation Tucson Can No Longer Avoid
Across opinion pages, neighborhood meetings, community discussions, and social media, Tucson residents are increasingly asking the same questions:
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Are our public spaces safe?
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Are taxpayer dollars being spent on the services residents value most?
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Are local leaders focused on delivering the basics that make a city livable?
These questions are no longer coming from a single neighborhood, political party, or advocacy group. Business owners, community leaders, transit operators, neighborhood associations, and everyday residents are raising concerns about public safety, homelessness, quality of life, and government accountability.
The discussion is expanding, and so is the number of voices participating in it.
This week, two opinion pieces in the Arizona Daily Star helped bring those concerns further into the public spotlight. Their message reflects a broader conversation taking place across Tucson—a conversation about outcomes, accountability, and the future direction of our city.
TCFC Take: Tucson Residents Are Tired of Having Their Concerns Explained Away
The guest columns by Taylor Davidson and Ted Maxwell struck a nerve because they gave voice to concerns that many Tucson residents have been expressing for years. Not surprisingly, they also drew a response from Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller.
To his credit, Steller acknowledges much of the underlying concern. He agrees that Tucson faces serious challenges and that local government has struggled to address them effectively. He points to a variety of ongoing efforts, from public safety initiatives to homelessness programs, and notes that some crime statistics have improved.
Many residents part ways with Steller when the conversation shifts from acknowledging concerns to contextualizing them.
When residents talk about feeling unsafe on transit, avoiding parks, worrying about reckless driving, seeing open drug use, or watching homelessness spread into public spaces, they are not asking for a statistical debate. They are describing their lived experience. References to historical crime trends or improvements in select metrics do little to address the reality people see with their own eyes every day.
That is why the Davidson and Maxwell columns resonated with so many people.
The discussion is no longer about whether city and county leaders have launched initiatives, task forces, pilot programs, or strategic plans. Most residents understand those efforts exist. The question is whether they are producing results that people can actually see and feel in their neighborhoods.
More importantly, this is exactly how change happens.
Issues that have long been ignored, minimized, or treated as isolated incidents are forced into the public conversation. Residents begin speaking up. Business owners speak up. Neighborhood leaders speak up. Community organizations speak up. The city is forced to confront problems that many people believe have been allowed to grow unchecked.
That process is rarely comfortable.
For some residents, particularly those who have supported the policies and leaders that shaped Tucson over the last decade, these conversations can feel personal. No one enjoys being told that an approach they supported has not delivered the results that were promised. Acknowledging that reality, however, is not an attack on those individuals. It is an opportunity to reassess what is working and what is not.
Communities improve when they are willing to have honest conversations about outcomes rather than intentions.
A growing number of Tucsonans are questioning whether the policies and approaches that have guided city government in recent years are producing the results residents were promised. They are asking for cleaner neighborhoods, safer public spaces, better accountability, and a government that focuses relentlessly on delivering core services.
None of that is partisan.
Safe parks, safe transit, clean streets, functioning infrastructure, accountable government, and effective homelessness solutions are not Republican priorities or Democratic priorities. They are community priorities. They are the basic expectations residents have for the city they call home.
As Tucson moves toward the 2027 mayoral and city council elections, voters will have an opportunity to decide whether the current approach is working or whether a fresh perspective is needed. New leaders may emerge who are willing to acknowledge these challenges openly and pursue different solutions. Other candidates may argue that the current course should continue.
That debate is healthy. It is exactly what democracy is supposed to look like.
At the end of the day, most Tucsonans want the same thing: a city that is safe, prosperous, welcoming, and well-managed. A city where families want to stay, businesses want to invest, and future generations have every reason to build their lives here.
Many of us love Tucson. That is precisely why these conversations matter. Honest discussions about what is working, what is not, and where the city goes from here are not signs of division. They are signs of a community that still cares deeply about its future and wants to see it prosper.
Sources:
Tim Steller Facebook post (May 30, 2026): https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Az64bxL9o/
Tim Steller column, "The windshield view drives Tucson's image down": https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/article_0072b5de-4418-4b30-bfbb-39fb38c2d40c.html
Local Opinion: Taylor Davidson Calls for "A City for Citizens"
In a guest column for the Arizona Daily Star, Ward 3 resident and local business owner Taylor Davidson argues that Tucson's challenges stem from City Hall losing focus on its most fundamental responsibilities.
Davidson writes that cities thrive when families feel safe staying, children can play in parks without concern, workers can ride public transit safely, and taxpayers see their dollars translated into order, cleanliness, safety, and competence.
He highlights concerns raised by Sun Tran operators who have repeatedly told elected officials they do not feel safe on the job. He also questions city spending priorities, pointing to significant investments in climate-related projects while discussions continue about reducing funding for core services such as fire protection, recreation centers, and park maintenance.
His message is simple: residents must become engaged, show up, speak out, and demand leadership that prioritizes livability and public safety.
Source:
https://tucson.com/opinion/
Ted Maxwell: Silence and Acceptance Are Not Leadership
In a separate Arizona Daily Star guest column, Southern Arizona Leadership Council President and CEO Ted Maxwell argues that public confidence in Tucson's leadership is eroding because too many serious problems are being met with silence.
Maxwell points to a series of recent incidents, including assaults on transit riders, attacks along The Loop, reckless driving, open drug use, theft, homelessness-related concerns, and the tragic death of a 3-year-old child in a street-racing crash.
He argues that effective leadership requires more than explanations and excuses. It requires acknowledging problems, accepting responsibility, and taking visible action.
Maxwell also challenges the tendency to dismiss residents who raise concerns about public safety, homelessness, or fare-free transit. Too often, he writes, citizens, businesses, transit operators, and neighborhood advocates are treated as political inconveniences rather than valued stakeholders.
His conclusion echoes what many residents have been asking: Do our local leaders still believe Tucson can do better, and if so, are they willing to lead?
Why it matters: This mirrors concerns the Tucson Crime Free Coalition has raised for years. Accountability begins with acknowledging problems honestly and responding with measurable action.
Source:
https://tucson.com/opinion/
State Senate Candidate Rocque Perez Faces Questions Over Deleted Posts
A social media account linked to Tucson education advocate and Democratic state Senate candidate Rocque Perez posted violent political rhetoric in 2020 and 2021, according to archived online records.
The posts, later deleted, included statements advocating violence against political opponents and public figures. The material was preserved through Archive.org and later reported by both California Globe and the Arizona Republic.
Perez has disputed responsibility for the posts, describing them as content published without his consent. His primary opponent, State Representative Alma Hernandez, said the posts are unacceptable for someone seeking public office.
Why it matters: Voters deserve a complete understanding of the judgment, character, and records of individuals seeking public office. Violent political rhetoric should be rejected regardless of political affiliation.
Tucson Residents Face Another Round of Fee Increases
Tucson residents may soon see higher bills as city officials consider a series of fee increases affecting trash collection, water service, permitting, and other services.
Among the proposals:
• Large residential trash container fees would increase to $26 per month by 2030.
• A new $3 monthly "Clean City Fee" would be added to help fund graffiti removal, trash cleanup, and homeless encampment remediation.
• Tucson Water would implement annual 3.5 percent increases, adding more than $7 per month to the average customer's bill by 2030.
• Additional increases for development and road-related fees are also under consideration.
Why it matters: Residents are being asked to pay more while many continue to express frustration over public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, and city services. Before approving new fees, elected officials should be prepared to demonstrate that existing resources are being spent effectively and that residents are seeing measurable results.
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You are asking & We are delivering
The Tucson Crime Free Coalition has had a significant number of requests from community members and business owners asking how The City of Tucson works and who to contact with concerns, problems and or questions. We have also found that many residents are unsure of which Ward they live in. To help with this, we have included in this newsletter a City Ward Map so you can easily identify your direct council representatives although we recommend contacting ALL of them with your concerns and questions.
To help residents take action, we have compiled a complete list of the Mayor and City Council along with their contact information. We encourage you to reach out directly and share what you are experiencing. You are more than welcome to include and provide pictures and movies for proof that you have. This can include but is not limited to
● Trespassing on private property
● Encampments
● Fires set on public property
● Street Racing
● Boarded-up or abandoned buildings
● Businesses closing due to on-going crime
● Safety concerns for yourself, your children or grandchildren
● Poor road conditions
● Concerns about the Cities $2,410,000,000 budget and them not being able to control spending
● Free Buses and the problems that has created
● The drug addiction and mental illness problem all over Tucson
We strongly encourage you to email The Mayor and all of the Council, so they can receive a full and accurate picture of what is happening across the whole city and hopefully see that this is not normal. This is one of the most effective ways to communicate concerns - and it ensures you have a record that your voice was heard. We have made this very easy - all you need to do is “copy and paste” all of the email addresses into the To: section of your email.
Copy and Paste these email addresses into the To: section of your email:mayor.romero@tucsonaz.gov, ward1@tucsonaz.gov, ward2@tucsonaz.gov,ward3@tucsonaz.gov, ward4@tucsonaz.gov, ward5@tucsonaz.gov, ward6@tucsonaz.gov, help@tucsoncrimefree.com
What’s happening in LA gives me a lot of hope. If Spencer Pratt can call that city’s homeless problem one that is largely driven by drug addiction, similar changes can happen here.
Where are the city ward map and the directory of city leaders of Tucson?
Thank goodness you’re letting the public know the true Tucson. We ALL see it and see how city officials overlook and gloss over what is going on.
Excellent reporting. Nailed it!!
Great newsletter, please send them more often!
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