Tucson’s No Kings rally this Saturday, June 14, is going to be a hot one as temperatures reach extreme highs. It’s the first excessive-temperature heat wave this year, with 108 degrees in the forecast for Saturday ticking up to 110 degrees Sunday and Monday.
A national event, the No Kings “Day of Defiance” in Tucson is scheduled for 2 pm to 5 pm, the hottest time of the day. There are plenty of No Kings events scheduled in the state; we are the only city with a mid-afternoon start time.
You are now forewarned that we are unique, so come prepared to beat the heat and stay well.
The rally is being held where the April 5th rally was held but the parameters and logistics have expanded. As before, participants can walk the square-mile around Reid Park, expressing in voice and on signs whatever it is that strikes home among the mind-bending number of real and frightful atrocities facing us. It’s not easy to pick just one, but dethroning a wanna-be king is appropriate.
Or, as the assault on Los Angeles presages, dashing his dictatorial desires. As we sweat on the streets of Tucson, this pretender to the throne is wallowing in the pomp of his military-themed birthday party. Can you believe this crap?
As the map below shows, Reid Park is the primary gathering point for walkers, but the rally has expanded its reach with a No Kings Motor March for vehicles, no doubt with a/c blasting, that will encircle the park and create a parade route in midtown along busy Speedway and Broadway between Campbell and Swan.
Again, Tucson is unique as the only city in Arizona I could find with a polluting car option.
The motor route will be anchored at intersections with groups of protesters standing on corners raising their voices and signs. If that’s of interest to you, wear a mask. Heat and dangerous exhaust go together.
All That Said, Let’s Get Real. We’re in a Climate Crisis on Top of Everything Else
As critical as this moment in our democracy is for people to show their solidarity and resolve, none of us should risk our health to march, stand, or drive carbon-emitting cars on June 14.
High heat is bad for everyone’s health, and by suggesting the addition of a mobile rally with our mostly cumbustible-engine vehicles just makes matters worse. Electric cars also emit toxins when the batteries get over-heated.
Hot days expand the gases that drive air quality alerts. The Motor March adds more damaging toxins to the already enlivened-by-summer ground pollution, which permanently harms our lungs and bodies, especially in children and elders.
Driving fills the air with microscopic bits of rubber and plastic, plus remnants of tar and asphalt endlessly shed from tires. Exhaust fumes release chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, a known carcinogen, that we breathe in; cumbustion engines create CO2, which escapes into the atmosphere as major greenhouse gas. Relying on fossil fuels is a no-win solution. It is the problem.
Of course it’s your call. Heed the safety precautions — extra water during the day before and during the event; wide-brimmed hat; loose and light-colored clothing; lip balm, sunscreen; umbrellas; UV-protective sunglasses; a mask if you’re walking or standing alongside a busy street; hand fans; and whatever else works to cool down the skin.
Rethink bringing your dog. And have booties for their paws.
Temperature is the same whether measured in the shade or the sun. The difference is that standing in the sun exposes the body to the sun’s intensity measured in ultraviolet radiation. In our region, the daily UV reading is commonly 11+, the highest danger level. You can sometimes feel the slight prickly-like sensation of radiation penetrating the skin.
If you’re driving and the traffic slows down to a stop, turn off the motor rather than a long idle.
Try to minimize use of the a/c. Air conditioners increase fuel consumption and that releases more GHG. Refrigerants can damage the ozone and emit greenhouse gases.
The Rub, of Course.
The hitch in the question of standing strong in the face of the MAGA steamroller —when faced with equally powerful heat — is that by not showing up, one could accuse Tucson of being complacent. No, not, never. This past week Tucsonans have taken to the streets shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts fighting The Man, as we used to say, in LA.
So, what’s the best way to show our support and take to the streets when the asphalt is cooking at 140 degrees-plus, the buildings around us are soaking up the heat and bouncing it back in our faces, and extreme heat coupled with the dry-oven effect keeps our bodies on the brink of deadly dehydration?
Documentary filmmaker and all-around activist Michael Moore, who has weathered his share of political and social storms, offered up the following ideas for how to protest as a matter of regularly expressing yourself.
Combined with rallies, the day-to-day focus on documenting the dangers around us —the insanity of what’s happening before our eyes — is to show the strength we have as voters. Voting, and ensuring that we all can vote, is the ultimate key to saving the republic.
Steps suggested by Moore on Substack:
· Actions that take 30 seconds.
Example: Write to any one of your elected representatives (Go here and follow the links) with your one sentence demand of the day: “You must VOTE NO on Trump’s Big Ugly Bill!”
· Actions that take one minute.
Example: Call your member of Congress (Call the Capitol Switchboard and tell them your zip code and they will connect you: (202) 224-3121 or go to 5Calls.org ) and tell them something that you are for or against (for Medicaid, against the slaughter in Gaza, for abortion rights, against deporting 11 million people). It takes less than a minute. These calls matter mightily.
· Actions that take 3-5 minutes.
Example: Sign up with a local organizing group to find ways to connect with people in your area. Do it now! Just Google “progressive groups near [insert town, state]” — or check these groups: SwingLeft | Indivisible | Choose Democracy. These are your allies in your community (you are not alone!) — and they’ve got lots of things going on. There’s no better time to join in than right now.
· Actions that take 5-10 minutes.
Example: Create a handmade sign on a piece of cardboard that you will hold at your next big local march or rally (like the ones coming up nationwide on June 14th). Or call a friend or family member and get them to join the group you just joined. Or take a few minutes to decide which office you’re running for next year! (Take A Seat | Run For Something). Yes, you! Start small: Precinct Delegate. Library Board. PTA treasurer. Parish Council. Daisies co-leader. It’s all political. And it’s necessary that people like us see to it that our values are present and affecting and inspiring others.
Reiterating the Seriousness of the Upcoming Weekend
“13 Helicopter Rescues in 7 Days Yeah, it's been busy. As temperatures rise in the inner canyon, so do emergency calls. In just the last week, Grand Canyon National Park staff conducted 13 medevac missions — responding to heat illness, dehydration, hyponatremia (low sodium from overhydration), and lower leg injuries. With more heat on the way and triple digit temperatures forecasted for this weekend, hikers and backpackers — especially those attempting rim-to-rim or other strenuous routes — should be self-reliant.”
In other words, we’re on our own. So let’s do it right.
One More Thing . . .
Yesterday Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas assured that nothing like LA will happen in his state. He plans to send Texas National Guard units throughout Texas, but didn’t say where or how many. Austin and San Antonio reacted with the assumption the troops will come on Saturday for the No Kings event.
“We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas,” Abbott told the Houston Chronicle. “Texas is a law-and-order state, and we will use every tool that we can to ensure order across our state.”
To be sure, I called the Tucson Police Department’s public information officer, Sgt. Richard Gradillas, to see what TPD is planning. Nothing, unless it gets out of hand. TPD, said Sgt. Gradillas, “fully respects peaceful assembly.”
