Phoenix, AZ – On Thursday, the Arizona Sun Times published an article highlighting Ruben Gallego’s dangerous and weak record on public safety.
READ: HERE
Key Excerpts:
– Gallego’s efforts to reform police practices and limit military-grade equipment for law enforcement, as well as his public appearances and fiery social media posts has become a major focus in the contentious Senate campaign.
– Arizona voters say public safety remains a top priority for voters in 2024.
– In June 2020, Gallego said police “don’t know how to use” certain weapons responsibly and in a “safe manner” because they’ve “never served in the military.” He elaborated that the police didn’t know how to use the “weapons in a safe manner” and that the weapons were unnecessary.
– Gallego then sought to cut a program that gave underfunded police departments access to crucial weapons that protect their officers and communities…He tweeted about his efforts to restrict police departments’ access to military gear. In a separate tweet, he highlighted these efforts to restrict the program that “provides military equipment to federal, state, and local police forces.”
– In a 2020 press release, Ruben Gallego emphasized his commitment to demilitarizing local law enforcement
– Doug Wyllie, an expert on police matters, argued that “armored vehicles and other so-called ‘militarized’ equipment are essential” for law enforcement, particularly in high-risk situations such as responding to violent crimes in progress, armed robberies, active-shooter incidents, barricaded suspects, and hostage situations.
– The Washington Free Beacon penned an article, “Ruben Gallego ‘Honored’ to Have Anti-Cop Group’s Endorsement.” The Beacon reported that Gallego expressed that he is “honored” to have received the endorsement of The Indivisible Project, a progressive group that has “advocated for defunding police departments and dismantling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”… Lake issued a strong statement on Gallego accepting the endorsement of Indivisible.
– Gallego has a series of police tweets that side with Black Lives Matter, double down on systematic racism, and are supportive of protestors.
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Gallego tweeted “Peaceful protests aren’t bad guys, they are citizens. The bad guys were the ones behind the police line, not in front of them.”
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Gallego posted that “transforming the culture of law enforcement remains a matter of life & death.”
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Gallego called for “changes in operations of law enforcement” while claiming that “systemic racism & structural inequalities” in law enforcement have caused “deep wounds” in our country
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Gallego tweeted that “systemic racism shapes the relationship between law enforcement & Black/Brown Americans & it’s cost many lives.”
– Gallego threatened ICE agents saying, “When the worm turns, you will not be safe.” According to The Washington Times, this earned the rebuke from border patrol officers who claimed the comments “could incite violence.”
– In June 2020, Gallego attended a rally outside the Phoenix Police Department Headquarters…His participation came just a day after over 200 ANTIFA “protestors were arrested for rioting and two days after more than 100 individuals were arrested on charges including rioting and aggravated assault of a police officer…At the rally, Gallego expressed his frustration with the government’s response to Floyd’s death, vowing to “resist.” … Protestors at the rally carried signs and wore shirts displaying anti-police slogans such as “Defund the police,” “ACAB,” “We don’t trust cops,” and “Abolish.”
– H.R. 1280 would restrict the use of policing practices such as no-knock warrants. Gallego tweeted his opposition to no-knock warrants, calling them “dangerous”
– H.R. 1280 would also eliminate qualified immunity for police officers. The International Association of Chiefs of Police claimed this would limit their ability and willingness to respond to incidents without hesitation, putting their lives and others at risk.
– Gallego favored gutting the filibuster – which had been protected by Arizona’s incumbent U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
– Gallego also supports independent prosecutors in all police-related shootings and deaths. The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is concerned that these independent prosecutors would lead to the indictment of officers even if they did nothing wrong.
– Gallego has repeatedly co-sponsored bills to end the money bail system with a federal ban and by cutting funding for states with pretrial cash bail systems. He co-sponsored H.R. 4611, the No Money Bail Act of 2016. Gallego also co-sponsored the No Money Bail Act of 2017, 2019, and 2021.
– In 2021, Gallego voted for the American Rescue Plan Act, which sent almost $1 billion of COVID Stimulus checks to prisoners.
– In 2019, Gallego co-sponsored H.R. 2168, which would have made criminals and sex offenders eligible for Pell Grants
The Lake Campaign Released the Following Statement:
“The effects of the southern border crisis and public safety remain as top issues for likely voters in Arizona. In the race for U.S. Senate, the contrast between the candidates on these issues could not be more stark.
Through his decade-long career in Congress, Ruben Gallego has proven that he isn’t just soft on crime, but he’s downright anti-police. If he were elected, he would instantly become one of the most progressive, anti-police Senators in Washington, DC. His distaste for law enforcement, sympathy for criminals, and support of anti-police legislation would jeopardize the operational capabilities of our law enforcement agencies and put our communities at serious risk.”
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