More than 2,000 protest taxes in Gilbert

No one acted out a violent revolution to protest taxes during the TEA Party held in Gilbert Saturday morning, which drew a record crowd from across the Valley on the day our nation marks its independence.

Slideshow: Gilbert TEA Party

Gilbert TEA Party planned for July 4

Instead, there were the peaceful coos of babies in strollers intermingled with the shouts of the reportedly more than 2,000 protesters surrounding Town Hall in support of the statewide Taxed Enough Already initiative.

Several different groups rallied against hikes in taxes in towns and cities across the state by gathering voter signatures on petitions and passing out a smorgasbord of varying information.

Groups across the political, social and community spectrum tied their banners together with the TEA Party, including the National Riffle Association, the National Center for Constitutional Studies and anti-abortion advocates from the Phoenix chapter of 40 Days For Life. Some of the groups, occupying booths on the grassy, shaded areas around the municipal building, at times touted a variety of viewpoints.

While one organizer and speaker at the event explained how he was utterly against raising taxes in Gilbert, a member of the Phoenix chapter of 40 Days For Life held a sign insisting that an unborn child has a right to live.

Event organizer and former Gilbert Councilman Dave Petersen, who spoke out at the event against tax hikes in his city, said the issue was larger and extended to every corner of the state - possibly the country.

"There were people from all over here, from Chandler, Mesa, Queen Creek, southeast Phoenix," Petersen said. "One person came from Rocky Point (Mexico)."

The laissez-faire-like environment brought several of the different groups together under the one banner - however stretched - of lessening taxation on the people and the government's overall impact on individuals' rights.

Holding a patchwork sign touting anti-abortion slogans, Beth Straley spoke to the broader evils of taxes as she and her group saw it.

"A lot of people don't realize that one of the places that some of our taxes are going to is to kill more unborn babies," she said of funding that might make its way to medical programs or groups like the nonprofit Planned Parenthood, which support abortion.

The event, which started at 8:30 a.m. and had nearly completely died down by noon, included what was billed as patriotic music, speeches and an open-mike session for all who had an opinion to voice, bringing out groups with clear political agendas of lessening government's role.

NRA card-carrying member Jerry McBee might be a proponent for Americans to bear arms, but he was calling on elected officials at the very least to do their jobs or get out of office.

"We feel that the town of Gilbert did not turn every stone before raising our sales tax," said McBee.

Former Maricopa County Tax Assessor Kevin Ross echoed McBee's views on what he described as overtaxation, but to a broader degree: "People from all over, of every age, came out to support fewer taxes."

The event was part of a series of rallies nationwide, but it was the only one in the East Valley on the holiday weekend.

No security problems were reported at Saturday's event, which organizers said at its height had more guests than the 2,000 supporters who came out months earlier in April. There was no final count by late Saturday.

TEA Party member Jan Hibbard said she had a stack of hundreds of petition signatures in her car, and there were more coming.

"There were three tax increases that they (the Gilbert Council) voted on and approved Tuesday, alone," Hibbard said, stressing that her group aimed to collect 1,743 signatures required in 30 days to oppose the hikes and possibly get the council to reverse them.

"The city attorney is already saying that the tax increases weren't a legislative act," Hibbard said. "But when you vote to increase people's taxes, it definitely is a legislative act."

Hibbard predicted that if her group's due process met any opposition after following the letter of the law, the next time the TEA Party rallied it would be inside a municipal building rather than in front of one.

"This will end up in court," she said.