The goal? Making it “too big to ignore”.
Urquiza said she had invited Governor Ducey to the funeral because she was puzzled by his virus policies. “You should not know the impact it is having on real people and families being torn apart,” she said.
As infections spread throughout Arizona in late June and early July, Mr. Ducey ordered the closure of bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, gyms, and water parks. But he failed to cancel events like the Round Valley Rodeo, a centuries-old tradition, and he has resisted rules that would require people to cover their faces in public places. There have been more than 120,000 cases of coronavirus in Arizona, and at least 2,239 have died there.
Ms. Urquiza has spent a long time thinking about the disparities that the pandemic has highlighted.
Mr. Urquiza, a first-generation Mexican-American who grew up in Tolleson, Arizona, worked in manufacturing. When he died, he made his home in the Phoenix neighborhood with the majority of virus cases per capita.
“These are the people who were unable to stay home during the shutdown,” said the “skeleton crew.”
“If we want to do the right thing with them,” Urquiza said, officials must discover how to support people who cannot stay home.
“‘Netflix and chilling out’ is a privilege,” he said.
Mr. Urquiza’s obituary notes that, in addition to Kristin and her partner, Christine Keeves, she is survived by her life partner, Brenda, as well as five brothers and sisters.
