"Keep Tucson Shitty"? Are you kidding me?

This has got to be one of the worst things trending on the Internet right now about Tucson, You know how Austin Texas has a little catch slogan about their beloved cities "Keep Austin Weird" There is a new slogan out there that says "Keep Tucson Shitty" are you kidding me what a terrible slogan for this town, however it does give you an idea of the mindset of Tucsonians, This town is truly "Shitty" and getting worse by the year. This has turned into one of the shittiest towns in the United States it is the "Detroit of the desert" I am only here until April and am counting the days before I get my family out of this horrible town, The only reason we are still here is that I have family here if I did not we would have been long gone long ago!!

Only the "Rich Kids" survive in Tucson (Salpointe High School)

First off let me tell you that almost all TUSD's public schools are not geared for college preperation, If you want you children to succeed in Tucson at any academic level you will be forced to look at Salpoint High school, These are not good Christians, these are not moral pillars of our society, these are ruthless businessmen, protecting one of the oldest and most powerful social clubs in Tucson. Full tuition for the 2014-2015 academic year is $8,400 not to mention all the other "Hidden Fees" like books, uniforms, and retreat fees. The cost is just the begining this school has a ton of problems, first off it's gang mentality Football team is run by Jay Dobbins a former COP and Hells Angel. Students and their parents complain of a different standard for athletes, cheerleaders and "rich" kids. Salpointe football players, they claim, are the worst offenders. They're so "out of control" that, for safety reasons, according to some students, football and basketball players cannot use the school's weight room at the same time. Parents say they've acted as "body guards" for the basketball coaches and players, due to problems with the football team. And they claim administrators fail to act upon their complaints of students' poor or outrageous behavior. While the school requires students to promise to avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs, some parents and students note that certain students seem to violate the pledge with impunity. Nearby residents complain of Salpointe students who gather daily outside school grounds to smoke cigarettes and marijuana, within clear view of the school. Students and parents alike muse that Salpointe is probably no different than any other high school in the city. However, they point out that because Salpointe is a private school, administrators have the power to oust misbehaving students. But no one seems to be able to explain why they don't. One source offers, "Maybe when a kid gets in trouble, suddenly the track is resurfaced, or some computers are added. The kid continues as if nothing ever happened." And one critical parent says the situation at Salpointe can be summed up by a sarcastic shout from a Canyon Del Oro High School fan about a Salpointe team during a recent game: "NICE BEHAVIOR FOR A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL!" Do you realy want to send your kids to the "Only GIG" in town, Once again Tucson is a terrible place to raise a family. http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/02-19-98/mailbag.htm

These officers  passed the background checks and became police officer's  in Tucson, Just to show you how easy it is to get a job with TPD, they are so desperate for staff they will hire anyone.  

Ok so here we are Labor Day the official "End of Summer" Not for Tucson we have at least another 45 days of 100 plus degree temps to deal with, It has been unbearably hot here since April 1st.

Preschool is 'critical' for the success of our children, but Tucson has ranked 2nd-worst in US for the second consecutive year. Tucson ranks second-worst in the nation on an indicator that predicts educational and economic success when it comes to 3- and 4-year-olds. More than two of every three kids in Tucson miss out on the early education that readies them for school. This lack of a strong foundation creates an achievement gap that is immediately obvious and is tough to close. Students who don't catch up by the third grade are more likely to drop out, end up in minimum-wage jobs and collect welfare.

Nail In The Coffin!!

I just finished reading the Sunday paper there was an article in there that made me very uneasy, There is talk about closing Davis Monthan Air Force Base, if this happens this would be the complete end of Tucson, If the base closes or loses it's core functions it will cause an economic shock to Tucson. Imagine 7,000 or 8,000 local homes quickly going vacant. The base is Tucson's third-largest employer it plays the same economic role as a steel mill in a rust belt city, bringing outside money in to the community, as apposed to simply recirculating money the way a retailer does. If you think it is bad here now just wait it will look like similar to Detriot in no time. Do not move here if you live here and have ever thought of leaving do so before it is to late!! Everyone I talk to that is stationed at the base puts in for a transfer, they hate it here also..

Tucson Gangs!!!!!

Gang violence is on the rise in Tucson, despite a massive effort by the Tucson Police Department to get the upper hand. Gang related homicides are double what they were this time last year. And in the city's latest gang shooting, police are asking for your help in catching the criminals at large. It's a growing epidemic on the streets of Tucson...gangs. When the wrong groups collide, violence erupts. The latest gang-related incident ending in the death of a young Tucson man. It started at Benson Highway and Campbell. Police say just after three o'clock Sunday morning, people inside two cars were arguing. But the incident quickly escalated. Investigators say the two cars pulled over, just blocks away at Greenway and Honeysuckle. "Some gang signs were exchanged, there was a traffic altercation," explains TPD Officer Dallas Wilson. That's when police say 22-year-old Mario Lona stepped out of the car to confront the four men in the other vehicle. Police say passengers in that car gunned down the young man. "That victim was transported to the hospital by the other people in the car he was in," says Wilson. Lona was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

Substance Abuse in our Schools The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report, covering various dimensions of substance abuse, ranked Arizona as having the nation’s highest rate (34.6 percent) of high schoolers who were offered, sold or given an illegal drug by someone on school property. Arizona also had the highest rate of binge drinking at 26.5 percent. Arizona’s youth ranked second in five other categories: those who had ever used cocaine; those who currently used cocaine; those who tried marijuana for the first time before age 13; those who currently drank alcohol; and those who had consumed alcohol on school property

We were looking for a store the other day to buy some baby clothes, This was supposed to be a fun outing for us, When we got to the place AtoZ baby we found that it was the only shop still standing in a gross run down strip mall on tucsons east side. It is so sad to see, the store was great,however we were forced to look at this trash of a strip mall before we went in. This whole town is falling apart, Can't wait to leave this place...

OK so here are a couple of local Tucson boys rapping about killing people and representing their "HOOD" (Tucson) If you want your Son's and Daughter’s turning out like these fine young gentlemen by all means send them down here.  

Another Murder!!!

When the economy tanked, our schools were hit hard. Nine schools in T.U.S.D. are now closed.
We wanted to know what's happening to those abandoned playgrounds and vacant buildings so Kristi's Kids investigated.
You might be surprised to hear how much the district is still spending each year to keep these empty schools.
"But I see a lot of damage to a lot of windows. Windows are broken out. Doors are unlockable because locks have been broken."
John Mattos's family owns a home a few feet from Reynolds elementary where he raised three daughters. All of his girls went to Reynolds but his youngest didn't get to finish.
"I was sad because I got to go there for 5 years and then it closed the last year I was going to be there," says Lahala Mattos.
John now worries about the empty building and the problems it attracts.
"A lot of graffiti. A lot of vagrants have been going through the school and in the play ground," he explains.

Recent headlines!!!!

1. A body was found near a park near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and police say foul play is not suspected.

Tucson Police spokesperson Sgt. Maria Hawke says no detectives were called to the scene, indicating that there were probably no suspicious activities leading to the death.

There has been no information released about the body, nor how police were alerted to the wash where the body was discovered.

The Golf Links Sports Complex is located on the northwest side of the intersection of South Craycroft and Golf Links roads.

According to TPD officials the body was discovered in the concrete drainage ditch, a little after 7 a.m.

TPD investigators wrapped up their work at the scene around 9 a.m.

2. The Pima County Sheriff's Department wants to question a man after finding a woman dead on Tucson's south side last night.

Deputies are searching for 29-year-old Stephen J. Malone.

Deputies responded to a report of shots fired in the 4900 Block of East Butterweed Drive, near I-10 and Valencia.

3. 25-year-old Augustina Soto was found dead inside a vehicle.

Investigators say a female passenger, who neighbors say was Soto's sister was in the vehicle and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors who knew Soto and Malone say they had been in a relationship since high school and have three children together.

If you know where Malone is, or if you saw anything suspicious on Butterweed Drive last night, you are urged to call 911 or 88-CRIME.   

4. Tucson Police continue to seek information in the stabbing death of an east-side convenience store clerk.

22-year-old Erick Bridges was critically wounded Friday morning when somebody attacked him at an AM/PM  store on East Tanque Verde.  He died the next day.

Thanks to surveillance video from the store, investigators do have some idea who they're looking for.

He's a white or Hispanic male in his early 20s. He's 5-8 with a very thin build. But unfortunately, due to what he was wearing, we never get a very good look at his face.

Ok so here we are only a few days in to summer, It is so unbearably hot here we have not been able to go out of the house during the day, we are literally prisoners in our own home.  

Extreme Weather and Public Health

Extreme Heat Information

Arizona is one of the hottest places on earth from June to September. Heat related illnesses are common during the summer. Year after year, nearly 800 people are admitted to hospitals because of heat related illnesses. Heat related illnesses could even be fatal. Almost 1500 weather related deaths from exposure to heat have occurred in Arizona from 1992 to 2009.

More abandoned Property around town

Here is some more of our "Beautiful" town at its best..

HERE ARE SOME MORE RECENT NEWS  IN GOOD OLD TUCSON!!

Tucson Housing Market

Tucson has been given the dubious distinction of having the nation’s “sickest” housing markets with a homeowner vacancy rate that is more than double what it was a year ago.
According to a new list, “America’s Ten Sickest Housing Markets,” by the investor website 24/7 Wall Street ranked Tucson as No. 1 with homeowner vacancy rates of 6.8 percent, rental vacancy rates of 15.9 percent and unemployment at 7.8 percent.
24/7 Wall St. evaluated independent sources of housing-market data from the 75 largest metro areas to find the weakest cities in terms of high homeowner vacancy rates, rental vacancy rates, total housing units, unemployment and other factors. These are markets where demand has collapsed and demand has dropped well below the national average.
Arizona’s second-largest city has 440,909 total housing units, according to the website.
Tucson’s homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2 percent a year ago. “The city had a booming residential housing market before the crash. Since then, demand is so low that median home prices have dropped 18 percent in the past year and 33 percent since 2008. In addition, the city has among the highest rate of foreclosures in the country.”
.

Here are a few reviews I have found on the internet from people who have lived in Tucson.

I moved to Tucson from the northwest in 2003, and I think it is the worst mistake ever. Tucson is violent, run down, and poor. You drive down the road, and there is decay everywhere. I would never have suspected that Tucson is like this. Downtown is scary even during the day. But at night, I won't go near downtown. The south side is very run down and dangerous with lots and lots of gangs. I can't understand why anyone would want to move here. Phoenix is ten times better. Sure the weather is nice, but you can find the same weather somewhere else, that is better. If anyone has any questions,feel free to contact me at TrueDaniel_G@hotmail.com

I want to give you my perspective on living in tucson, az. I have lived in The bronx, NY, Lakewood, nj, phoenix, az, denver, co, new york city, and now tucson, az. I am a family man and have been working over 20 years in my profession. There are positives and negatives of any choice, to be fair. Positives: the air quality is really good here. Visually, that means you can see the natural beauty here. You can't in phoenix. Although Tucson smells like a sewer everywhere. (Sewer problems). There is a lot of beautiful nature here. That means you have areas that are wonderful to be in and enjoy with hiking, biking, etc. although that can be dangerous here because of the out of control crime. That's it for the positive. Now the negatives: crime-completely out of control everywhere and authorities have no plans of changing that neither does anyone care. Expect to get victimized here. Poverty, whoa! Massive and everywhere. The rich here separate themselves from the poor. This is a very poor town. Tucson is very run down and the authorities dont care. It looks like the great depression never left here. We are the northern border city of the U.S. it kind of looks like mexico. That accounts for the poverty, crime, and rundown look here. Pay is horrifying here and so is the housing stock. There are no families downtown, mostly singles from the universities. They like it here because lots singles here, but this is not an ideal place to raise a family. Landlords are running lots of scams because they can easily take advantage of students. You can walk downtown and bike, but not designed for bikers, could get killed on your bike. Downtown becoming yuppie now and dont care for it. They are just taking every dollar out of working man's pocket. Cultural stuff is repetitive and useless and overcrowded, although some of it is good. Tucson people are arrogant about Tucson which is obvious ridiculous. Weather: yikes! Global warming is here. 10 months of year 100 degrees is almost here and 2 months freezing weather, occassion nice day. Overall, i would recommend to run as far as you can from this place. It's not going to make it. If you are thinking about moving to Tucson, DON'T unless you are going to retire! This is the most backwards state ever. I've lived here for 5 years because my husband's job relocated him. I wished we would have not taken the promotion. The people here are nice and welcoming, but that's it! The wages here are so low you can't earn a decent living. It doesn't matter if you have a degree, skills the pay is still crappy. The schools suck. Although I live in a upper middle class neighborhood the quality of education in the public schools is lacking. If you don't believe me research AZ's ranking among educating. My husband and I are trying desperately to leave this place. It robs you of you spirit. It is a college town and a prison town. The market is saturated with low paying service jobs and the employers are so use to paying low wages because they hire illegal workers, I think it will take decades to catch up and stop living in fantasy land. There is a lot of hate towards the Mexican people here, there is a lot of crime, drug abuse and child abuse. Please do you're research before coming here. The weather is great, but that's it.

According to the 2011 census poll  The frequency of homelessness in the population of Pima County ( Tucson) is 27.5 percent higher than the national average of 1 in 200 and 42 percent higher than the Arizona average. The Homeless are on almost every street south of River Road, They are a nuisance, they are scary, and are one of the main reasons this town has completely gone to hell.  

Headed to the Grocery store yesterday and came across this.

Also started getting ready for bed around 8:30 last night, with the police helicopter buzzing around the house, it was constant until around 11:30. Then started up at 0300 this morning, needless to say I did not sleep well last night. The TPD police helicopter is a presence every night on the east side, however last night it seemed to never go away, I am so excited to be leaving this godforsaken place next month!