Frugal Sheriff: Joe Arpaio Targeted by Democrat Feds for Arresting Illegal Aliens in AZ
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on March 17, 2009
By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ, is arresting 'too many' illegal aliens, prompting Federal investigation into his law enforcement tactics
Imagine having a job, any job, and being told what your duties are. Then, imagine your employer doing everything in his or her power to prevent you from doing that job, or criticizing or attacking you for doing it too well. Then, the ultimate insult, having the Federal government investigate you because, well, you’re doing it so well that there must be violations of the law and a handful of people who represent illegal aliens have filed complaints. In the court of public opinion, you’re often guilty until proven innocent.
That’s what is happening now in Maricopa County in Arizona. Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, known to most as simply “Sheriff Joe,” has been elected and has served as the head Greater Phoenix area law enforcement officer for nearly 17 years. He has an impressive track record in Arizona and a lengthy background of military and law enforcement experience and service throughout the world.
Now, because some local groups feel that he may be violating the civil rights of illegal alien lawbreakers because they are all Hispanic, complaints have been filed. Sheriff Joe has been called on the carpet by Washington, DC this week. And tragically, Sheriff Joe is doing a remarkable job for the Phoenix area, saving money at every opportunity, even when his operating budget has been cut to the bone.
He is the poster child of frugality and responsible stewardship with taxpayers’ dollars. A rare quality and commodity these days in our government.
Sheriff Joe has been featured frequently on national television because of his tough rules and his unorthodox ways to save a buck and to not indulge prisoners with the numerous luxuries that other state jail and prison systems give them. He is nicknamed “America’s Toughest Sheriff.” And that makes him unpopular with a portion of the county’s population and liberal talk show hosts like Bill Maher. He has been threatened, lampooned, attacked, defiled, spit on, you name it—but Sheriff Joe is a resilient man and despite his advancing years (at the time of this writing, he is 67), has yet to crumble.
Pornography is not allowed in his jails; cable TV watching by prison inmates is limited to that of G-rated programs, such as the Disney channel, the Food Network, the Weather Channel, and C-SPAN. He has fed inmates green baloney sandwiches to save money, and on average, feeds thousands of meals to thousands of inmates for just 15 – 40 cents a serving (much lower than other states’ per-inmate food costs). He stopped buying coffee for prisoners since it has zero nutritional value. Smoking and porno magazines in the jails are not allowed and he has taken away their weights. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then he started chain gangs for women, he said, so that he wouldn’t get sued for discrimination. The male chain gang, and the world’s first-ever female and juvenile chain gangs, clean streets, paint over graffiti, and bury the indigent in the county cemetery.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio holding a pair of the infamous pink underwear that male inmates in his jails wear
One famous program of Arpaio’s is that of the pink boxer shorts he makes all inmates wear. Per the Town of Fountain Hills website, years ago, when the Sheriff learned that inmates were stealing jailhouse white boxers, Arpaio had all inmate underwear dyed pink for better inventory control. The same is true for the Sheriff’s handcuffs. When they started disappearing, he ordered pink handcuffs as a replacement. And later, when the Sheriff learned the calming, psychological effects of the color pink—sheets, towels, socks—everything inmates wear, except for the old-fashioned black and white striped uniform, were dyed pink.
Last month, following state and county budget cuts, the Sheriff’s department lost its free designated parking spaces at the Phoenix airport and were racking up parking fines or high parking costs. It was hindering their law enforcement operations and was costing a fortune. Law enforcement officers go to Sky Harbor Airport often to pick up felons. Here’s an excerpt of what ultimately (laughingly) happened with Sheriff Joe and the media, according to a Crimes, Guns, and Videotape web post:
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Is a Master of Extortion
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Phoenix, AZ—Never let it be said that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio isn’t clever. He has an uncanny ability to solve some problems usually in front of rolling TV news cameras.The problem the good sheriff had was that his deputies were paying parking fees or getting citations on county cars at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The deputies need to pick up many freshly extradited prisoners there wanted for felony matters to deposit in Sheriff Joe’s jail. The problem was that the City of Phoenix refused to cooperate by ending their parking fee extortion against the county cops.
Fighting Extortion with Extortion
The City of Phoenix just unveiled their new light rail mass transportation system with service to Sky Harbor Airport. City officials are feverishly trying to get the public to use the new system. Sheriff Joe could not wait to oblige and help them with their public relations campaign. I don’t think Sheriff Joe’s publicity idea was what the city politicians were looking for to increase ridership.
Sheriff Joe announced he had a way to save $75,000.00 per year in airport parking costs. He pulled off yet another media stunt announcing his deputies would begin using the light rail to transport felons. With TV news cameras in tow the resourceful Sheriff went along as his well armed deputies picked up a hapless wanted felon from Sky Harbor Airport transporting her by light rail to his jail.
The thought of Sheriff Joe expanding the program to include jailed chain-gangs being sent to work sites worked incredibly well to get city official’s minds right. They agreed to let deputies park their vehicles at the airport without charge while there on official business.
Sheriff Joe is shrewd, effective, loyal, doesn’t kowtow to anyone, and deeply loves his job. He doesn’t want his jails/prisons to be country clubs for criminals. He wants anyone in his jail or prison to not want to come back. Does he abuse them? He has never been found to break any laws for abuse; Sheriff Joe knows that criminals, who lie and cheat and steal, will also blame anyone else for their incarceration and will likely exaggerate their treatment. He knows he is an ongoing scapegoat and frankly doesn’t care. Sheriff Joe takes his role to protect the public very seriously.
“Inhumanity” is cited by a few sympathetic local groups and the mayor of Phoenix, who say that the Arizona summer heat is too much for the prisoners to be in tents outdoors and that he treats illegal aliens unfairly. Arpaio disagrees, saying that he and his staff treat all prisoners, regardless of race, the same and that our troops serving in Iraq are in far greater heat and danger while wearing full combat garb in the war zone. He feels if our US troops can handle the heat while protecting basic freedoms and serving our country, then lawbreakers can do the same. He does not baby the prisoners, but he has never been found to be abusive, despite an investigation last year prompted by local civil liberties groups.
Arpaio is gruffly outspoken, an undeniable media hound, and doesn’t pull any punches. He is loved by conservatives and despised by liberals, who have called him a Nazi, a fascist, and other names that can’t be printed. He has made many enemies, but overall, is adored by the citizens who keep voting him into office.
Illegal Immigration Arrest Statistics, as of March 2009 (from Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website):
Under the State Law
Arrests by Sheriff’s deputies of persons transporting or being transported illegally into Arizona: 1,250
Under the Federal Law
Arrests by Sheriff’s deputies who, in the course of their duties, determine the arrestee is in Arizona illegally: 1,582
ICE “Holds”
Each inmate booked is interviewed for immigration status. Sheriff’s detention officers have turned over 22,616 illegal immigrants to Immigration authorities for deportation.
Concerning the Federal investigation, Sheriff Joe has said publicly now several times: “Bring it on.” He has arrested hundreds of illegal aliens in recent raids, and not just the “nice ones” who are paid under the table when hired as nannies or tend gardens (as some federal government officials have done). These illegal aliens are identity thieves, burglars, gun runners, drug dealers, rapists, kidnappers, human smugglers, sex ring operators, and murderers. The lowest scum of the earth are crossing the Arizona-Mexico border every day. Sheriff Joe wants to send them back to Mexico.
Interviewed on the Sean Hannity radio show last week, Arpaio said he had nothing to hide, his books were open to the Federal government, and he regretted this waste of taxpayers’ money. He also noted that the four members of Congress who have pledged to investigate him are Democrats. He is a Republican. He doesn’t think that is a coincidence. Also, none of the elected officials pushing for the investigation represent the state of Arizona.
The investigation against Sheriff Joe Arpaio may last a while. His job is no easy task, and the illegal alien/immigration problems and violence at Arizona’s (and America’s) borders are growing. To thousands of Arizona residents who fear the growing immigration problems and the crimes that are increasing, Joe Arpaio is a cherished hero.
Border violence, from Arizona radio station KTAR’s website:
Goddard blunt on border violence to Senate Committee
KTAR NewsroomArizona Attorney General Terry Goddard took his concerns about border violence before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon.
The committee held a hearing into law enforcement’s response to Mexican drug cartels. The cartels have spread bloody carnage throughout Mexico.
Goddard told the senators the gruesome mayhem is crossing the border. “Although most of the body count has been in Mexico, we have violent activities in the state of Arizona, and moving north of the border. That certainly should be cause for alarm.”
He said Arizona has become the gateway for drugs and human smuggling in the country. “The city of Phoenix, my city, has become known as the kidnapping capitol of the United States. Over 700 kidnappings in the last two years have afflicted that city.”
Goddard told senators police believe that well over twice that number have gone unreported. “So it’s a serious problem.”
A March 22, 2009 survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports revealed the following about Sheriff Arpaio’s approval rating:
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Arizona voters have a favorable view of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose aggressive enforcement of laws against illegal immigration have triggered an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. A Rasmussen video report shows that most voters nationwide want strong enforcement of immigration laws. Most favor strong employer sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants.
*****
Related Reading:
Conservative Libertarian Outpost: Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Homeland Security Chief!
Gateway Pundit: Leftist Thugs Shut Down Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Speech at ASU First Amendment Forum (Video)
Arizona Republic: Arpaio allies outraged by feds’ actions
*****
Journalist/blogger Michelle Malkin has many articles during the past year about Sheriff Joe Arpaio (and the ongoing witch hunt led by Democrats), Arizona’s border problems, illegal aliens, ICE, government’s soft or non-existent stance against illegal immigration, Obama’s illegal alien relative Auntie Zeituni, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, and the problems at the Mexican border. Pick any of the links below to her posts, and be prepared to get riled:
Border agent killed responding to possible incursion
Janet Napolitano screws up again
Janet Napolitano said what?
Taking a stand against the open-borders agenda
Debunking the “90 percent of guns used in Mexican crimes are American” lie
Another year in the US for Auntie Zeituni
Obama’s deportation fugitive aunt gets another day in court
It’s baaaack: The DREAM Act returns
Guess who else thinks ICE agents are unpatriotic?
San Francisco values: Pelosi says enforcing immigration laws is “un-American”
Illegal alien sob story of the day
Partying in D.C.: Illegal alien/deportation fugitive Aunti Zeituni Onyango
Good to know some Republicans still care about immigration enforcement
Obama’s border talk: I call bull
Planting the seeds of the next shamnesty
Stimulating illegal alien jobs
Gasp: DHS Secretary alarmed that immigration laws enforced under her watch
Return of the Chandra Levy case — and illegal alien sex offender Ingmar Guandique
More border chaos: U.S. anti-kidnap expert kidnapped in Mexico
Newsflash: Americans applying for the jobs illegal aliens were doing
San Francisco values: Let the illegal alien felons stay!
Unhinged in Arizona: Open-borders mob, led by public official, ravages Joe Arpaio effigy
Sanctuary kills: A bloody, needless tragedy in Aurora
From always-funny blogger Jim Blazsik: Video – Illegal Aliens! (Featuring the Jimenez Brothers) – Steven Crowder
Also:
Debbie Schlussel: Immigration Boondoggle: Where’s My Kosher Meat? …Or How ICE Agents Played Ed McMahon in $10 Million Julie Myers Alien Clearinghouse Sweepstakes
Gateway Pundit: Radical Obama Justice Department Sues Sheriff Joe Arpaio and
Hot Air: Video: Would-be rapist/murderers receive Second Amendment lesson
Corruption Chronicles, Judicial Watch: Illegal Aliens Spread Swine Flu In U.S.
Jane Q. Republican: Mexi-Guns: The Big Lie
NumbersUSA: Rasmussen Poll Shows Americans Favor Stricter Local Immigration Enforcement
Jordy Yager, The Hill: Napolitano says thanks but no thanks, DHS has funds
INGunOwners: Illegal Alien Obama Aunt Enjoys Inaugural Activities
The American Spectator: Minutemen Founder to Challenge McCain
About the author
Un-American… Pelosi is a NUT and needs to get her bleeding heart (for all but the people she supposedly works for) out of the White House. Pelosi also feels that Illegals should have access to Social Security…HHHMMM don’t you have to be a citizen to have access? Just a thought. Additionally, Pelosi needs to reevaluate her target audience, does she not realize that illegals can’t vote? She needs to be replaced. Sheriff Joe is a wonderful person who believes in what he is doing. He does his job and should NOT be reprimanded for it!
This guy’s a fascist animal. End of story.
I’m happy that my Justice Department is going after criminal behavior of all stripes.
After all, anyone elected who actually tries to enforce the law must be a fascist. Well Dude, we now know more about you than about Sheriff Joe.
I am a LEGAL immigrant, and personally i am offended over the way the Obama/Pelosi/Napolitano group are changing the rules. I went through 11 years of process to get here, and these people are basically calling me an idiot for wanting to become a real American the LEGAL way.
http://cantor.uopine.com/2009/03/19/i-am-a-legal-immigrant-and-i-am-offended/
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Hi,
Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.
Thanks
Pett
Phoenix is quite simply ovverun by illegals, coyotes, safe houses etc. There are no jobs for illegals now. The illegals that are currently illegally taking jobs should be thrown the hell out now along with all illegal family members.
This whole nonsense entitling illegals, who often break law after law with no consequence, is the result of elites imposing their policies on the 70% who want this crap to stop.
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first off- people being transported are denied meals….they are lucky to receive one meal on a court date– that is inhumane since they only receive two… How many of you need to loose 30 or 40 pounds– you will in jail even though the court finds you not guilty-Many people in there are not guilty–many are–human rights are violated by Joe’s policies-what is wrong with you people who support this bully????I am all for “not a countryclub”- …..
Do you realize you will go to jail if you have a conterfit $100 bill in your posession and try to use it as legal tender in a store? You may not realize it but Sheriff Joe will deem you guilty. The bank gave me a conterfeit bill the last time I was here- Thank goodness I didn’t try and use it!. Also no payments can be made for an “inmates book” with a $100 bill since even Joe’s own sheriffs can’t tell them apart- real or counterfeit. Too many conterfeit bills were accepted according to the Sheriff’s Dep. when I questioned this rule.
As a US citizen living in a foreign country, they almost would not accept my USA passport as proof of ID.. The sheriff wanted a driver’s license with an address…Excuse me but my driver’s license does not have an address. The country where I live does not number buildings or houses…There is no mail service except to PO boxes if you are lucky enough to have one…or they deliver because the post office knows you and where you live… Location is by description- The mentality of some of the sheriffs here is appalling….I have never had my passport questioned as form of ID in the United States-Only in Maricopa County
Maricopa county, unlike all the other county jails I called within this state, releases prisoners at 2 am in the morning…No phone calls are allowed…Joe wants the money for the meals without feeding you- How would you like to be found innocent- and then thrown out on the street to fend for yourself at that hour? Been mugged lately walking to a pay phone in those neighborhoods? The sheriffs laugh- make it on your own…Don’t call us….Keep supporting this Joe and your county will go broke with all the lawsuits-Over 43 million- just in the wrongful death and injury suits.according to several sources which does not include the attorney fees your county paid. Joe had 2,700 lawsuits filed in a 3 year span….That is 50 times more than LA or NY ….something is very wrong here– why the difference? Glad you are such a rich county in todays economy and can afford Sheriff Joe.. By the way Maricopa County had 77 inmate deaths between 2000-2006- Be real pround of Joe – Maricopa County is third . Only NY and LA had more….
To Sandy – pretty wild claims there. the bank gave you a counterfeit 100 dollar bill? The BANK? The BANK made such an error that you didn’t catch, but “Joe Arpaio’s henchmen” did? The bank gave you phony money?? And of course, you didn’t report it. I don’t think so.
And you are calling all the county jails in Airzona? Yah, right. this whole post sounds very suspicious ot me. Why in the heck are you calling jails all the time? Are you friends with a lot of lawbreakers? Dating a bunch? I’m rolling my eyes about now. And if you have a driver license from this “unnamed country” of yours that doesn’t issue addresses on licenses, because the post office can deliver based on a description?? NO ADDRESSES??? then if you have lived here for more than 10 days, you need to get something with your address on it to legally drive a car. Or are you using this other country’s license? What country are you even talking about?
If eveything you say is true then Sheriff Joe would be out of a job. It would be in the newspaper (and don’t say the media would cover it up – LOL. They NEVER cover up something this juicy). I’m all for him cutting back on food costs – it’s my money that’s paying for it. When they investigated him last year, they found he does nothign wrong. There is a lawsuit right now in Oregon against the law enforcement for 17 million. There have not been 77 deaths that Arapio was responsible for – where did you get that number? The Scott Norberg case was not a trial award, but was, in fact, a settlement. Sheriff Arpaio wanted to take that particular case to court, but the INSURANCE COMPANY decided to settle the claim. The reason? A few weeks prior, an agency in CA lost a suit and was ordered to pay $44 million. The insurance company got scared, and because 8 million is a pittance compared to 44, guess what happened? Joe was not responsible for his death, but he was forced to settle.
You’re making up numbers because you don’t like Sheriff Joe. Get your facts straight
Frugal? Lmfao! Spare me. How do you call spending taxpayers money on a) a TANK that TAX PAYERS paid for (what the hell does a local police force need a freakin TANK for?), b) a fully armored Crown Victoria also paid for by, you guessed it, tax payers, c) A .50 cal MACHINE GUN (this is a massive military grade anti-aircraft weapon) that no civilian police force has ANY BUSINESS owning d) 41.4 MILLION DOLLARS AND COUNTING in lawsuits where the bill was again footed by US!! How is any of that frugal? Arpaio has already gone 60 MILLION DOLLARS over his budget this year. Its freakin JULY!!!! If anyone wants to argue these facts with me, they are all public record and you can feel free to go look it up yourself. They are not made up, they are the truth.
Not only that, but he is also currently being investigated by The Department of Justice for racial discrimination (Not all mexicans are illegals! But he doesnt care.), and has had his national health accreditation DENIED TWICE because of the deplorable conditions he forces inmates to live in. My fiance is serving time (5 days!) at 4th ave and Madison for failing to complete DUI classes. While I agree that this should have been taken care of, he made a mistake because hes HUMAN, and he is by no means a criminal. Does he deserve to be treated like a murder and made to suffer just because he made a mistake? You people dont live in Arizona. You have NO IDEA how hot it gets here. 115 is a good day for us. Forcing people to stay outside in that kind of heat can EASILY result in bodily damage and even death.
Arpaio is a criminal and the things he does are despicable, and constitute cruel and unusual punishment. We treat our PRISONERS OF WAR under the Geneva Convention BETTER than Arpaio treats his inmates.
As for the Scott Norberg case, the reason they did not let that go to trial is because AMPLE EVIDENCE was found that crucial pieces of evidence were purposely DESTROYED by Arpaio’s men. Several autopsy x-rays went missing, Scotts name was intentionally deleted from the x-ray records book, and his LARYNX somehow went missing as well. Hm, its awful funny how the pieces of evidence that would have damned Arpaio somehow ended up missing. Also, the video clearly shows Officer Gurney dragging an obviously confused and disoriented Scott to his feet and placing him in a RESTRAINING CHAIR where he is obviously of NO THREAT to anyone, and then FOURTEEN GUARDS SAVAGELY BEAT THE BOUND MAN TO DEATH! The insurance company did not let this trial go to court because they knew the jury would side with Norberg, and not Arpaio. Maybe YOU should look up your facts before condemning someone else for not knowing theirs. O, a little extra tid-bit: When reporters questioned Arpaio on the actions of his men, he stated he believed they “had done nothing wrong”. Apparently the Sheriff of our fair county condones murder.
I think human indifference from people like you is the reason this world is filled with nothing but hate. You people think of nothing but yourselves and your gain, and just because someone is marked with the world “criminal” they are no longer human. Sure, denying PRIVILEGES (such as smoking, cable tv, workout equipment and such) should be taken away. They no longer deserve them. But there is no one in this world that has the right to take away their basic human RIGHTS to live healthily, no matter what they’ve done. The punishments that the Universe and God will hand down to these people will be far worse than what Arpaio will do to them, and until the time that GOD sees fit (NOT Arpaio) these people need to be treated as such: PEOPLE!! Saying things like “they deserve to be treated this way” makes you just as cold, callous and heartless as Sheriff Joke. How anyone can support a man like this is beyond me.
Aimee,
Your quote above really weakens your case. Your fiance’ IS a criminal, Aimee, because he a) got a DUI and b) failed to comply with a court mandate. And while you may want to believe otherwise, he is not being treated “like a murderer” when incarcerated, per the law, for a mere five days. I thought DUI offenders had to serve longer than five days, but I’m not much of a drinker, so I don’t know what the current laws are. Five days seems pretty short compared to other states. Arpaio is enforcing the DUI law (he is not the author of that law), and your boyfriend chose to break the DUI law. I’m glad he started (but then screwed up royally when he blew off finishing) his DUI classes, but I want him and others like him off the street, endangering other people’s lives by driving while drunk. They are menaces and present life-threatening danger to other innocent people. They could indeed kill someone by choosing to drink and drive. Saying they made a mistake is true of all criminals… they made mistakes when choosing to ignore the law. So, no sympathy here.
I live in Arizona, and have for more than three decades. I also correspond with many soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. They, too, endure great heat in heavy combat gear while fighting for freedom. I have worked with youth in the heat here, and as a former Girl Scout leader, have attended outdoor training workshops in Phoenix during the summer months. No sympathy here for “Tent City” inmates. They aren’t standing out in the direct sun all day, but have shade and ample water. How do you think early Arizona settlers and Native Americans survived here before air conditioning, for heaven sake? The prisoners who complain the loudest tend to be the ones who believe they are entitled to the most comforts, despite their crimes. This is not “inhumane,” but solves a housing problem and cuts costs to taxpayers. I know you don’t agree, but thousands of other Arizona citizens do.
The entire budget of Arizona and most states are in the red. Blaming Arpaio for being out of budget while not acknowledging we’re in a national recession (many states are bankrupt) is short-sighted and selective. Sheriff Joe IS frugal in cutting out a huge amount of unnecessary amenities for prisoners. Is the tank you’re referring to the SWAT tank that we’ve had for a few years now? If so, then I disagree with you… in the duties of law enforcement, there are occasions where a SWAT tank would be a desired, necessary tool to safety-guard Arizona citizens. I don’t know how much it cost, but since you can’t usually buy a SWAT tank “on sale,” I’m guessing it was a line-item in the budget for the year it was bought. I don’t know much about it, but I have no problem with Maricopa County having it, and any other weapons they have for keeping citizens in Maricopa County protected from bad guys. Most large counties have an impressive arsenal of weapons, and our county is huge. Weapons are not cheap – I was looking at hand guns online this weekend, and the average quality handgun costs more than $400. Many are over a thousand dollars. For one handgun. I don’t think any thinking person would suggest that our county should compromise its security to save a few bucks by buying outdated or third-world country weapons. So, yes, I do believe Arpaio is frugal where possible and where necessary. Cutting out coffee and saving money on meals permits more money to be available for tools that you can’t get for cheap.
Arpaio arrests illegal aliens and other lawbreakers. Being in this country illegally is against the law. Of course most Hispanics are not illegal. Arizona has a hefty percentage of citizens who are of Latino descent and most of those citizens are law-abiding people who contribute to society; I know many Hispanics who were born here or entered the country LEGALLY. Many officers in Arpaio’s team are Hispanic. Sadly, a huge number who are arrested ARE illegal aliens. Suggesting that we not arrest and incarcerate criminals because of the punishment, as you put it, “the Universe and God” will hand down is naive and rather silly. And dangerous. To the best of my knowledge, no one in the jail system is being malnourished nor mistreated per the law (unless they defy the rules of the jail, and even with investigations conducted by Phil Gordon/La Raza and Gordon’s request for Federal investigation, Arpaio has yet to be found guilty of any critical state violation). The four Washington DC officials who are spearheading the investigation of Arpaio were enlisted by Gordon, are all four Democrats, and NONE live in Arizona. La Raza is one of the forces behind the multiple lawsuits. Rev. Al Sharpton was here for a few days to give media interviews and to videotape the deputies in the performance of their duties, but then scurried to Los Angeles when Michael Jackson died. Death of a pop star vs. alleged racial improprieties… Sharpton has his priorities. I see this as a witch hunt of Arpaio.
You’re entitled to your speculations about the Norberg case, which was tragic, but not evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Arpaio. If indeed evidence, not second-guessing, witch-hunting, or speculation, proves he was responsible for that man’s death, I will change my opinion. However, at this time, nothing exists to prove your allegations. You called Arpaio a man who “condones murder.” That’s inflammatory, slanderous, and without proof, but then you see fit to defend your boyfriend who was found guilty of driving while intoxicated. Your emotions are affecting your judgment, Aimee.
I know Arpaio is controversial (I’ve written that), but at this time, while I may wince at some of his interviews, I am glad he is our sheriff. Phoenix crime has dropped, although Mayor Gordon says he has “no idea” why. I think the answer is obvious: no one wants to do time in Phoenix because of Arpaio’s commitment and tenacity as a law enforcer.
You obviously are upset with Arpaio, and I’m guessing it is because of your fiance’s DUI mess. There are consequences to his law-breaking actions and Arpaio and the city/Maricopa County court systems are enforcing those laws. Holding the sheriff responsible for the bad judgment on the part of your boyfriend is indicative of the validity of the rest of your attacks. In other words, your boyfriend brought this upon himself, but you’re blaming the sheriff for his DUI than the person who is actually responsible but you’re excusing: your boyfriend.