Higley’s return to ‘normal’
Local woman ‘top grocer’
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS.................................3 Where to party tonight.
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, July 4, 2021
Gilbert officers aren’t smiling for these cameras BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
I
t’s 2 a.m. and a smart phone’s video camera is recording a traffic stop near Bruce Avenue and Palm Street in downtown Gilbert. After a brief conversation with Gilbert cops, the driver refuses a field sobriety test and is soon outside his vehicle being handcuffed. “What happened was this guy came flying from the bar through the neighborhood pretty quickly,” narrated a voice on a You-
Tube video. “There was an undercover cop sitting, creeping right by and saw him. Here comes the Mirandas. The guy doesn’t want to hear it.” The 35-year-old man behind the camera phone continues filming the 20-minute video after the driver is placed in the back of a patrol car for a ride to the police station and a tow truck arrives. He finally notes that it was a “fairly routine DUI stop” and that he was heading home. James, who declined to give his last name and goes by the handle “Gilbert Bystander” on his YouTube channel, is a First Amend-
ment Auditor whose aim is to ensure police accountability. He is part of a growing national movement of citizen activists who film on public property such as government buildings and police stations. Federal courts have protected the rights of citizens to film and record police officers in public places. James isn’t the only one following Gilbert cops around and videotaping them. Mesa resident Christopher Roff, whose handle is “Direct D,” sometimes tag teams with James
see AUDITORS page 4
For new superintendent, Higley is a passion
NEWS..............................12 New help for troubled teens.
SPORTS...................... 23 Getting ready for a new season.
COMMUNITY....................................... 18 BUSINESS.............................................20 SPORTS..................................................23 GETOUT.................................................24 CLASSIFIED..........................................26
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
D
r. Dawn Foley doesn’t see her new role as superintendent overseeing 13 campuses and some 12,000 students at Higley Unified School District as a job but more of a passion. The Arizona native, who grew up in Chandler and graduated from Corona Del Sol High School, is a fourth-generation educator and a third-generation Sun Devil. “I always knew I was going to be a teacher from as little as
I can remember,” said Foley, who as an elementary school student started collecting books and other items for her future classroom. “My parents and grandparents were my role models,” she said. “They were passionate about teaching.” She said her parents sometimes took her on family trips associated with educational conferences and lectures. “My parents were huge influences, who inspired me to love teaching,” Foley said. “My dad was Although she’s been doing the job for several months, Dr. Dawn Foley a high school principal and disofficially became Higley Unified School District’s new superintendent last see FOLEY page 8 Thursday. (Special to GSN)
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