FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: No Jail Deaths Coalition | nojaildeaths@protonmail.com | NoJailDeaths.Com
GRIEVING FAMILIES TELL LAURA CONOVER: YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS
TUCSON, Arizona–On Monday, March 21 at 4pm, community members will gather outside Pima County Attorney Laura Conover’s office to demand accountability for those killed in the Pima County Jail and by law enforcement in Tucson.
“They haven’t done a thing to address the conditions that led to my son’s death,” said Rosanne Inzunza, whose son Sylvestre Miguel Inzunza died in the Pima County Jail in February. “All we’ve heard from Conover are empty promises and fake condolences. Until we see real action, we’re going to keep protesting.”
In 2021, one of our community members died in the Pima County Jail every 31 days. On November 29, 2021, TPD Officer Ryan Remington shot Richard Lee Richards in the back 9 times, executing him in his wheelchair for suspicion of shoplifting. On March 12, a Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a 17-year-old boy, Zakareya Ibrahim, instead of offering him the mental health support he needed.
In the midst of this crisis, Laura Conover has refused to take any action to hold law enforcement accountable for their violence toward her constituents. Although multiple families have formally sought charges of negligent homicide against the Pima County Sheriff who runs the jail, Conover has done nothing to hold him accountable.
She has refused to file criminal charges against any of the officers involved in this spate of deaths, prioritizing instead warm relationships with law enforcement. In recent weeks, she has rolled back campaign promises to discontinue charging people for low level drug offenses, yet another sign she is choosing to prioritize criminalization over protecting people from the deadly conditions within the jail. She cannot continue to shirk responsibility for her role in the deaths of Pima County residents.
Laura Conover has blood on her hands.
“Don’t wait until it happens to your son,” said Inzunza. “Come out and join us.”
No Jail Deaths 