Thread by @JulieGunnigle

We will be live in just a few minutes with the Maricopa County Attorney candidate forum.

Thank you Mass Liberation AZ, BLM Metro Phoenix, Poder in Action, LUCHA, Trans Queer Pueblo, and Drinking Gourd Farms for hosting this event.

Tune in on Facebook or in this thread. 👇

We are still waiting to get into the Zoom but we will keep you updated when things get up and running.

We are now live!

Here's a link to the Facebook Live: facebook.com/MassLiberation…

I was born, raised and educated in the valley, I’m the mom of three, and I’m a former prosecutor of politicians.

I hold a degree in Chemistry from NAU, and a law degree with honors from Notre Dame.

I started out as a small-town prosecutor and was later tapped to join the Financial Crime and Public Corruption Unit in Cook County Illinois where prosecuted Chicago politicians and corruptions who broke the law and stole public money.

I’m a recognized scholar on organized crime, and my work has been cited to United States Supreme Court. Today I practice civil law, focusing on education, reproductive justice and, I’m on going on my 14th year of practice.

I'm running on a straightforward platform.

1. Get our priorities right on prosecution.
2. Make meaningful reforms.
3. Keep this office out of your personal life.

To see a more in-depth platform visit: gunnigle2020.com/platform/

We need big change in this office. It's been under single-party rule for 40 years and we have never elected a woman to this role.

I am the only person in this race with substantial felony prosecution experience and it makes a difference in the fourth populous county in the nation.

With over 4 million people, we need to elect a County Attorney that has the experience and doesn't need to learn on the job.

At every stage of the criminal justice system certain people are targeted while others are not. It is a feature, not a bug.

We need not only to acknowledge but dismantle racism, homophobia, and transphobia in this office.

You can read more here: gunnigle2020.com/civil-libertie…

I have been vocally supportive of the reallocation of $25 million from the Phoenix police to the community and fully funding the police oversight board.

Since day one of our campaign, we have committed to the creation of an advisory board.

It would include communities of color, the immigrant community, community-based organizations, and criminal justice reform advocates, in addition to prosecutors, defense attorneys, formerly incarcerated individuals, victims organizations, and law enforcement.

The real situation with the death penalty is that our system is broken from day one for so many different people.

Black, indigenous, Latinx, trans, and LGBTQIA+ folks are unfairly targeted.

I am committed to a thorough review of every pending death penalty case, to ensure fair, transparent enforcement and that biases are eliminated.

I oppose the death penalty in the majority of situations. I think there are rare instances where a prosecutor should have the ability.

I have not seen a case in the last several years coming across the desk of the County Attorney where this should be an option.

A core tenant of our campaign is to end cash bail on day one. We need to stop criminalizing poverty.

Our legislature needs to codify these changes.

I will go after those who are taking political donations and bribes from the bail bond industry and go after corruption behind our cash bail and private prison industry.

We need to treat children like children.

It is essential that we end the foster care to prison pipeline and school to prison pipeline.

One of my opponents has circulated an anonymous, un-cited, and baseless attack memo that looks official and detailed that calls into question my core beliefs.

To that opponent: shame on you. Anonymously spreading lies is counterproductive to making the big changes we need in Maricopa County.

The fact that we are giving any air time to this conspiracy theory is a waste of voters' time.

To be clear: the suit against me as a prosecutor, the other prosecutors, and our office along with several other agencies was dismissed with prejudice, there was no finding of misconduct, and I paid nothing.

Day one, investigations of police shootings, police brutality, and other police misconduct will be assigned to an independent and community-involved unit separate from other prosecutors.

There is a clear conflict of interest when prosecutors would be asked to simultaneously rely on and hold officers accountable, whether it be for use of force or any other misconduct.

Our campaign wants to thank Mass Liberation AZ, BLM Metro Phoenix, Poder in Action, LUCHA, Trans Queer Pueblo, and Drinking Gourd Farms for hosting this event.

Thanks to all the folks who tuned in, it's invigorating to see such a large, diverse crowd focused on #cjreform.