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Summer is officially here, and we have the triple digit temperatures to prove it! The month of June was a time to remember the significant and historical moments of the past while gearing up for the future. Your June PCAO newsletter has arrived!
The People’s Office had a booth at the 2023 Juneteenth Festival at Kino Sports Complex on Saturday, June 17 and enjoyed the family-friendly activities, including a classic car show, vendors, music, dancing, games with prizes, food trucks and jumping castles. We also had some good conversations with people who stopped by. If you want to see some of the pictures, check out our social media posts here.
We are grateful for everyone who wore their orange fashions for a staff photo on June 2 to mark “Wear Orange Day.” It was done in recognition of Gun Violence Awareness Month, an event for which our Board of Supervisors passed a proclamation at a May meeting.
As part of our efforts to raise awareness of this vital topic, we joined forces with Banner University Hospital, The City of Tucson, Tucson Police, and the Pima County Health Department to produce a collaborative PSA on the issue. (Be sure to check out the link) We also created our own gun lock PSA which noted the number of gun locks given out in 2022 in an ongoing effort to make Pima County a safer place. That video was posted in the May monthly newsletter. We kept the message going throughout the month of June with social media posts and attending events.
One of those events was a gun violence vigil hosted by the advocacy group Moms Demand Action at the Southside Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 3. Sofia, C.T. and Belen were on hand to give out free gun locks, stuffed bears, bicycle reflectors and PCAO information while listening to the heart-wrenching stories of people who survived the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our county and our nation. We are in awe of the courage displayed by those speakers who volunteered to tell their stories in the hope of preventing others from such experiences.
We are six months into our conversion process, going from our old paper files to becoming a more modern and efficient agency by joining a new electronic case management system. It has been a challenge at times that has required a lot of patience. There are some days when we want to pull our hair out, but the rest of our prosecutor agencies in the state say we should hang in there and keep pushing. While it’s been quite the process, we’ll be happy to join them in the modern age.
We recently toured the Sister Jose Women’s Center to see its operations. The organization is made up of wonderful staff and volunteers who assist unhoused women and their pets when they are in desperate need of help. They supply the most vulnerable people with meals, clothing, showers, laundry service and a safe place for respite. Last year they served more than 36,000 home-cooked meals, had more than 20,000 day visits, and nearly 12,000 overnight stays. You can help in their noble mission. They need supplies of underwear, bras, travel sunscreen/deodorant, and umbrellas. For many, the challenges that come with having no place to live include overcoming physical disabilities, chronic illness and mental health disabilities. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please let our communications team know. It’s a great way to give back to our community.
A special welcome to our new law clerks and interns. We hosted a meet-and-greet here in the Pima County Legal Services Building that was organized by a number of wonderful PCAO employees. Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event. It was great getting to know some of the creative minds of these future lawyers.
Our 2023 PCAO Summer High School Enrichment Academy also kicked off earlier this month. Students will go through training with scenarios based on real-life topics – like those our PCAO attorneys deal with daily – to learn how the legal system works.
They’ll get a taste of everything from case file presentations to criminal trials and closing arguments. There’s a lot to this list! The academy runs until July 27th. It was nice to meet all of you!
The Pima County Attorney’s Office’s first Restorative Justice Program (RJP) is taking shape! We had our inaugural group of volunteers join us for training, led by our Restorative Justice Coordinator Emmanuelle Fahey. Emmanuelle was pleased with how the training went, noting that Chris Medvescek, along with Rita Pollack, co-chair of The Center for Community Mediation and Facilitation, and their 3 interns (included in the pic above) did a fantastic job of engaging all of the volunteers and creating a space for learning through activities related to the philosophy behind Restorative Justice (RJ) and relationship building. They also held a demonstration to show the significance of the RJ circle process. Click the link atop this piece to learn more about RJ. The group, comprised of five facilitators working with three volunteers acting as community members and two more as victim advocates, was engaged and inquisitive as they learned more about the deep commitment they’re making as part of the team that will introduce the program to Pima County. We’re looking forward to seeing what this program brings to our community.
We love sharing our experience with people from the community who express interest in public service law. Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of meeting 15-year-old Aaron Breeding and his mom Toni. They stopped by The People’s Office to chat with our Chief Criminal Deputy County Attorney Bruce Chalk about what it takes to be a prosecutor. Aaron is the oldest of five kids and is starting his freshman year of high school through home schooling. He has functional Cerebral Palsy that affects the right side of his body but doesn’t intend to let that interfere with his plan to become a lawyer. He already has found pleasure in writing, playing the cello, reading, and football. Aaron is planning to attend some trials this summer to observe how the court system works with the guidance of his father who works in law enforcement. We wish him all the best. Go, Aaron!
We have recorded our first ever episode of “The People’s Office Podcast.” In the first installment, Laura reflects on her visit to the Alabama cities of Selma and Montgomery earlier this year as part of an experiential conference led by Fair and Just Prosecution to explore how our country’s practice of slavery and Jim Crow criminal statutes still affect our current judicial system. Two dozen prosecutors from across the country attended the conference. When we launch, the podcast will be available in both video and audio.
On June 28th, the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, PCAO staff participated in Pima County’s first-ever Employee Pride Month Celebration. Pima Pride was a colorful evening hosted by the Pima County Human Resources’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Unit. Keynote speakers included Arizona State Representative Andres Cano (D-20); Lizette Trujillo, parent and advocate for Trans Youth and their families; Daniel Trujillo, advocate for Trans Youth; Karl Wagner AFSCME Representative; and Pima County employee Ciro Wagner. Board of Supervisors Chair Adelita Grijalva served as emcee, providing welcoming remarks and introducing Tucson’s Poet Laureate, TC Tolbert, to the mic as well as the Desert Voice Choir. It was heartwarming to see community partners like SAAF, Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Pima County Public Library reinforce the welcoming and affirming nature of Pima County. The event culminated in the lighting of the Historic Pima County Courthouse colonnade in all the colors of the rainbow as our Poet Laureate and the other keynote speakers shared the meaning of each of the colors of the Pride flag.
Check out our Victim Services volunteers hosting a table at the FC Tucson Women’s match on Domestic Violence Awareness Night. We 
our volunteers!
And here’s a final look at some snapshots from the Juneteenth event mentioned earlier. See you next month!
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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