This didn't happen. Repeat: This did not happen. But what if...

A 72 year old black man living in Miami Beach was about to be evicted from his condo. He was arrested in the act of trying to burn the building down. He had already dumped gasoline down a trash chute. He was caught in the parking garage with two gasoline containers and had 28 more in a storage unit. He said his goal was to "kill the white people" in the building. In his apartment, he had speeches by Louis Farrakhan, black nationalist and leader of the Nation of Islam, and posters from the Black Panther movement of the 1960s.

As I said, it didn't happen. We know that, because if it did, Fox News would have grabbed hold of the story and run it on a loop for days, complete with mug shots, scare graphics, ominous old photos of Black Panthers and archived statements from leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Tweeter In Chief would have been on it as fast as his thumbs could carry him. Newspapers would have picked it up soon after. On CNN and MSNBC, serious talking heads would try to decide if it should be called an potential act of terrorism, mass murder or mental illness. "Was this a random act or part of a larger social phenomenon?" the earnest heads around the table would ask each other.

But here's the thing. Most of the events I described actually did happen. The 72 year old man, the condo, the eviction, the plan to burn the building down, the gasoline. Those are all for real. I just changed three details.

The 72 year old man is white. He said he wanted to "kill all Jews" in the building. And police found swastikas and books about Nazi ideology in his apartment.

Raising money for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona is always a good way to help local animals in need. Recently, the HSSA gathered donations and some pretty impressive art at the same time through their Tatts for Tails Animal Tattoo Contest.

The competition challenged Tucson locals to submit a photo of their animal themed tattoo and then gain paid votes to raise money for the HSSA and hopefully win the grand prize.

And the winner is....

Tyler Crawford with his tattoo of his HSSA-adopted dog Luna!
Tyler raised an amazing $1,279 through his submission and votes, which helped the HSSA reach their grand total of $5,046 raised.

Here's what Tyler had to say about Luna (in both ink and dog form)

This is my tattoo of my dog Luna. Me and my wife got her from the Humane Society in 2012. She is sweet girl who loves to eat, chase lizards and cuddle her brother Bane. When we first saw her she was sitting in a loud room of barking dogs yet she was sitting quietly. She was leaned against the wall looking sad and she seemed interested in us so I wanted to meet her. When she first came out she tackled me and kissed me instantly. From then on I knew she was coming home. Little did we know, that sad face... yeah she always looks grumpy unless she’s hot haha. She is a special girl to me and she will always have a place in my heart and on my calf. Tattoo was done by Kevin at Trinity Art Collective.

Congratulations to Tyler on winning the contest and the grand prize of two roundtrip domestic flights on JetBlue Airlines, $100 gift card to Buffalo Exchange, $100 gift card to Target and an REI Road Tripper 40L Duffel Bag.

Thank you to all who participated in the competition and helped raise money to help the animals at HSSA. 

Find an updated and extended version of this story here.

The tension was thick between Congressional candidate Matt Heinz and former-Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick at a Congressional District 2 Democratic primary forum, the evening of Thursday, July 20.

The animosity between the two candidates widely considered to be the front runners, popped up repeatedly while all six candidates on stage debated a host of issues.

Represent Me AZ, who hosted the event, revoked an invitation to the seventh candidate, Yahya Yuksel, for the way he handled rape accusations at a press conference earlier in the week. Moderator Marion Chubon said Yuksel’s behavior lacked responsibility following rape allegations.

Heinz released three attack ads, earlier this week, against Kirkpatrick, a day after she sent out mailers accusing him of supporting the NRA during his time as a state lawmaker.

Heinz’s attack ads accuse Kirkpatrick of not having “progressive values” for a number of reasons. One, which persisted at the debate, was her checkered past on supporting or opposing gun-control legislation.

One ad has a two-second clip of Kirkpatrick saying she has an A-rating from the NRA. According to a 2012 New York Times article, Kirkpatrick did have an A-rating from the NRA. though they did not contribute to her campaign. In 2009, she welcomed the gun-rights group with open arms for their annual conference in Phoenix.

An article in the White Mountain Independent, which covers the White Mountain region in the eastern part of the state, quoted her saying, “I am proud that my state is hosting the group that has protected that right (to keep and bear arms) for 138 years. This is a chance for Arizonans to show our nation's leaders we will not let them take away our freedoms.”

During her first term representing Arizona’s CD1, before she moved to Tucson, Kirkpatrick voted to allow guns in national parks and against reinstating a ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons.

At Thursday’s debate, Kirkpatrick said she changed her tune on gun control after the 2011 mass shooting at a Tucson Safeway, where then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords survived being shot in the head and six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl.

“I re-evaluated my position on guns, and changed my mind,” she said at the forum. “I not only changed my mind, but I changed the way I voted. And I supported legislation that would increase background checks. I supported legislation that would keep guns out of the hands of terrorists on the terror watch list. And I supported legislation that would keep guns from domestic abusers.”

In Kirkpatrick’s attack flyer on Matt Heinz, and on the debate stage, the Congressional candidate also accused her opponent of supporting the NRA when he was a state representative.

“In 2012, the NRA testified at the state legislature about a bill they really wanted to pass, a bill that would allow high-capacity magazines, and Matt Heinz voted for it,” she said. “He supported the NRA.”

Heinz, a doctor at Tucson Medical Center, said the idea that he would support the NRA when he treats patients with guns shot wounds is “ridiculous” and a “distortion of his voting record.”

The vote was on a 2012 bill that blocked the Arizona Game and Fish Commission from limiting hunters’ magazine capacity on authorized firearms. The bill received primarily Republican backing, but a few Democrats voted for the bill besides Heinz, including Reps. Steve Farley, Ruben Gallego and Macario Saldate. Former-Rep. Bruce Wheeler, also a Democratic CD2 candidate, voted against the bill.

Heinz says the bill didn’t have backing from the NRA and had no opposing groups. A representatives from the Arizona Wildlife Federation and Sandy Bahr, the conservation director for the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, signed up in opposition to the bill during a committee hearing but did not speak. And former NRA lobbyist Brent Gardner registered in support of the bill.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a GOP resolution that voiced support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as a response to mounting pressure from activists to abolish the government agency because of its history of infringing on immigrants' human rights.

The resolution passed overwhelmingly with 244-35, while 133 Democrats voted "present."

Among those 244 yeas, 18 came from Democrats, with two from Arizona: Rep. Tom O'Halleran and Rep. Krysten Sinema. Reports have suggested that Republicans pushed this resolution through the House to test how Democrats respond to the left's calls for an end to ICE.

On Wednesday the Arizona Republic reported, "All five of Arizona's House Republicans voted for the resolution. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, voted against it. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, voted 'present.'"

At yesterday's Democratic primary Congressional District 2 forum, hosted by Represent Me AZ, moderator Marion Chubon asked the candidates to raise their hands if they would have joined the Democrats in the House who voted in favor of supporting ICE. Former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick was the only one who raised her hand, to a chorus of boos.

Kirkpatrick said in an interview after the forum that ICE performs a lot of different functions. She said she supports immigration reform, but ICE should be a part of that reform.

Find more Claytoonz here.

Super Summer Sale on Fourth Ave. The temperature seems to be only climbing higher, while the prices on Fourth Avenue are about to get lower. This weekend, stores and vendors along the avenue are offering discounts that range from 25 percent off storewide at Mabel’s to women’s clothing discounted 75 and 90 percent off at Off Fourth Outlet. But the sale extends to snacks, too, so you can shop ’til you drop and refuel with discounted fare. Caruso’s offers 20 percent off all wine and will hold a contest each night of the sale, and Chocolate Iguana will discount all frozen drinks 10 percent. 9 a.m. Friday, July 20 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 22. Historic Fourth Ave. Details here.

Birds of Tohono Chul Walking Tour. It’s easy these days to look up at the sky and see only a fickle force of nature, which seems like it’s trying to set you on fire until it starts unpredictably pouring down water. But when you look up at the sky, you also have a pretty good shot at seeing one of the 140 species of birds that have visited Tohono Chul Park (on any given morning, you’re pretty likely to see at least a dozen). From our state bird the cactus wren to sweet little families of quail, from woodpeckers hiding in cactus holes to one of our year-round hummingbird species, they’re everywhere! Head over to Tohono Chul and a docent will walk you through it, teaching you how to identify birds and guiding you down the easy-to walk paths. 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday through September. Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. $10 seniors/military/student, $13 adults, $3 kids 5 to 12, free for members and kids under 5. Details here.

Summer Safari Nights. Keep it coo’ at the zoo this week, with this week’s “Habitat Heroes” theme. With so much bad news blaring at you from social media, the television, the radio and even that pesky print media, it’s easy to forget there’s good in the world. This night could remind you, by showcasing all the work the Reid Park Zoo does to protect wild animals and wild places. Plus, you’ll get to learn about how you can do your part to help too! Enjoy special guest appearances by elephants, anteaters, tapirs, rhinos, tamanduas, armadillos and the live band Dos Suenos. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 20. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $6.50 children ages 2 to 14. Half off for zoo members. Details here.

What could be more American than taking a good old road trip through the barren patch of earth known as U.S. Highway 93, from Wickenburg to Las Vegas.

The highway, which spans some 1,457 miles from the Dude Ranch Capital of the World to the U.S./Canada border, is the most dangerous in the country, according to ValuePenguin.com.

The stretch of asphalt and concrete has the fourth-longest wait time for Emergency Medical Services, according to the same survey (probably because there's literally no trace of civilization between Sin City and Phoenix).
Along the 200-mile stretch, the most dangerous segment is in Mohave County, Arizona—where 70 fatal crashes reportedly occurred between 2010 and 2016.

Elsewhere in the Grand Canyon State, Interstate 10 and State Road 95 (the road between Yuma and I-40) rank 12th and 33rd overall for their dangerous conditions, according to the report.

For more information on which Arizona highways might kill you, check out ValuePenguin's full list here. 

There's a reason why people call immigrant holding facilities Ice Boxes—they're freezing. Reuters covers this certain kind of torture, which many undocumented immigrant families seeking entry into the U.S. endure.

During their detention last month in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Laredo, Texas, Karen and her two young sons were constantly cold. The family, which fled violence in Honduras, slept on a hard floor in a holding cell without mattresses, she said, their clothes still wet from crossing the Rio  Grande.

“I can only hold one at a time to keep them warm. Whoever I am not holding is cold,” she said in one of more than 200 sworn statements filed this week in a long-running lawsuit challenging conditions for children in immigration custody.

As part of the Flores settlement, which sets standards of how children must be treated in detention centers, more than 200 sworn statements were filed this week, alleging the current detention conditions violate the 1997 settlement.

On top of enduring frigid temperatures and inadequate sleeping conditions, the statements included a breast-feeding mother saying she couldn't produce enough milk because she wasn't getting enough food. 

The Arizona Ground Game hosts community forums every month in hopes of educating our community on controversial issues that can become complicated once you dive into the details. The group wants to see citizens engaged and informed once midterm elections come around this November.

On Tuesday evening, TAGG brought Joel Feinman, head of the Pima County Public Defender’s office and adjunct professor in political science at the University of Arizona, to Pueblo High School’s Little Theater to talk about the causes of and solutions to mass incarceration.

He gave a half-hour presentation before taking questions from the audience. Here’s a recap of what was covered at the forum:

1. Plea agreements

• Over 90 percent of criminal cases tried in America are resolved by plea agreements, meaning that over 90 percent of defendants don’t see their cases go to a trial.
  
• On one hand, it would take the criminal justice system an eternity to process cases if they were all tried by juries, but on the other hand, plea agreements often force defendants into impossible situations.
  
• Feinman said, “Our entire justice system becomes a contest between the most powerful person in the room, the prosecutor, and the least powerful person in the room, the criminal defendant.”
  
• Mandatory minimum sentences also give power to plea agreements. In 2013, 97 percent of all cases in the federal criminal justice system were resolved by plea agreements. In 2012, the average sentence for federal narcotics crimes resolved by plea agreement was five years. The average sentence for the same crimes that went to trial was 16 years.