7 Dec 26th, 2024-Jan 1st, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | unhoused people without cause. Since the beginning of the year, the city has attempted to avoid any accountability for its police force. In January, Mayor Kate Gallego and city council members made a coordinated effort to fend off any indepen- dent oversight that the DOJ would find necessary, five months before the Feds even finished their investigation. Shortly after, the director of Phoenix’s police accountability agency, Roger Smith, resigned, saying the city had undercut his ability to do his job. In August, after the DOJ had released its report, two Phoenix cops beat and Tased a deaf, Black man with cerebral palsy. The video of that incident made national news when it was revealed in October. As of Dec. 20, Phoenix police also had shot and killed 14 people in 2024, an increase from last year’s count of 12 and 2022’s tally of 10. A homelessness crisis worsens There was some good news regarding homelessness in the Valley in 2024. In January, when Maricopa County conducted its Point In Time count of unhoused people, there was a slight reduction in the number of people experi- encing homelessness, although that tally still verges on 10,000. What’s more, a higher percentage of people were sheltered and not on the street than in 2023. That’s where the good news ended. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Grants Pass v. Johnson that municipalities can criminalize sleeping outside even when a person has nowhere else to go. That ruling opened the door for cities and towns to trample the rights of the unhoused, and many local governments rushed through it. Phoenix passed new camping bans, and Tempe announced its intention to step up enforcement of the bans it had on the books. In November, Arizona voters passed Proposition 312, which prods cities to enforce public nuisance laws to avoid being sued for property tax refunds. The result, advocates fear, will be more people on the street and fewer resources to help them. It was a hot-ass year Even if it’s no surprise to those living in the Valley, this past summer was the hottest on record, according to the National Weather Service. The average temperature over June, July and August was 99 degrees, topping 2023’s scorching seasonal average of 97 degrees. And the severe heat lasted well past summer — hiking trails on Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain remained closed into October. In 2023, 645 people died as a result of the heat, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. As of Oct. 26 of this year, Maricopa County confirmed at least 466 heat-related deaths, with another 191 under investiga- tion, meaning the final tally will likely be close to last year’s shocking figure. That’s despite the city and county providing additional cooling facilities with expanded hours for unhoused people. Of the 466 confirmed deaths, nearly half were among those experiencing homelessness. For decades, Phoenix has struggled to get a tree-planting project off the ground to alleviate the urban heat island effect. This fall, the city renewed an effort to plant more shade trees. Phoenix endured a record-breaking summer in 2024. (Courtesy of Alexander Nie/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0) Emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Court and the passage of Proposition 312, cities have enacted and will enforce camping bans, which may worsen life for unhoused people. (Photo by Ray Stern) Valley Rewind from p 6 >> p 8
