11/02/23 Early morning Die-In at the west entrance of Raytheon Technologies. Since October 2023, the United States has given 12.5 billion dollars in military aid. Raytheon contributes missiles, bombs, components for fighter jets, and other weapon systems used by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians.

11/02/23 Die-In event at Raytheon Technologies. The woman to the right told me that she has been proactive in addressing all forms of social justice causes for over 50 years.

11/02/23 a young child looks up while his mother is participating the the Die-In action at the west entrance of Raytheon Technologies.

11/04/23 In a downtown Tucson collective art space, community members participate in a Palestinian art-inspired fundraiser for Gaza, performances by Palestinian musicians, and educational presentations by people from Gaza.

11/04/23 An artist shows me their art during the Free Palestine art, education and community fair.

A street side view of the Free Palestine community art event held in downtown Tucson collective warehouse on 11/04/23.

A long-time Tucson AZ resident named Mohyeddin, originally from Palestine, nurtures plants in an act of love, peace and community. On 03/30/2024, he hosted a plant sale with all of the proceeds going to non-profit organizations to support their protest actions.

03/30/24 Barbara, Executive Director of a Tucson refugee non-profit brings some of her own plants for Mohyeddin to sell in his fundraiser for local grassroots groups who are organizing Free Palestine protest actions.

03/30/24 Mohyeddin's plant sale was well attended.

04/09/24 For weeks, protesters attended the Tucson City Council meetings to demand that our local elected officials support a Ceasefire Resolution. While the Ward 1 Councilwoman, Lane Santa Cruz introduced the resolution, everyone else voted it down. There was a theory that perhaps this was a strategic move so that the resolution could be raised again once more support was garnered. One of our council member's used to work at Raytheon and another council person has strong ties to our Jewish community. As spring rolled into summer, the protested shifted their actions to Tucson's very large unsheltered population who was facing life-threatening conditions in the triple digit-heat.

A protester outside the Tucson City Council meeting on 04/09/24.

Speeches demanding that the City of Tucson adopt a Ceasefire Resolution took place before the council meeting on 04/09/24.

During the "call to the audience" portion of the Tucson City Council meeting on 04/09/24, community members expressed the urgency of the City adopting a Ceasefire Resolution.

04/29/24 This is the first of three encampments on the University of Arizona in Tucson. This first encampment took place on an area known at The UA Mall. The date of this encampment was strategic to counter the engineering fair which was happening simultaneously in the large white tents in the background. Many of the companies who provide supplies to Israeli, including Raytheon Technologies, were present at the fair.

04/29/24 Inside the first encampment was a peaceful collection of mostly students and a small number of Tucson community members. The university response to the first tents being put up in the morning was to turn on the water sprinklers, soaking the protesters. The students returned with bigger canopies. They quickly set up a prayer tent, an area for studying, a tent for food and water, a first aid station, an area for speeches, and for dancing. To the person, they were kind and respectful. When the 10pm curfew was approaching and the police were gathering at a parking lot behind one of the buildings, the organizers reached a conclusion that they would dismantle their camp but for everyone to be mindful of future developing actions. Before they left campus, the protesters fully cleaned up every aspect of their encampment with the ground and space looking precisely as it did at the start of the day.

04/30/24 (930pm)-05/01/24 (3am). After marching through Tucson and the campus, the student activists set up a second encampment, this time in an area known as the Olive Tree Grove on the far west boundary of the University of Arizona.

04/30/24 (930pm)-05/01/24 (3am). For hours, multiple police agencies gathered at various points on the UArizona campus. Out of about 80 people in the encampment initially, about 30 people chose to stay inside of it fully knowing and preparing for the police action. Law enforcement brought in large flood lights beaming into the encampment. In this image, some members of the encampment are looking out at the gathering police. The University administrators put out an email notice to the student body to avoid the area as chemical dispersants were about to be used. That notice had the opposite effect with students pouring out of local bars to watch the police action. I overheard intoxicated students expressing eagerness for the protesters to be attacked.

05/01/24 Around 215pm, a multiple law enforcement contingency armed with pepper spray, batons, and rubber bullets stormed the encampment breaking it up in a few minutes. Two people from the Olive Grove encampment were arrested and the remaining few dozen gathered together on Park Avenue.

05/01/24, approximately 230am. The protesters are on the street about to walk up to police who are in formation. In this image the viewer can see that the sidewalks are full several people deep with college students who have gathered to watch what was happening. It was disturbing to hear many of these young adults who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol shout to the police, "Come on boys! F--- them up!" The cacophony of the encampment students fighting for the lives of the Palestinians set against the lack of support from their fellow student onlookers created a discordant energy that was similar to the polarization happening all over the country on college campuses.

05/01/24, 230am. A continuous line of dozens of armed law enforcement both inside the Olive Grove and directly on the other side of the wall in the street continue in aggressive actions of dismantling the camp and using chemical agents to move the protesters away from the University of Arizona campus. At no time, did I witness law enforcement directing the standby students pictured in the background.

05/01/24, approximately 240am. Law enforcement fully armed with chemical agents and rubber bullets are pointing at some of the protesters who are beginning to lock arms together.

05/01/24, approximately 240am. Wearing a t-shirt that says "From Arizona to Palestine, All the Walls Must Fall", a young woman wearing shorts, regular glasses and a KN-95 mask raises her hand giving the peace symbol to the line of police who have been alternately using their batons to push the students back down the street away from campus.

05/01/24, approximately 245am. The line of law enforcement shot both chemical agents and rubber bullets towards the protesting students. Police vehicles behind the line of law enforcement creates an omnious backlight portrait. One of the student organizers was giving very specific instructions to the protestors as to when to turn around, facing away from the police, not hurrying but walking slowly away arm-in-arm.

05/01/24, approximately 245am. The students who were in the encampment or supporting the students who were in the encampment embrace each other. One of the young men was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. Others received rubber bullets to their legs. As they walked away from the police line, they shouted, "We Keep Us Safe" over and over.

05/09/24, Third encampment at the University of Arizona, again at the area known as the Olive Grove on the far West side of the campus boundary. The following 9 images were taken between 7pm-11pm.

05/09/24, 3rd encampment. The University officials once again attempted to bring in flood lights. In this image, the student protesters, some faculty, and community members make it not possible for the flood light to be erected.

05/09/24, 3rd encampment. Inside the encampment, a food and water station were quickly created. The kindness that I observed by the students during all of the actions I documented is exemplified by this image of food being labeled for the protection of students who may have dietary restrictions.

05/09/24, 3rd encampment. Unlike the police action that occurred after 2am on 05/01/24, on this night the police were preparing hours earlier and were at the ready by the 10pm curfew.

05/09/24, 3rd encampment. Workers in hazmat suits eat, relax and visit with passerbys awaiting for law enforcement to clear the encampment.

05/09/24 3rd encampment. About a dozen or so University of Arizona staff and faculty joined the student protesters holding signs which said, "Keeping Students Safe." Legal Observers, wearing green hats, were present at each of the encampments.

This sign was posted outside the 3rd University of Arizona encampment in Tucson on 05/09/24.

05/09/24, 3rd encampment. When law enforcement broke down the encampment, the students had already retreated in the direction that the authorities told them to go which was westbound on University Avenue. Even though the students were a half-block away from campus, this image shows that the police were continuing to shoot chemical agents at them.

05/09/24. As the student protesters continue to walk westbound on University Avenue, a student holding a sign in defiance stands in the middle of road while other students on bar balconies look on.

05/09/24. A block away from campus, the student protesters gather together as student non-protesters were beginning to harass, call them names and push them.

05/18/24 Nakba March throughout downtown Tucson in Solidarity with Palestine which included some of the student protesters, organizers and many community members including families.

The Tucson Raging Grannies sang songs of protest for Palestine at the Nakba march on 05/18/24.

05/18/24 Nakba March throughout downtown Tucson in Solidarity with Palestine which included some of the student protesters, organizers and many community members including families.

05/18/24 Nakba March throughout downtown Tucson in Solidarity with Palestine.

During the Nakba honoring on 05/18/24, speeches were made in front of Tucson's government offices.

Looking eastbound to downtown Tucson, a Palestinian flag flies with a gust of wind during the Nakba march on 05/18/24.

A mother and son walk together during the Nakba march in downtown Tucson on 05/18/24. The son introduced me to his mother earlier in the evening; she thanked me for supporting her son during the encampments. As a mother myself it was an honor to do what I could to assure the safety of all of these courageous young adults.

05/18/24 Nakba March throughout downtown Tucson in Solidarity with Palestine. Regarding the sign: May it be so.