Jonathan Rothschild

Motivational speaker George Mumford in Tucson

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George Mumford in Tucson: Community & UA Presentations on Wednesday, April 8, 2015

George Mumford
George Mumford
Free & Open to the Public. 
Both Mayor Jonathan Rothschild
and Ward 1 Council Member 
Regina Romero will be at the 
El Pueblo Neighborhood Center 
talk and will say a few 
introductory words.

* Mr. Mumford will be speaking at El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 W. Irvington Rd., at 3 p.m. on “Learning to Play, Playing to Learn” and at UA’s Gallagher Theatre, in the student union at 1303 E. University Blvd., at 7 p.m. on “Pursuing Excellence with Grace and Ease.”

The University of Arizona’s Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry is bringing George Mumford – sports psychologist and meditation teacher/coach renowned for enhancing individual and team performance though mindfulness meditation – to deliver several public lectures on April 8, 2015.

As an athletic trainer, mentor for at-risk youth and motivational speaker, Mumford urges his diverse clients and audiences to practice meditation as a means of developing concentration, mindfulness, focus and mental toughness.

With extensive experience coaching Olympic athletes and collegiate teams, Mumford is best known for working with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers during their championship seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As part of Head Coach Phil Jackson’s support staff, Mumford helped to lead the Bulls and Lakers to a total of 11 NBA championships, specifically by helping star players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant refine their concentration through insight meditation training, or as Michael Jordan famously said, “get in the zone.”

Mumford’s proven techniques transform the performance of anyone with a goal – be they an athlete, student, academic, executive, musician, hacker or artist. Mumford will share his story and strategies in his Tucson talks, topics that are being covered in his forthcoming book The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance, being released by Parallax Press on May 12, 2015.

By hosting George Mumford, Confluencenter continues its mission to sponsor engaging and free programming that examines humanity’s grand challenges.

“The eclectic nature of Mumford’s talk, which includes elements of cognitive science, sports medicine and Eastern philosophy, represents the innovative and interdisciplinary work in which Confluencenter invests,” said Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry Director Dr. Javier Duran. “We are excited to bring Mr. Mumford to Tucson to speak to both the UA and broader Tucson communities.”

Mumford’s community presentation at El Pueblo Community Center is possible through in-kind support from Ward I Councilor Regina Romero’s office. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild is also offering his support by being a part of the El Pueblo Community Center talk.

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Jim Hannley

Tucson City Council: Ill-Conceived Ordinances Wiped from Agenda (video)

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Jim Hannley
PDA Tucson Coordinator Jim Hannley speaks against both the crowd management ordinance and the urban camping ban at the City Council meeting.

The Tucson City Council was scheduled to vote on two ill-conceived ordinances at their St. Patrick’s Day meeting this week. The Crowd Management Event ordinance would have given the police chief considerable discretion in controlling groups of 100 or more people. The second ordinance would have outlawed urban camping on all city property, thus criminalizing the homeless.

When word got out via email blasts, Facebook posts, and the blogs, public outrage built against these two measures. Social media posts called for protests and for phone-calling to Council members. A Facebook event to protest the Crowd Management Event ordinance had more than 100 potential attendees on Monday afternoon. An hour before the protest, the Tucson Sentinel reported that the city had  taken that ordinance off the agenda.

Before the Tuesday meeting, 20-30 homeless and homeless advocates gathered outside of the Council chambers. When I arrived with my video camera, one of my homeless Facebook friends told us that Councilman Steve Kozachik had talked with them just a few minutes earlier and said the camping ban ordinance would be tabled.

We went into the meeting anyway because my husband and I had both planned to speak against the ordinances. Between us we represent two major progressive groups– PDA Tucson and the Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus– and we wanted the City Council to know that progressives stood against both of these measures.

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Do Happy on International Day of Happiness

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DoHappytodayMarch 20, 2015 

Jacome Plaza, 11:45 a.m., City of Tucson Mayor Rothschild’s Proclamation for International Day of Happiness and Community Luncheon. 

Info from: http://dohappytoday.com/index.html

Lunch can be purchased from Truck54, 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Free Public Entertainment 1:00-1:30 p.m. by HOPE’s Melody of Life  Choir, Dancing in the Streets and The Napskippers.

Free All-ages Workshops in the Children’s Meeting Room, Joel D. Valdez Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. (outside is Jacome Plaza)



  1. Julie Originals Crafts @ 1:30
  2. Poster coloring with David Kish @ 1:30-4:00 in library lobby
  3. DITS Ballet with Joey @ 2:00
  4. Animal Balloons with Cheri @ 2:30
  5. Laughter Yoga with Loti and Jana @ 3:00
  6. Feng Shui with Kevin @ 3:30
  7. Maker House/Happy Cafe @  5:00 p.m. to late

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Safe Park Tucson

A Walk through Safe Park (video)

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Safe Park Tucson
Safe Park Associate Director Maggie Downey stands at the door to the Safe Park “office”. The office has referral forms for city services, lists of bathrooms the homeless can use during the day, bus schedules and more.

Safe Park– the homeless camp located on the sidewalks of downtown Tucson– has been a political hot potato since a Tucson District Court ruled the sidewalk protest was protected speech in December 2014. With that ruling, Safe Park grew and coffin-like boxes called “dream pods” started rolling in–much to the dismay of city and county leaders and local businesses.

Debates raged– in the Arizona Daily Star, on Facebook, on the streets, and in multiple Tucson Mayor and Council meetings– about the validity Safe Park as a “protest”, the moral character of the primary leader, the overarching problem of homelessness, and what the city could or should do about the situation. Park residents and the City Council have been in negotiations to move Safe Park from the sidewalks of the Rio Nuevo business district to another a vacant lot within a mile of downtown, where this homeless community could camp and have access to bathrooms and showers. Safe Park Director and long-time homeless spokesperson, Jon McClane had asked for a homeless camp in each ward, but said that they were willing to move if the city could find a spot not far from downtown.

As the search for a suitable city-owned lot continued, recent developments  have changed the political landscape. Police conducted a sting drug operation near Veinte de Agosto Park and arrested McClane and others on charges of possession of marijuana and possession for sale. The Arizona Daily Star. continued its character assassination against McClain, dredging up stories about his children and painting him as a charismatic opportunist, rather than a crusader. The US District Court Judge, who initially called Safe Park protected speech, issued a clarification that allows the city to remove the dream pods and tents. The latest news is that Safe Park dream pods and tents must be removed by Friday, March 13.

This blog post isn’t about the ongoing homeless controversy or the integrity of any of the leaders. It’s about the people I met at Safe Park last Thursday night.

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