Read in Spanish

South Tucson is deciding how to use a $1 million gift from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, with leaders saying it could help bolster public safety in a city grappling with fentanyl, homelessness and police understaffing.

The gift was announced July 31 at the Defend Nuestro Barrio kickoff, organized by Casa Maria Soup Kitchen and Barrio Restoration, which advocated against the fentanyl crisis and Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in the community.

Speakers urged South Tucson residents to take ownership of their barrios and be proactive about safety. Defend Nuestro Barrio is a four-week campaign that will launch citizen patrols in South Tucson to watch for ICE activity, direct fentanyl users to treatment or out of the city, and help clean the neighborhood.

“It's about all of us taking responsibility here,” South Tucson Mayor and Casa Maria volunteer Roxanna Valenzuela said at the event. “The goal is not to criminalize homelessness, the goal is to come out and offer support for those who need it. But we will also hold everyone, all of us, to a higher standard.”

The South Tucson City Council will hold a community meeting in late September to decide how to allocate the funds, though Valenzuela said a portion may go directly to the police department.

A 2023 study found that methamphetamine and fentanyl were the leading drugs linked to fatal injuries in Pima County, present in 77.3% and 60% of cases, respectively.

“We see the need. We have two communities with tribal members that live throughout South Tucson,” Pascua Yaqui Tribal Councilmember Gloria Alvarez Gomez told Tucson Spotlight. “It’s important to our families and the community at large that Pascua Yaqui is here to support.”

The Pascua Yaqui Tribal lands lie just south of South Tucson, with Native Americans making up 7% of the city’s population.

“We have the same issues on the reservation,” said Gomez, who awarded the check to South Tucson officials. “It takes the tribe, the village, all the people to come together to make sure this stops.”

Gomez highlighted the positive relationship the tribe has with the South Tucson Police Department, noting they often receive help from the department during ceremonies and other requests. She said it’s only right to “return the favor.”

The event also touched on the importance of protecting South Tucson residents against ICE, something the city council has been proactive in advocating for.

“Every single person, regardless of their status, has the right to a good quality of life, a good, dignified life in the city of South Tucson,” Valenzuela said.

In January, the city council approved a statement condemning mass deportation efforts by the Trump administration, with the statement also directing South Tucson police to not comply with related orders.

The Defend Nuestro Barrio campaign is hosting biweekly patrols every Monday and Thursday in August from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in front of South Tucson City Hall.

Homelessness and fentanyl use are widespread in the 1.2-square-mile city, but the South Tucson Police Department remains too short-staffed to efficiently tackle these issues.

“The City of South Tucson is a very, very poor city, so when we get a big donation like that… it allows us to provide more services and keep people working here,” said Public Safety Director Danny Denogean.

In a city council meeting last year, Denogean said his goal was to have 14 full-time police officer positions with two to three officers working each shift. South Tucson police are some of the lowest paid in the state, according to Valenzuela, making it difficult to recruit for a position “when they put a lot at risk with very little reward.”

South Tucson business owners, including Joseph Rodgers of Dancing in the Streets, have shared during city council meetings experiences of vandalism and fires near their business buildings, urging the city to be proactive in its approach to public safety.

While they’re unsure what this means for their small business, they’re excited about the possibilities.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Rodgers, who runs the studio with his wife, Soleste Lupu.

They hope the gift will have a “trickle-down effect” that benefits their business.

Denogean has emphasized at previous City Council meetings the need for more patrol officers to protect the city from fires, such as the recent blaze at the abandoned Tucson Greyhound Park. He described the area as a tinderbox, with debris that can easily ignite larger fires, whether intentionally or by accident.

In recent years, South Tucson has experienced four major fires.

While the city has plenty of issues with which to contend, groups like Casa Maria are helping provide solutions, offering resources and hearty meals to unhoused community members.

Other organizations and initiatives have also made efforts to address key issues in South Tucson, including substance abuse, homelessness and immigration enforcement.

Landscaping company Barrio Restoration recently created Barrio Keepers, a volunteer program that empowers unhoused individuals to keep their community streets clean through organized cleaning events. The program aims to foster a sense of ownership in their community.

“It is not okay to disrespect our community,” Valenzuela said. “It is not okay to continue oppressing our community, and we will no longer look away. This ends today. With you. With us.”

Susan Barnett is Deputy Editor of Tucson Spotlight and a University of Arizona alum. Contact her at susan@tucsonspotlight.org.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.