46 B EST FA I LU R E TO P ROT ECT A N D S E RV E Gilbert Police Department Gilbert police officers often were called to the In-N-Out Burger at SanTan Village Parkway and East Williams Field Road to deal with crowds of rowdy teens, who some- times brandished brass knuckles and went on violent rampages, posting the attacks on social media. Yet Chief Michael Soelberg and his officers never noticed. It took reporting by the Arizona Republic to stitch things together and embarrass police and prosecu- tors, who acted as if they’d never scrolled through TikTok. Even then, Soelberg blamed the victims for failing to alert police and continued for weeks with a tone-deaf approach to teen violence in the affluent Phoenix suburb. Gilbert police made their first arrests in the Gilbert Goons violence in January, about a month after the Republic did the investigative work for them. But even then, Gilbert police fumbled, announcing just one arrest and insisting that no others had been made. Only when the Republic provided documents showing three other arrests did police acknowledge that, oh yeah, they cuffed those folks, too. The controversy over teen violence and the city’s handling of it prompted Mayor Brigette Peterson to end her reelection campaign. It’s a wonder Soel- berg has remained in place. B E ST S H OW T R I A L Austin Davis As homelessness hits all-time highs in the Valley, the city of Tempe dogged poet, orga- nizer, activist and giver of food Austin Davis for actually trying to help unhoused people instead of letting them die on the streets in a nightmare. The city brought Davis into court for not getting its approval to organize feedings, resulting in a plea deal in September. It also hauled him into jail for stepping on city parks after he was banned. But members of the community rose up to run the feedings and help people get into detox programs or find housing. The city wanted to bring Davis into submission and show its muscle, all to ensure the homeless- ness problem cannot be helped or receive actual grassroots community attention. It was a battle of bureaucracy and laws and rules and the power of government and the police state against the kindness of the human spirit and all its imperfections. Austin Davis’ battle was a light upon the city’s corporate priorities. Tempe is led by Mayor Corey Woods, who wanted nothing to do with the Davis battle and has deflected any responsibility in his city’s siccing the dogs on the 24-year-old poet. 22222 B E ST LO CA L N E WS L E T T E R Arizona Agenda arizonaagenda.substack.com For more than three years, the reader- supported Arizona Agenda has delivered a political digest to inboxes almost every weekday on Substack, covering issues, races, players and shenanigans with a down-to- earth attitude and keen eye for bullshit (even the Washington Post said so). Thanks to its lack of jargon and uncluttered prose, everyone can easily understand what our elected officials are up to. That’s worth a medal itself, but it’s commendable that they do so much with so little. Cofounder Hank Stephenson this year lost his co-editor Rachel Leingang, who moved to Minneap- olis, but he landed Nicole Ludden, who’s just as smart and savvy. The pair distill big stories from other outlets (while properly crediting their fellow journos) and does a staggering amount of original reporting, putting every- thing from city councils to the state Legisla- ture and the governor’s office under their magnifying glass. They’ve been extra busy this year leading up to elections; they’re obviously out to eradicate the excuse of “I didn’t vote because I’m not informed.” Most content is free, but it’s well worth the paltry subscription price to support these indefati- gable Fourth Estate champions. 22222 B E ST S O U RC E FO R LG BTQ + N E WS Lookout Phoenix lookoutphx.org Nonprofit news site Lookout Phoenix doesn’t mess around with the fluffy LGBTQ+ stuff. They dig in, providing accountability- driven queer news and community events in a city that’s long overdue for it. And they don’t just publish on their own website, they provide it for free to media outlets that want to share it. They call out conversion thera- pists who work without licenses, candidates who cozy up to anti-LGBTQ+ causes, cops who still struggle to treat queer people with dignity and Republicans who are trying to kill the small businesses that host drag shows. Investigative journalist Joseph Darius Jaafari, the editor-in-chief, and Exec-
