Arizona’s first African American mayor, former Chandler Mayor Coy Payne, has died

Former Chandler Mayor Coy Payne, the first African American mayor in Chandler and in Arizona, has died. He was 90. Payne died on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from a family member announcing his death. He served on the Chandler City Council from 1982 to 1990 and as mayor from 1990 to 1994. A longtime Chandler resident and community activist, Payne helped create the city’s housing authority and oversaw the expansion of parks and recreation programs. He was known for his roles as a consensus-builder and facilitator and helped…

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Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP

Proverbs: 29: 18 guides us to understand that without a vision, we will not flourish. The guiding vision for the Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP has been to focus on inclusivity, foster a continued commitment to nurture the next generation of leaders -“Next-Gen,” and to form coalitions for progress. Where evolution resides, stagnation cannot thrive. To support this ideology, we have to change the way we think about change. We have continued to contribute to the legacy created by local civil rights pioneers and trailblazers by forging a path…

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DPS: Scottsdale police motorcycle officer involved in crash on Loop 101

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A crash involving a Scottsdale police motorcycle officer has closed the northbound lanes of the Loop 101 at Chaparral Road in Scottsdale. “The Scottsdale officer was conducting a traffic stop on a black Infinity passenger car when the driver of a green Ford pickup truck drove left into the median and struck the patrol motorcycle; pinning it and the Scottsdale Police officer against the concrete median wall. The Ford pickup truck also struck the black Infinity,” stated Raul Garcia of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

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BUY BLACK MARKETPLACE CELEBRATES ONE YEAR IN PHOENIX

A Buy Black Marketplace Anniversary event took place on Saturday at The George Washington Carver Center in downtown Phoenix. The event featured a range of black owned businesses offering a variety of products and services.   PHOENIX – If you haven’t heard, the streets of Phoenix are buzzing about the monthly Buy Black Market hosted by Archwood Exchange. Over the last year, the Buy Black Marketplace has fostered a greater sense of community while bringing businesses and consumers together to circulate our dollars and create the kind of economic foundation…

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City to Pay $1.6 Million to Victim of Illegal Cavity Search by Phoenix Police

The Phoenix City Council is set to approve a $1.6 million settlement with a woman who reported that a Phoenix police officer subjected her to an unwarranted body cavity search. Erica Reynolds filed a notice of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — in June alleging that Phoenix cops ordered her to strip naked in an interrogation room before Officer Timaree Murphy digitally probed her rectum and vagina in search of drugs. No drugs were found. The procedure did not comply with the Phoenix Police Department’s policy on strip searches, which states that cavity searches can…

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