Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says a county ordinance to ban panhandling on medians isn't about sending people to jail—it's about public safety concerns.

During a meeting in northwest Tucson on April 25, residents demanded Nanos to rid the area of panhandlers and homeless camps. People said they were fed up with excessive trash, crime, and so on.

That night, "[Supervisor Ally Miller] asked if I would stand up and support her in front of the board for her panhandling ordinance, I told her I cannot do that, sheriffs shouldn't be involved in politics," Nanos told the Weekly. "You are politicizing a homeless issue that should be handled by politicians. They should come together for those type of issues, don't put the sheriff in a political situation like that." Miller has tried twice before to pass a similar ordinance but didn't get much support.

Still, from a public safety standpoint, Nanos says he is supporting the ordinance, because "people don't need to be on medians. It is not a safe environment. People are driving 40, 45 miles an hour. I will give into this band-aid, and let's handle it as a civil violation."

Last Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff deputies began to patrol more than a dozen intersections in northwest Tucson to inform homeless men and women panhandling on medians that they have to move or later on face a citation (and maybe even arrest, if it gets bad enough) for trespassing. If it passes, the ordinance would prohibit people from sitting or standing on medians for long periods of time. Anyone in violation would get something similar to a traffic ticket, according to Nanos. 

Spork Press has been operating out of Tucson since the early aughts. Their handmade books and tapes, which have been distributed primarily online and at various events around the country, have found a home in their new storefront (2229 E. Broadway Blvd.) The shop, which doubles as Spork’s production facility, will also be a space for readings and music, and will carry books from other small presses.

You can help break in the new space on Wednesday, May 4, during Spork’s soft opening. Enjoy readings, music and drinks while celebrating the latest development in one of Tucson’s literary cornerstones.

Reader bios from the Facebook event:

taylor jacob pate is a writer, painter & runner born in New Orleans & raised lots of other places. He received his MFA from The New Writer’s Project at UT Austin. Along with his partner Blake Lee Pate, he founded & edits smoking glue gun. His first collection of poetry, Becoming the Virgin, is out from Action Books.

Jos Charles is a trans poet and writer. They are author of Safe Space, forthcoming from Ahsahta Press and founding-editor of THEM: a trans literary journal. They are making amends with their situation.

Blake Lee Pate was born in New Orleans & currently lives in Austin. She received her MFA from the New Writer's Project, where she served on the board of Bat City Review. She is the editor of smoking glue gun. Her poems can be found in Dusie, Glittermob, H_NGM_N, Forklift Ohio, Black Warrior Review & elsewhere.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information on Spork Press, visit the local bookmaker's website.

Woof! I'm Cocoa!

I'm a 5 year old baby boy and I'm looking for a home! I was transferred to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona from another shelter so they have limited information on my history.

What HSSA does know is that I play well with other dogs and I'm very treat motivated! I would benefit from some positive reinforcement training to work on some tricks!

If you're looking for a big cuddle pup I might be the perfect fit for your family. Contact HSSA Main Campus at 327-6088 to check on my availability and exact location!

Lots of love,
Cocoa (824296)

In what amounts to a very different sort of documentary, writer-director Aleksandr Sokurov ruminates on the French during the WWII Nazi occupation and, most notably, its impact on the Louvre art museum.

Sokurov utilizes archive footage, stills and reenactments to look over this part of world history and the importance of art to civilization. The film has idiosyncratic touches where the modern and WWII worlds mix (there’s a strange one involving a golf cart), and it’s safe to say it doesn’t play by any rules.

It qualifies as a great study on the Louvre and its importance to the art world and the absurdity of the Nazi regime. The film takes a little bit of time to get used to. Once you figure out the style the director is employing, it becomes quite fascinating. It’s a very unique, very loose history lesson of sorts, while being a nice little intellectual workout. It covers how the artworks were preserved, while even employing some funny little touches of random humor. You also get a solid piece of war history, all within a movie that is constantly surprising you with its approach to its subjects.

In short, it’s unlike most documentaries you are likely to see.