A Safeway In Arizona
It has been nearly a year since Jared Lee Loughner opened fire on a public meeting held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Mark Brodie talks to senior writer for the Tucson Weekly Jim Nintzel about the events of that day, and what Tucson is doing for the anniversary of that event. Author and journalist Tom Zoellner, a friend of Giffords, sits down with Steve Goldstein to talk about his efforts to give context to the tragic Tucson shootings.
In A Safeway In Arizona Zoellner uses a mixture of reporting and memoir to try and explain the unique political context that led a disturbed young man to open fire on a crowd of people. Zoellner believes that feeling detached is woven into the very fabric of Arizona life. Cities built in the era of the automobiles and ranch house subdivisions make individuals detached from the community. Zoellner says that a Gallup poll done by the Center for the Future of Arizona reveals that only 12% of state residents strongly agree with the statement that their neighbors care about each other. He says the legacy of January 8th should be that, regardless of the nasty politics that currently grip the state, Arizonans should recognize that we all share a common interest.
