Dion Johnson
On May 25 – the same day George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis – a DPS trooper shot 28-year-old Dion Johnson in Phoenix during a DUI arrest. A vigil was held for him outside the Arizona Department of Public Safety and his death was protested across the country as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Guy Phillips
National outlets from CNN to The Washington Post took notice when the two-term Scottsdale City Councilman facetiously invoked Floyd’s final words (“I can’t breathe”) during a protest of face masks in June. Phillips’ statement drew a stern rebuke from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and a call for his resignation by the NAACP.
Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz
Phoenix homeopathic healer and chef Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, aka The Kitchen Curandera, is spotlighted on the new Hulu series Taste the Nation hosted by Padma Lakshmi. Cocotzin Ruiz’s episode focuses on indigenous dishes’ nutritional and spiritual properties.
