TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Thursday night, Joey Rodgers and Soleste Lupu returned from the vacation they took after finishing their Nutcracker Special. They were expecting to pick up and organize props, but ended up finding a different mess before walking through the doors.
“And we saw a shopping cart, which we thought, ‘Oh, there’s someone sleeping in the corner.’ Then I walked around the corner and saw what I saw and was like ‘Oh lord,’” said Joey Rodgers.
They often find unhoused people outside of their Dancing in the Streets Arizona studio, 88 W. 38th St., when they arrive to start rehearsals. Usually, they'll offer water or whatever the person might need, but ask that they leave before families arrive.
That’s what they were expecting—but instead, they found evidence of a fire that had charred the walls to the ceiling in the entryway.
As a nonprofit focused on bringing the art of ballet to all families at an affordable price, they see the act as a personal attack.
“This is for the kids, and you’re going to try to burn down something that’s going to benefit the kids?” Rogers questioned.
After alerting their landlord and reporting the incident to the South Tucson Police Department, they found out a fire had also recently happened at the Social Security office next door. The frequency of the incidents brought out concerns between the two, wondering how much more could happen in the community.
“I wish there was a magic answer… the whole community needs to come in and people that have resources need to help the city with their lack of resources,” said Lupu.
They said this wasn’t their first run-in with crime recently. They previously found evidence of a smaller fire, had a Swastika spray painted on their window, and had an incident with an aggressive unhoused person.
They aren’t the only concerned business in South Tucson. In recent South Tucson City Council meetings, business owners have presented their concerns over safety and cleanliness in the community. Many of their concerns were related to their experiences with unhoused people.
KGUN 9 has reached out to the South Tucson Police Department to learn more about their approach to this reality businesses are dealing with.
——-
Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
