TEMPE, Ariz. — Protesters made sure the death of Sean Bickings wasn't glossed over by the Tempe City Council at its budget meeting on Thursday.
Bickings drowned in Tempe Town Lake on May 28, begging for help, while three police officers stood by on dry land. Protesters were at the budget meeting specifically to address a proposition to allocate millions of dollars towards unfreezing 19 positions at the city's police department.
"If you are going to hire and get 19 new officers, make sure they are some competent ones," Casey, a friend of Bickings, told the council on Thursday. "Who have, you know, a concern for a man who is drowning."
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Officers at the scene when Bickings drowned were untrained in water rescue and didn't have any life preservers to throw to him. Police did call for water rescue, but as per current policy, the boat was unmanned and docked nearly a mile away.
The council heard from the public for around three hours at the meeting. Almost every speaker pressured the city council to reject the budget because of the additional police funding.
The council approved the budget shortly after 10:00 p.m. by a vote of 6-0.
Council member Lauren Kuby discussed how social services and other parts of the budget saw significant funding increases while explaining her vote. The crowd interrupted and yelled at her, saying councilmembers were "blowing smoke."
After the meeting, Mayor Corey Woods praised the budget and spoke about the death of Sean Bickings for the first time publicly.
He said he met Sean two days before his death at a public meeting about homeless issues. At that meeting, Bickings discussed what homeless people should do if they had warrants.
Woods said after watching the video of Bickings' death, he went into his office and cried.
Discussions on preventing another drowning death on Tempe Town Lake are in the works, according to the mayor. The discussions include a plan to have life preservers in police cars and whether new training is needed.
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