Phoenix BLM Protests Canceled Over Threats

PHOENIX — Two Phoenix protests against police brutality were canceled last minute Wednesday in light of safety threats against Black Lives Matter organizers.

A central Phoenix protest organized by All Black Lives Matter Arizona was due to begin marching at Central Avenue and Camelback Road at 7 p.m. Wednesday before it was canceled. A post on the Facebook event page said the march was canceled out of "an abundance of caution."

"Threats of physical and gun violence made against victims and families and key organizers has made it nearly impossible to guarantee the safety of those individuals and of other attendees," the group wrote in a post.

The protest was set to march down Camelback to 24th Street, a center of business, politics and wealth in the city, organizer Rev. Jarrett Maupin told Patch just before the event shut down.

Maupin stressed that it would be nonviolent and peaceful. Families of police brutality victims were due to speak, including Edward Brown, who was shot in the back by a police officer in 2018 and paralyzed from the chest down. Maupin estimated about 300 to 500 people would attend the peaceful rally.

"It's a call to action," said Maupin of the protests taking place in Kenosha, Wis. after Jacob Blake was shot by police officers. "What's happening there is not happening in a vacuum."

Another downtown Phoenix protest was underway at Phoenix City Hall when it, too, was shut down due to safety threats. The protest, organized by Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro and other groups like Poder In Action, was meant to honor victims of Phoenix police brutality. Several family members spoke but a planned march was scrapped before it began.

The Arizona Republic reported that Poder In Action had received several threats in the last few days, including one in person at the organization's Phoenix office.

Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a Phoenix Police Department spokesperson, said the department takes all threats seriously but that it did not find any credible threats against BLM groups.

"The Phoenix Police Department takes all threats seriously," Thompson said in an emailed statement. "Detectives have investigated the posts and have not been able to identify any specific individuals or any credible threats in connection with these posts. The department will continue to monitor and assess any threats that come to our attention."

Police had been working with All Black Lives Matter to ensure the safety of protesters. Maupin acknowledged that tensions were heightened in the wake of two fatalities at the Kenosha protests Tuesday.

Maupin said his group was intending to orchestrate another protest Friday but its status is unclear in light of Wednesday's cancellation.