As you may know, Joe Arpaio was re-elected this past November as sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, the most heavily populated county in the state, encompassing most of the Phoenix metro area. Supporters of Sheriff Joe would have you believe that he was given another term based on competence, but really, his reelection was due to “Get ‘Em” politics.
Those of us who follow immigration headlines and live in communities affected by hardlined tactics know Arpaio’s name very well. He has morphed the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in to a full-time immigration enforcement posse at the expense of doing his real job as Maricopa County’s top law enforcement agent. Racial profiling is par for the course under Arpaio’s leadership and he does it unapologetically.
“Get ‘Em” politics, as in “Let’s Get ‘Em” is made possible by media sources who give nativists like Arpaio open platforms to spew xenophobia, racism and hate. This dark wave is not something that members of immigrant or latino communities are imagining, the numbers tell the tale. Hate crimes against latinos have surged recently, prompting grassroot movements to demand action from the government.
Because of the crimes, the NHLA, the National Council of La Raza and other groups said that Congress and the incoming Obama administration should “make passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act a priority.”
That bill provides federal assistance to the states and local jurisdictions to bring hate crimes to trial.
This national coalition, which encompasses 26 Hispanic organizations, also condemned at the press conference the violent rhetoric that various U.S. media outlets use to refer to undocumented immigrants and certain minority groups.
With news that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is being given his own reality television show on the FOX network, it is clear that pro-migrant and pro-human rights people of all colors, creeds and political ideology need to unite to say, “Enough!” There is blood being shed in the streets, and this latest example of nativist celebrity worship will only guarantee more violence against latinos and migrant workers.
America’s Voice has launched a petition calling for the Department of Justice to investigate the tactics and malfeasance that has given Sheriff Joe such notoriety. Instead of being rewarded with more media attention (which he loves), here is an opportunity to demand accountability:
We think he should get investigated for his controversial tactics.
With over 2,700 lawsuits against him, a history of virulently anti-immigrant and anti-Latino tactics, and 40,000 felony warrants outstanding in his jurisdiction, Arpaio has fostered a climate in which real criminals roam free while hard-working immigrants live in fear. America’s Voice is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to begin a federal investigation into his tactics, giving Sheriff Arpaio the attention he really deserves.
(full text of the petition is below the fold)
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that you direct your office to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, for gross civil rights violations in the name of immigration enforcement.
No official is above the law, and yet Sheriff Arpaio has engaged in racial profiling and civil rights abuses for years with impunity.
The case against the publicity-hungry Sheriff is well documented and horrifying. Joe Arpaio has made a mockery of our justice system by:
* Relying heavily on racial profiling and double standards: routinely stopping drivers for minor violations and only forcing “Latino-looking” drivers to produce Social Security cards.
* Engaging in sidewalk “crime sweeps” in low-crime communities – detaining those who cannot prove their citizenship status on the spot, while allowing dangerous felons to roam free.
* Promoting horrifying detention conditions that have been condemned by health agencies and human rights organizations.
Arpaio’s prisons have been stripped of their health standards accreditation, the Mayor of Phoenix and other law enforcement officials have denounced the Sheriff’s tactics, the Governor of Arizona has pulled some of his key funding, and over 2,700 lawsuits have been filed against him. Meanwhile, crime has surged. The Sheriff’s office has over 40,000 outstanding warrants for real felons that it simply hasn’t had time to tackle.
Mr. Attorney General, elected officials are subject to our nation’s laws. Sheriffs should be held accountable for fighting crime, not rewarded for spreading fear. We request an immediate Department of Justice investigation into Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his appalling tactics.
Sincerely,
Crossposted from The Sanctuary
