In the Arizona Press Club’s annual awards, Tim Vanderpool of the Tucson Weekly picked up the first-place award in the Sustained Coverage category for his reporting of Ephraim Cruz’s whistle-blowing story. Vanderpool has been covering the story since Ephraim Cruz first blew the whistle against human rights violations he witnessed as a Border Patrol agent, and has written several subsequent stories documenting how the U.S. Border Patrol failed to investigate Cruz’s claims, instead forcing Cruz to resign as a Border Patrol agent.

Congratulations, Mr. Vanderpool! The campaign thanks you for your tireless efforts in covering Ephraim Cruz’s story and is honored to be a part of your great achievement!

According to a FOX11 report, TPD’s response time to 911 calls is 7 minutes longer now — at 42 minutes – than it was 5 years ago, when it was about 35 minutes. Yet, last year TUPD received 16,000 fewer calls.

This increase in response time is unacceptable. Ensuring safe streets throughout Arizona should be a top priority for your next Arizona State Representative, and yet, just last week, one resident of LD29 told a story of how her car windows were vandalized just a block from the local TUPD precinct headquarters.

As State Representative, Ephraim Cruz would fully support our cities’ critical emergency services and ensure money is being spent wisely to guarantee that police departments are not understaffed. Moreover, Cruz would fight against distractions imposed upon police officers by legislation that would require Arizona’s local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law in addition to their existing duties keeping our streets safe.

Work to Do 3! Canvass for Cruz!

Terra Del Sol Park - Ramada #1
6700 E Calle Marte
Tucson, AZ 85710

May 17, 2008 - 2:30 PM Sharp
 
ephraimcruz.com
 
My friends, it’s about that time again. So far, with your hard work, we’ve collected hundreds of signatures from concerned voters in Legislative District 29, and are reaching our quota of $5 qualifying contributions. With your dedication and commitment, this campaign brings tested personal integrity to every voter in District 29. Check out this video of your hard work at ephraimcruz.com.
 
We offer real political change to voters, one door at a time. Come on out this Saturday to assist us in this worthy endeavor. We will meet at Terra Del Sol Park - Ramada #1 at 2:30 PM this Saturday, May 17, 2008, enjoy a brief rundown of canvass particulars, and then hit the streets.
 
We will talk to voters. We will listen to voters. We will ask voters to provide the signatures and $5 qualifying contributions needed to promote real change in Phoenix. So come join the movement! Feel free to bring friends and let others know about this opportunity. Forward this message to all relevant list serves. Small groups of dedicated people having fun and talking to voters - sounds like a bright Saturday afternoon to me! We’ve got work to do! Let’s Canvass for Cruz!
 
Ephraim Cruz
Candidate for Arizona State Representative from Legislative District 29
http://ephraimcruz.com

The phenomenal AZ Left blog, a blog for Democrats and Democratic activists in Arizona, posted about Ephraim Cruz and his “Ask Not” speech a few days ago. They wrote:

Ephraim Cruz looks pretty impressive. He was a border patrol agent, but he blew the whistle on the practices there when he realized how cruelly undocumented migrants were actually being treated.

Thanks for spreading the word about Ephraim Cruz!

Please save the following dates and locations for our upcoming canvassing events (after tomorrow’s Work to Do 2! Canvass for Cruz!). We will send reminder emails in a day or two.

Work to Do 3! Canvass for Cruz!
Saturday, May 17th
2:30pm
Terra Del Sol Park, Ramada #1
6700 E Calle Marte

Work to Do 4! Canvass for Cruz!
Saturday, May 24th
8:30am
Reid Park, Ramada #17

If you have any questions, or to RSVP, email questions@ephraimcruz.com

Terra Del Sol Park - Ramada #1
6700 E Calle Marte
Tucson, AZ 85710
May 10, 2008 - 2:30 PM Sharp
 
My name is Ephraim Cruz, and I need your support to become the next Arizona’s State Representative of Legislative District 29!
 
I have the integrity to serve the voters of LD29. This Saturday, we will listen to the public. At each residence we visit, we will ask the voters to identify political problems befalling their neighborhood. We will talk to voters. We will listen to voters. We will identify what the voters themselves are interested in so we can offer the change they seek.
 
So, come out this Saturday and canvass for me, candidate Ephraim Cruz. We will meet at Terra Del Sol Park’s Ramada #1 at 2:30 PM, have a brief overview of canvass particulars, and then hit the streets. We will all return to the park at 6:00 PM for pizza and discussion, where we will return our canvass materials.
 
Feel free to bring friends and let others know about this opportunity. Forward this message to all relevant list serves. And don’t just take my word for this - check out the fun at our last canvass from our video at ephraimcruz.com.
 
Let’s get to work! Let’s Canvass for Cruz!
 
Thanks,
 
Ephraim Cruz
Candidate for Arizona State Representative from Legislative District 29
ephraim@ephraimcruz.com

The full text of this speech can be found here.

If the video is not playing well for you, please try clicking the page and viewing it in “high quality”.