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Pruitt's Owner Tactic Fails to Thwart Fourth Consecutive
Demonstration
Among the list of many things a busy man like Roger Sensing has to do every week, a new burden has come upon his
shoulders: trying to come up with imaginative ways to keep demonstrators off the sidewalk in front of his property —M.D.
Pruitt's Home Furnishings store—, an inconvenience costing him already thousands of dollars, and a problem way
beyond his business skills.
You can’t blame the man. He’s a successful furniture seller, no doubt, having converted his business from modest
beginnings into a little emporium. But chasing persistent protesters away from the front of his store is obviously not his
strength.
You see, he has tried his best to do just that. From having the top cop in Maricopa County —along with a small regiment of
horses, vehicles, and deputies— confronting the crowd of demonstrators and arresting day laborers by the dozen, to
playing loud music; barricading his own parking lot with an unattractive convoy of Pruitt’s trucks; spreading manure along
the sidewalk; and sending sarcastic messages to Phoenix Mayor Gordon, with professional and expensive signage.
Which of the above methods have worked? None.
For Saturday’s demonstration —the fourth consecutive one— Sensing came up with what he probably thought was the
perfect solution for discouraging protesters from standing on the sidewalk: having a uniformed crew of his own people
doing landscaping work, thus hindering picketers from comfortably rallying. Signs placed along the sidewalk read:
“CAUTION” and “SIDEWALK CLOSED.”
So on Saturday, October 17, using a temporary city permit, he prevented protesters from standing on the sidewalk to carry
out their weekly demonstration. The group was informed that due to the permit, and the supposed landscaping work to be
done, they couldn’t stand on the sidewalk.
At first, things seemed to be working according to Sensing’s plan. Picketers relocated their rally to the north side of
Thomas Road, right outside the China Olive Super Buffet restaurant, and next to the Tower Liquors store. There, without
sheriff deputies blocking their way, they expressed freely, invading private property at some point.
Once installed there, demonstrators officially began their fourth rally to protest Sensing’s hiring of Maricopa County sheriff
deputies to patrol and enforce the area on Thomas Road, between 36th and 34th Streets. In the two preceding Saturdays,
organizer Salvador Reza had Mariachi and Mexican Northerner live music. This week’s music entertainment was provided
by a group of Banda music from Sinaloa, Mexico, who played loudly and put protesters to dance.
But Sensing’s initially successful plan suddenly failed; and worst, it horrendously backfired on him. Reza and his people
quickly gathered in the parking lot of the liquor store to reassess the situation and counter attack Sensing’s staged
landscaping work. They figured if Sensing’s permit meant they couldn’t stand on the side walk —due to the fictitious
work— there was no reason why they couldn’t march on it.
So, instead of thwarting people from demonstrating in front of his business, Sensing ended up having a parade of
protesters marching along the sidewalk, where some of Pruitt’s “landscape workers” and other staff attempted to block
them, just to have sheriff deputies ask them to move aside, allowing the procession to continue.
Sensing’s projected plan not only went totally wrong, it boomeranged in a way he never imagined. Traffic on the stretch of
Thomas Road, where his store is located, became paralyzed at times, due to the large number of individuals crossing the
streets on both marked and unmarked crosswalks to walk around, now on both the north and south sidewalks.
Pruitt’s owner, his “landscaping” crew, Phoenix police officers standing in the store’s parking lot, and everybody on his turf
looked on in disbelief at how the regular protests from the previous Saturdays, turned into a demonstration on both sides
of the road. People parading, dancing, chanting, yelling on megaphones, crossing from one side of the street to the other,
and stopping traffic at times, while police officers on motorcycles, patrol cars and special vehicles were at crosswalks and
even in the middle of the road to protect picketers.
After some brief, minor provocations from people on Pruitt’s grounds, protesters concluded their most crowded rally yet —
around 250 people— by clapping their hands to thank Phoenix police officers for their safety. The assembly dispersed
quickly.
Next week’s demonstration is scheduled for Black Friday. Perhaps, Roger Sensing will come up with another, better idea
to impede the rally to take place. Without a doubt, he wants to go back to doing business as usual, but that could mean
getting sheriff deputies off his business’ payroll. It could also mean immediately calling organizers and city officials to
begin negotiations and to plan a possible a solution.
The current immigration and day laborers situation is way too complicated: for one man, one business, one city, and even
one state to handle. If Sensing is open for suggestions and really wants to go back to doing business as usual, he needs
to understand that he is in the business of selling furniture, not solving problems meant for the federal government. Yes,
out of frustration he is trying to extinguish a fire, but after witnessing today’s demonstration, it is more than obvious that his
extinguisher is not working. The fire has now spread to both sides of Thomas Road.
Copyright © 2007 Hispanic Institute of Social Issues
Grassroots Journalism
www.barriozona.com
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Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal use, must be obtained from BARRIOZONA,
Call 480-983-1445 or e-mail admin@barriozona.com with your request
'Landscaping work' by Sensing's people attempts to seize control of the sidewalk and prevent protesters
from holding rally, but plan ends up turning it into a march on both sides of Thomas Road.
By Eduardo Barraza
BARRIOZONA
November 17, 2007
Grassroots Journalism
www.barriozona.com
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