Mayor limits public comment, cuts public video feed — community responds with discipline and resolve
SURPRISE, AZ — Hundreds of residents filled Surprise City Hall and the surrounding plaza Tuesday night for a charged public session on the proposed ICE detention warehouse at 13290 W. Sweetwater Ave. A brass resistance band kept the atmosphere outside lively. Inside, the mood was urgent. After two months of council inaction, Councilmember Chris Judd moved to place the ICE warehouse on the agenda for the next meeting in two weeks as an action item. What that action item will contain remains unknown.
Mayor Kevin Sartor drew sustained criticism. Despite stating at his press conference last week that he had no desire to limit public comment, he capped the public comments at one hour — leaving many residents who had waited for hours to speak without a chance to be heard. The city also cut off the public video feed during public comments, though audio remained available. Residents did not miss the symbolism.
Dysart High School student body Vice President Cali Overs confronted the mayor directly, calling him out for failing to respond to a meeting request he personally invited her to make — and for his silence after she received a violent threat in a Facebook group where he is a moderator. Several other high school students also spoke, urging the council to support their proposed Three Mile Buffer legislation and challenging the mayor’s dismissiveness toward young constituents.
Residents expressed gratitude to Councilmembers Earle Greenberg (D2) and Jack Hastings (D5) for their public opposition to the facility. Councilmember Johnny Melton pressed for a legally binding agreement to keep ICE agents out of schools and community centers. Councilmember Chris Judd expressed significant distrust of DHS and spoke about the issue of stopping the facility before making his motion. Despite multiple media outlets having reported on the serious chemical hazard posed by the Rinchem facility directly across the street from the proposed detention site, the council had nothing to say on the topic. After the meeting, several council members came down from the dais to personally meet with the Dysart High School students who had spoken. Mayor Sartor, who appeared to have left the chambers quickly after the meeting concluded, was noticeably absent.
Inside the chambers, not a single voice spoke in support of the ICE warehouse. The only pro-facility presence of the evening was outside — four content creators who positioned themselves near the crowd attempting to bait protesters into confrontations for social media. One called for ICE to target people based on race. The community responded with restraint, refusing to take the bait. The evening was entirely peaceful, with no law enforcement intervention required.
“Tonight was a mixed result. We’re grateful to the council members who have had the courage to speak up — their willingness to stand with this community matters. But tonight was an opportunity for more members to go on record, and that opportunity was not taken. Councilmember Judd’s motion gives us a two-week window. We intend to hold the council to it, and we expect that next time, we will see action that matches the moment.” — Brent Peak, Co-Chair, Northwest Valley Indivisible
On April 14th, Northwest Valley Indivisible will bring the community’s voice to Mayor Sartor’s State of the City address at Surprise Stadium — and will provide a public venue for the many residents whose opportunity to speak was taken away last night. The council’s next meeting, where Judd’s action item will appear, is in two weeks. NWVI is calling for a formal resolution urging DHS to stop all work on the ICE warehouse.
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