🔥 Muttering Councilmembers & Migrating Crackheads: How Tucson's Safety Crisis Is Reshaping Neighborhood Dynamics

First and Fort Lowell crowned "fentanyl crackhead intersection of Tucson" as city council fumbles response

This is based on Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone, a maga-conservative podcast in Southern Arizona, which was broadcast by Live The Dream Media on 3/21/25.

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😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

🎙️ On a radio show called "Wake Up Live," people talked about problems in Tucson like 🏕️ homeless camps and ⚠️ dangerous street corners. The City Council tried to vote on cleaning up areas where homeless people stay, but one councilmember mumbled his vote so unclearly that it didn't count.

A restaurant owner named CJ Hamm explained how he makes really good 🍗 fried chicken using 12 special spices, and he uses real American 🐟 catfish instead of the cheaper kind from other countries. Another guest talked about their favorite movie scenes, like when all the slaves in "Spartacus" protected their leader by claiming to be him. The show ended with a discussion about a 🏇 horse race happening soon, where a horse partly owned by listeners of the show will be competing.

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🗝️ Takeaways

• 🏛️ Tucson City Council failed to pass an ordinance clearing homeless encampments from washes due to Councilmember Fimbres' unclear "Aye" vote, despite Prop 312 requirements

• 🏆 Unpaid volunteers in Tucson's crime-free coalition are accomplishing "50 times the work" of highly paid chamber executives, according to DeSimone

• 🗺️ Tucson's safety crisis has flipped traditional neighborhood dynamics, with south-side areas now considered safer than midtown locations

• 🏀 University of Arizona basketball faces challenges from NIL deals and transfer portal, creating a "revolving door" of one-year players

• 🍳 Ham Bones restaurant showcases regional American cuisine and international dishes like Turkish meatballs with complex spice profiles

• 🎞️ Cinematic moments from classics like "Spartacus," "Jaws," and "Glengarry Glen Ross" continue to resonate with Tucsonans as powerful storytelling examples

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Municipal Mumbles & Midtown Meth Mania: A Front-Row Seat to Tucson's Circus of Crises

In the latest episode of "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone," listeners were treated to a veritable smorgasbord of Tucson's finest local politics, culinary adventures, and cinematic reminiscences—all while navigating the increasingly dystopian landscape of our beloved desert city. As the Friday morning show unfolded, it became clear that while Tucson's leadership continues to fiddle with parliamentary procedures, Rome—or rather, our medians, washes, and once-decent neighborhoods—quite literally burns, according to the show hosts.

The Fimbres Fiasco: When "Aye" Doesn't Actually Mean Yes

The show kicked off with DeSimone dissecting yesterday's City Council vote regarding clearing homeless encampments from washes. In what can only be described as political theater worthy of a Razzie Award for "Most Confusing Municipal Performance," Councilmember Richard Fimbres fell asleep and apparently mumbled something that sounded like "Aye" during the crucial vote, but officials somehow ruled it didn't count as a clear affirmation.

Because heaven forbid, we have clear, decisive leadership when it comes to actual problems affecting real businesses and residents. Why make a definitive statement when you can mutter incoherently instead?

This 5-1 vote on clearing washes came in response to Prop 312 claims, legislation that the "crime-free coalition" helped push through without support from what DeSimone colorfully described as "losers from the Metro Chamber" and other business organizations that collect substantial salaries while accomplishing precious little.

"As I constantly harp on the lack of private sector leadership out there in Tucson, Arizona," DeSimone said, "I went through the 990 forms of various chambers, right? Joe Snell's making like $600,000 a year. Rob Elias at the Hispanic chambers making 103. Guyman's making 125. I assume Zach's making about 105."

Meanwhile, he praised the motivated volunteers of the crime-free coalition who work tirelessly without compensation: "What's amazing is the motivated people who are doing it for free are doing 10 times the work of all these other people. Maybe that's insulting. 50 times the work of anything that's called a chamber down in Tucson."

The ordinance would have helped clear homeless encampments from washes, which, according to DeSimone, have become retreats where people "get away from the cops" and "do their drugs and every in private and then they crawl out to go feast on the businesses of Tucson or each other."

Not exactly the tourist brochure description the Chamber of Commerce prints up, but arguably a more accurate portrayal of what business owners face daily.

Despite the “Queen Mayor” (Regina Romero) voting yes, the ordinance failed to pass due to the Fimbres confusion. Councilmember Paul Cunningham, who voted against it in the first place, will reportedly reintroduce it at the April 8th meeting—a move DeSimone characterized as "having his cake and eating it too."

"So I don't know if she didn't want Fimbres to vote because she knew... See, that's the other... See, my pessimism level's so high," DeSimone speculated. "Did she—he mumbled something? The guy is sick. That's why he's not, you know, that's why he's not at meetings. That's why he's not rerunning again."

Ron Arenas: Basketball Blues and Crackhead Corners

Ron Arenas from Picture Rocks Heating, Cooling and Plumbing joined DeSimone to discuss University of Arizona basketball, NCAA tournament prospects, and what became the surprise hit segment of the show: mapping out Tucson's worst "crackhead corners."

Arenas provided insightful commentary on Tommy Lloyd's coaching challenges this season, explaining how the transfer portal and NIL deals have transformed college basketball into a revolving door: "Everything has changed in college basketball and college sports for that matter, you know, with the NIL and the transfer portal, you're kind of just running players for one year and then they're off to their next school or whatever."

Despite losing promising center Oumar Ballo ("Creve Us" as DeSimone called him) to injury and fielding what Arenas considers less talented players than previous years, the Wildcats managed a decent season and secured a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament—a testament to Lloyd's coaching abilities.

"I think, me personally, I think this is a pretty good coaching job from Tommy Lloyd because there's some players in my personal feelings, there's some players that are starting on this team that probably wouldn't normally start on Arizona team," Arenas noted.

The conversation shifted to Tucson's increasing homeless and drug crisis, with both hosts identifying the worst intersections for what they bluntly call "crackheads." The discussion was equally hilarious and horrifying—a perfect encapsulation of how many Tucsonans cope with the deteriorating conditions of our once-charming mid-sized city.

When identifying the worst corners in your city becomes a crowd-sourced activity on morning radio, perhaps it's time to acknowledge we've got more than just a "perception" problem.

The top contenders included:

1. First and Fort Lowell (crowned the ultimate "fentanyl crackhead intersection")

2. Grant and Oracle

3. Grant and the Santa Cruz River

4. Speedway and Swan ("Hell on earth," according to a live chat participant)

5. Speedway and Craycroft

What struck me as particularly revealing was Arenas' observation about Tucson's geographic shift in safety: "If we were having this conversation 15, 20 years ago about the worst intersections... you'd be hearing 12th and Valencia... you'd be hearing all these other crazy South 6th and 36th. Now it's all smack dab in the middle of the city of Tucson."

DeSimone concurred: "The Southside is 10 times better. 50 times better than the rest of the town."

So the traditionally Hispanic, working-class neighborhoods that privileged Tucsonans have avoided for decades are now safer than the fancy midtown areas near the university? Oh, the irony is as thick as a monsoon thunderhead.

Arenas also pointed out that historically nice areas like "22nd and Camino Seco at one point was really nice," while DeSimone added, "Even Speedway was really nice." Now, these areas feature what they call "crack bridges," and businesses are forced to close indoor seating due to safety concerns.

CJ Hamm: Culinary Creativity at HammBones

The mood lightened considerably when CJ Hamm, owner of HammBones restaurant on 29th and Craycroft, arrived with a mouth-watering spread of Friday specials. Ham's rotating menu includes "Travel Day" specials featuring international cuisine like Thursday's Turkish meatballs with a sophisticated blend of "cooling spice and warming spice back and forth."

"In the meatballs, a mixture of beef and lamb. And then I really love what they do with their spices because it's got some, like cooling spice and warming spice back and forth. So you've got the juxtaposition of that," Ham explained. "So you have cumin, mint, coriander, cayenne, allspice, of course, garlic, onion. And then the sauce is a tahini yogurt sauce."

A refreshing reminder that amid Tucson's challenges, our culinary scene continues to thrive with creative chefs pushing boundaries beyond the predictable Sonoran fare.

With infectious enthusiasm, Hamm detailed his Friday specials, including:

• Fried chicken (with 12 herbs and spices - "one more than the Colonel!")

• Fried catfish (using Mississippi-caught fish rather than "farm-raised crap")

• Red beans and rice (traditionally a Monday dish in New Orleans, moved to Friday to pair with the fried offerings)

Hamm shared his journey to perfect his fried chicken recipe: "It took a couple of months to get it to where I wanted it." The process involves a buttermilk hot sauce brine, followed by a wet batter to prevent dark spots, then rolling it in seasoned flour with—count 'em—12 herbs and spices.

"I was joking when we started, and I was like, well, you know, Colonel Sanders uses 11 herbs and spices. I'm doing 12," Ham said with a laugh.

When asked about his sourcing for catfish, Ham emphasized quality over convenience: "We made a resource actual American Mississippi catfish rather than swai from Vietnam or China." His disdain for tilapia and other farmed fish was palpable: "I don't like tilapia... it's just a farm-raised crap."

In an era of cost-cutting and corner-cutting, it's refreshing to hear a chef stand by principles of quality and sourcing—even in a casual meat-and-three establishment.

Before departing to fire up his fryers, Hamm joined the movie scene discussion, citing the paranoid cocaine sequence from Goodfellas as a memorable movie moment: "The part when Henry in Goodfellas is like super coked out, paranoid, and he's running back and forth to sell the guns, stir the sauce, all that stuff is just so intense."

Mark Van Buren: Movie Magic and Memory Lanes

The final segment featured Mark Van Buren, a hospitality industry veteran with what DeSimone jokingly called "40,000 years in the business." Mark and DeSimone embarked on a delightful journey through cinematic history, discussing their favorite movie scenes of all time.

Van Buren's selections included:

• "Spartacus" - The "I'm Spartacus" scene showing loyalty: "All of his men start standing up and raising their hand going, 'I'm Spartacus. I'm Spartacus. I'm Spartacus.' And it's just a very touching scene... it really shows you how loyal they were to him."

• "Jaws" - Robert Shaw's USS Indianapolis monologue: "He's describing how the sharks were attacking all the men. And he said something like a thousand guys went into the water and only 300 came out."

• "A Few Good Men" - Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth" testimony: "The cross examination is one of the most iconic scenes I've ever seen in a movie between Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise... You need me on that wall, all those great lines."

• "Glengarry Glen Ross" - Alec Baldwin's sales contest speech: "First prize is a Cadillac. Second prize is steak knives... Third place is you're fired."

• "Cinema Paradiso" - The ending reveal: "It is one of the most touching endings of a movie I've ever seen... the projectionist has died. And so he goes back to his town... And what happens is the guy leaves him a copy of this thing he spliced together with all the scenes that he cut out."

These powerful cinematic moments remind us of art's ability to transcend daily struggles and connect us to universal emotions—something we desperately need in these fractured times.

DeSimone contributed his own favorites, including the opening scene of "Patton" with George C. Scott in front of the American flag and Lawrence of Arabia's famous match-blowing transition to the desert landscape.

The pair wrapped up discussing the Louisiana Derby horse race happening Saturday, where Caldetta, partly owned by DeSimone's brother Joe and several "wakeys" (show listeners), will be competing at 5-1 odds. Van Buren provided race analysis and reminisced about his own ill-fated betting experience at the track years ago when his sure-win horse pulled up lame after leading by 15 lengths.

"I had every dollar I had on me on this horse. I had him in exactas, trifectas, superfectas, and in win, place, and show," Van Buren recalled. "This horse takes off. And on the back stretch, he's out in front by like 15 lengths... he gets to the top of the stretch and he's out in front by 15, 20 lengths... [then] he pulls up lame. I had to go back to the hotel. I was working for Hilton at the time and we had to borrow gas money from a desk clerk."

The Bigger Picture: Tucson's Shifting Landscape

Throughout the show's meandering conversations, a narrative emerged about Tucson's evolving—and in many places deteriorating—urban environment. The stark contrast between the energy and creativity of local business owners like CJ Hamm and the apparent paralysis of civic leadership couldn't be more pronounced.

While some are creating delicious Turkish meatballs with perfectly balanced spices, others can't even clearly articulate an "Aye" vote on cleaning up dangerous encampments. The metaphor writes itself.

The geographical shift in perceived safety from south to central Tucson represents a profound transformation that challenges long-held assumptions about the city's development patterns. When historically marginalized areas become safer than formerly desirable neighborhoods, it raises fundamental questions about our approaches to urban planning, public safety, and social services.

Perhaps most telling was the contrast between DeSimone's praise for unpaid volunteers in the crime-free coalition and his withering critique of highly compensated chamber executives. The mismatch between compensation and results deserves more scrutiny in a city battling persistent poverty and limited resources.

Hope on the Horizon: Community Over Chaos

Despite the sometimes grim subject matter, all guests expressed palpable passion about making Tucson better. From CJ Hamm's dedication to culinary craft to Ron Arenas' observations about neighborhood changes to DeSimone's call for more effective leadership, each voice expressed investment in our community's future.

The crime-free coalition's success in passing Prop 312 without institutional support demonstrates that grassroots organizing can still influence policy, even when traditional power structures fail to lead. Their achievement offers a blueprint for other community groups seeking to effect change in a system that often seems designed to resist it.

As we navigate these complex challenges, perhaps we can take inspiration from the movie scenes discussed—moments of courage, loyalty, and transformation that remind us what's possible when people stand up for what matters in their community.

Getting Involved:

1. Support local businesses like HammBones that invest in quality ingredients and innovative menus.

2. Attend City Council meetings (the next vote on the wash ordinance is April 8th) and make your voice heard.

What intersection in your neighborhood has seen the most dramatic change in safety over the past decade? How do you balance compassion for those struggling with addiction and homelessness while addressing legitimate safety concerns for businesses and residents?

Share your thoughts in the comments below—because unlike Councilmember Fimbres, your voice deserves to be clearly heard.

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Notable Quotes:

• "What's amazing is the motivated people who are doing it for free are doing 10 times the work of all these other people. Maybe that's insulting. 50 times the work of anything that's called a chamber down in Tucson." - Chris DeSimone on volunteer crime-free coalition members versus paid chamber executives

• "Everything has changed in college basketball and college sports for that matter, you know, with the NIL and the transfer portal, you're kind of just running players for one year and then they're off to their next school or whatever." - Ron Arenas on modern college basketball challenges

• "In the meatballs, a mixture of beef and lamb. And then I really love what they do with their spices because it's got some, like cooling spice and warming spice back and forth. So you've got the juxtaposition of that." - CJ Ham describing his Turkish meatball preparation

• "If we were having this conversation 15, 20 years ago about the worst intersections... you'd be hearing 12th and Valencia... Now it's all smack dab in the middle of the city of Tucson." - Ron Arenas on the geographical shift in Tucson's safety problems

• "I had every dollar I had on me on this horse... This horse takes off. And on the back stretch, he's out in front by like 15 lengths... [then] he pulls up lame. I had to go back to the hotel... and we had to borrow gas money from a desk clerk." - Mark Van Buren recounting his disastrous betting experience in Louisiana

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People Mentioned:

• Chris DeSimone - Host of "Wake Up Live," criticized chamber organizations while praising grassroots efforts: "The motivated people who are doing it for free are doing 10 times the work of all these other people."

• Richard Fimbres - Tucson City Councilmember whose unclear "Aye" vote caused confusion during wash clearing ordinance vote; DeSimone noted: "The guy is sick. That's why he's not at meetings. That's why he's not rerunning again."

• Regina Romero - Referred to as "Queen Mayor" by DeSimone, who suggested she might have manipulated the vote: "Did she—he mumbled something?"

• Paul Cunningham - Councilmember who voted against the wash ordinance but will reportedly reintroduce it; DeSimone characterized this as "having his cake and eating it too."

• Joe Snell - Chamber executive making "$600,000 a year" according to DeSimone's review of 990 forms

• Rob Elias - Hispanic Chamber executive making "$103,000" according to DeSimone

• Kevin, Monica, and Josh - Crime-free coalition members praised by DeSimone for their unpaid advocacy work

• Ron Arenas - Picture Rocks Heating, Cooling and Plumbing representative who observed: "If we were having this conversation 15, 20 years ago about the worst intersections... Now it's all smack dab in the middle of the city of Tucson."

• CJ Hamm - Owner of HammBones restaurant who detailed his 12-spice fried chicken recipe: "I was joking when we started and I was like, well, you know, Colonel Sanders uses 11 herbs and spices. I'm doing 12."

• Oumar Ballo (referred to as "Creve Us") - U of A basketball center who was injured; described as "from Lithuania" and "supposed to be our best player"

• Tommy Lloyd - U of A basketball coach praised for his coaching despite team challenges

• Caleb Love - U of A basketball player whom Arenas said needs to score "25 to 30 points" for the team to win

• Mark Van Buren - Hospitality industry veteran who discussed memorable movie scenes and shared his disastrous betting story

• Joe DeSimone - Chris's brother, part-owner of racehorse Caldetta running in the Louisiana Derby

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