blog #8

Dr. Scott Warren is on trial in federal court in Tucson, Arizona for providing food, water, and medical assistance to two Central American Migrants who landed in Ajo, Arizona. Ajo is one of the deadliest areas in US for people traveling through the desert. They need support if they are going to make it to their destination.

DAY 4 – friday, NOVEMBER 15TH

1. Court started late today. Andy Silverman, member of No More Deaths legal team and Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Arizona took the stand first. He discussed the No More Deaths legal protocols and volunteer trainings: “One of the very basic principles of No More Deaths and civil initiative is that we are transparent in everything we do. The work we do, and the way we do it, is proper and legal. We provide all information and materials to prevent loss of life.”
2. Two long term volunteers also testified. Ellie spoke about her experience with No More Deaths and her drive to do humanitarian aid work “I grew up in Tucson, hiking and recreating in the desert. When I began to hear of deaths in the desert, it hit quite literally close to home. When a tragedy is happening in a place you call home, it compels you to act.”
3. Ellie testified about her motives, rooted in compassion, the consequences of getting lost in the desert and the value being oriented to where you are: “I carry a high level of concern for people getting lost. If someone is in trouble, you can’t sit down and wait for somebody to find you, you need to find yourself help. In that area, it is a much more vast distance between roads or towns.”
4. Isabella, another volunteer, also testified. January 2018 was her first month in the desert with No More Deaths and she described what happened in the week leading up to the arrests. Three days prior, volunteers had come across human remains in the desert near Ajo. “We hiked several miles down until we came to the skull, then we did a grid search…it was my first time encountering a human body in the desert.” 
5. She explained that the experience had an emotional toll on her and her fellow volunteers. Scott lead a debrief for the volunteers that evening, creating a space for everyone to process the experience. She said it helped her think about “what it means to come face to face with death everyday while constantly fighting for life.”
6. Dr. Norma Price, a member of the No More Deaths medical team, who has volunteered along the border since before the founding of No More Deaths, took the stand. She testified about her consultation with Scott regarding Jose and Kristian, affirming their need for medical care. 
7. She testified about the dangers that all migrants face in the desert, and the way aid workers respond. She stressed the excessive vulnerabilities to dehydration and exposure in cold and hot environments alike. She also spoke about injuries that in other contexts, might be viewed as minor, when asked by defense counsel; “can you die of blisters?” She responded: “Any injury to the lower extremity…can impair someone’s travel.  if they can’t keep up with the group they are left behind. if they are left behind, they get lost and if they’re not found… they will die.”

Trial resumes at 9:30 am on Tuesday. NO COURT ON MONDAY. Reminder we have an overflow room every day! On Thursday, Gene Lefebvre will be traveling to Tucson from Phoenix with members of Shadow Rock United Church of Christ to attend that day's hearing..

See the lengthy May 4, 2019 article in THE INTERCEPT by Ryan Devereaux about Scott's case. It is worth the read.