Mayor Romero at Reproductive Rights Rally: ‘We’ve got to be pissed off. We’ve got to fight.’

Tucson Mayor Romero spoke at the ‘Bans off our Bodies’ rally for reproductive rights, which attracted hundreds of supporters. She spoke on May 14, 2020 at the rally in Armory Park.

Edited transcript of Mayor Romero’s remarks:

There is power in our work together. They are coming, not just for this, and it’s not coming from a good place. It is to oppress and control.

It is to oppress and control. That’s why they’re coming to our vote after voting rights. That’s why they’re coming after our workers’ rights. That’s why they’re coming after reproductive rights.

We’ve got to be upset. We’ve got to be pissed off. We’ve got to fight today. We’ve got to protest. We’ve got to March, but we’ve also got to organize. We have to organize. Buy yourself some really good tennis shoes. Because all this summer and into the winter, we are going to canvas, and we are going to get out voters so that we can change.

Those people are trying to oppress us. We’re done.

Here in Arizona. We’re at the epicenter of what it’s going to mean to be oppressed.

We have always been the Guinea pig. First, they come after immigrants and refugees and asylum seekers. Then they come after voting rights. Now they’re coming after our choices as people to control our own bodies. So we have got to hold hands and make sure that this summer and this fall, we are knocking on doors and telling people why they need to vote and why they need to vote for people that will fight for them and that are passionate about them.

We’ve got to fight and march and a canvass. We’ve got to take people to the polls, and we’ve got to knock on doors to make sure that this. Patriarchy crumbles.

It is my responsibility as your mayor to fight with you to protect our families, protect our trans babies, protect our children, protect our houseless folks, our vulnerable folks, and our seniors. And I’ll be right there with you. I’m not going to stand and see our democracy crumble in this country. We have done

So today, besides protesting today, I call you to action. Imagine all of you. You all look beautiful from up here. Imagine the power we have if each and every one of us picks up the phone and calls our family and calls our neighbors and calls our friends and knocks on doors. Hundreds of thousands of people could be charged into action because many of us already agree, but for one reason or another, have given up on our democracy. Let’s not give up on our democracy, and let’s bring others with us one knock at a time, one call at a time, one vote at a time.

Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede! Si, puede!