¡Alto Arizona!

After Discovery of 1,100 Year Old Mayan Site, State of Georgia to Rescind Anti-Immigrant Bill

"This is a little embarrassing to admit," began Governor Deal at an official press briefing. "it turns out, contrary to popular belief, the state of Georgia was not founded in 1732. It has been around much longer than that."

CDB Press Release: Melendrez vs. Arpaio "No Inherent Authority"

Source: Comites del Defensa del Barrio http://cdb-tonatierra.blogspot.com

Los Comités de Defensa del Barrio
Barrio Defense Committees
PRESS RELEASE
Date:  December 22, 2011
"Arpaio has no inherent authority to enforce civil immigration laws." 
The CDB Families and Community at Large
expecting decision on the
Melendrez vs. Arpaio Case

Phoenix, AZ -  US Disctrict Court Judge Snow will rule within 48 hours on the Melendrez vs. Arpaio case. His decision whether to send it to trial or judge on the evidence presented will have major implications for community policing within Arizona and Nationally.

The attorneys for Arpaio acknowleged today that Arpaio does not have “inherent authority” to enforce civil immigration laws. This is already a huge victory for the community represented by ACLU and MALDEF.

'Culture of bias' puts public's safety at risk

Opinions | Dec. 16, 2011 12:00 AM | Source: The Arizona Republic

This is not just about a clownish sheriff riding roughshod on undocumented immigrants.

The Justice Department's investigation into civil- rights violations at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office contains a stunning series of allegations against Sheriff Joe Arpaio's leadership and raises serious concerns about public safety.

The investigation began during the Bush administration. Despite what supporters of Arpaio say, it does not look like a witch hunt or a politically motivated attack.

The Justice Department found evidence of discrimination, retaliation and human- rights abuses that would violate the First, Fourth and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution, as well as several federal laws.

"Since roughly 2007, in the course of establishing its immigration enforcement program, MCSO has implemented practices that treat Latinos as if they are all undocumented," a Justice Department report released Thursday says.

Press Release: Congressman Grijalva Joins AZ and National Leaders to Commend DOJ Investigation on Arpaio

For Immediate Release:
December 16, 2011
Contact: Katy Green | B. Loewe

Congressman Grijalva Joins AZ and National Leaders to Commend DOJ Investigation on Arpaio

Leaders Say DOJ's Report is Step Toward Justice for Latino Community with Implications for National Immigration Policy

Link to recording of today's call: http://ndlon.org/docs/2011arpaio.mp3

Phoenix, AZ- Yesterday, the United States Department of Justice released a scathing report, confirming the “discriminatory policing practices” that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has used to terrorize the Latino community of Maricopa County for years and prompting the Department of Homeland Security to terminate the Sheriff’s 287(g) agreement and restrict his access to the controversial S-Comm program.

On a press call today, national and local leaders reacted to the reports findings, commending the investigation as a step towards serving the Latino community with the justice they so long deserve.

According to U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), "Sheriff Arpaio believes physical appearance is probable cause to stop and question individuals about their immigration status. Even after a Department of Justice investigation has told him otherwise, he continues to believe there’s no issue here. There’s nothing fair, equal or constitutional about racial profiling. His obsessive, politically motivated assault on Hispanics has destroyed public trust in his office and put innocent lives in danger. Federal law enforcement officials are right to name his failed tenure for what it is, and I hope he takes the honorable route by resigning immediately.”

COMMUNITY INDICTMENT AGAINST MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO (Et Al)

Source: Comites del Defensa del Barrio (http://cdb-tonatierra.blogspot.com)

FOR VIOLATION OF CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF CITIZENS AND NON-CITIZENS PROTECTED BY THE
US CONSTITUTION, THE UNITED NATIONS
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
AND THE
UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

TO WIT:

18 U.S.C.  § 241

 Section 241: Conspiracy against rights

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured - They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death. 

18 U.S.C.  § 242 

Section 242: Deprivation of rights under color of law

Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

NDLON Responds to DOJ Report, Calls for Severing of DHS Ties to Sheriff Arpaio

DOJ Report Serves as Indictment of Local Immigration Enforcement Programs that Created Constitutional Crisis in Maricopa County

Today the Department of Justice concluded its three year investigation into civil rights violations in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. In response to the detailed report, Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following response:

“The Department of Justice report formally and forcefully describes a civil and human rights crisis in Maricopa County; one that has moved hundreds of thousands to demonstrate around the globe over the past several years.

It is a ringing indictment of a Sheriff’s office that has 'treated all Latinos as if they were undocumented' and the federal immigration contracts that have made such prejudice possible. It is the most detailed chronicle of the failed end result of the federal programs that make monsters out of local law enforcement.

We have waited three years for federal intervention to restore justice in Maricopa County. Now that the Department of Justice has outlined the symptoms, it is time for the Department of Homeland security to terminate its immigration contracts with the Sheriff as a first step toward a cure.”

The Department of Justice report outlines years of biased policing that created “a chronic culture of disregard for basic legal and constitutional obligations (page 2).”

It goes on to detail that deputies used excessive force against Latinos and built a “wall of distrust between MCSO officers and Maricopa County Latino residents (page 2).”

The report finds, “Since roughly 2007, in the course of establishing its immigration enforcement program, MCSO has implemented practices that treat Latinos as if they are all undocumented, regardless of whether a legitimate factual basis exists to suspect that a person is undocumented (page 6).”

“Sheriff Arpaio has promoted a culture of bias in his organization and clearly communicated to his officers that biased policing would not only be tolerated, but encouraged (page 9).”

The Full Report can be read: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/mcso.php

Joe Arpaio, Arizona Sheriff, Faces Calls To Resign Over Sex Crimes Cases

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX -- Roughly 100 opponents of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio turned out at a meeting of Maricopa County officials Wednesday to urge the officials to call for his resignation amid reports of botched sex-crime investigations and other problems in his department.

Critics of Arpaio -- known nationally for describing himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff" -- say he must be forced out for failing to adequately investigate more than 400 sex-crimes cases in the county, inappropriately spending $103 million from two jail funds over an eight-year period for other operations and leading failed corruption investigations against county officials who were at odds with the sheriff.

The Board of Supervisors didn't act on the request to put a resolution calling for Arpaio's resignation on its January agenda. The board has budgetary authority over the sheriff, but doesn't have the power to fire Arpaio, who has refused recent calls for him to quit and still plans to seek a sixth term next year.

We, the Peoples: ENDGAME and Arpaio

Source: Tonatierra (http://tonatierra.org)

OPERATION ENDGAME
Office of Detention and Removal Strategic Plan
2003-2012
Detention and Removal Strategy for a Secure Homeland
Policy of the Obama Administration
Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement Department (ICE)

Editorial
Tupac Enrique Acosta

We, the Peoples: ENDGAME and Arpaio

The issue is public health and safety, and the responsibilities we share collectively in society to support the enforcement of public health and public safety policies that protect us all.  We are ALL members of the PUBLIC, whether we possess or do not possess status as citizens or nationals within the REPUBLICS of the NAFTA regime (Canada-US-Mexico). The status of citizenship is a separate issue.

The rights of possession of status before the state are distinct from the exercise of responsibilities and Human Rights that are inherent to all Peoples equally anywhere in the world.  The issue of status in terms of citizenship and nationality among the countries currently enjoying international recognition within the UN system and the Organization of American States in North America is relevant in the discussion, formation, and implementation of public health and public safety policy, but it is a separate and distinct issue.  This is common sense.

It is common sense to stop at the red light of a traffic intersection.  It could be said that this is the common law of public policy planetarily when it comes to the design and enforcement of public safety policies regarding vehicular traffic on public roadways anywhere in the world.  It is a global standard of public safety and responsibility.

Arizona AFL-CIO executive director calls for resignation of Sheriff Arpaio

by DA Morales on Dec. 08, 2011 | Source: TucsonCitizen.com

The Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Rebekah Friend is calling for the resignation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, stating that his “dereliction of duty” harmed children of working families.

This comes after Ed Pastor today joined Raul Grijalva’s call on Monday for the “toughest Sheriff in America” to step down after being soft on sexual crimes against children.

State rep. Katie Hobbs and Ruben Gallego have also called for Arpaio’s immediate resignation.

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor Joins Tidal Wave of Demands for Sheriff Arpaio’s Resignation

Sheriff Joe has got to go.

In an unprecedented call today, U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ) released a statement in support of a growing tidal wave of demands for the resignation of disgraced Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

In advance of tonight’s historic town council meeting in Guadalupe, which will consider the first ever government resolution calling for Arpaio to step down in light of his department’s mishandling of hundreds of sex crimes investigations, Pastor joined U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, local and state officials, and national human rights and labor organizations:

“I stand united with my constituents and town officials of Guadalupe in support of the Guadalupe Resolution calling for the resignation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.”

read the rest at Huffington Post.

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor Joins Tidal Wave of Demands for Sheriff Arpaio's Resignation

By Jeff Biggers, Posted: 12/ 8/11 04:06 PM ET | Source: HuffingtonPost.com

In an unprecedented call today, U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ) released a statement in support of a growing tidal wave of demands for the resignation of disgraced Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

In advance of tonight's historic town council meeting in Guadalupe, which will consider the first ever government resolution calling for Arpaio to step down in light of his department's mishandling of hundreds of sex crimes investigations, Pastor joined U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, local and state officials, and national human rights and labor organizations:

"I stand united with my constituents and town officials of Guadalupe in support of the Guadalupe Resolution calling for the resignation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio."

McCain, Kyl take weak shot at Arpaio

By E.J. Montini | Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 03:32 PM | Source: AZCentral.com

U.S. Senators John McCain and John Kyl took a weak shot at Sheriff Joe Arpaio's mishandling of sexual abuse cases, not mentioning Arpaio's name or expressing any outrage in their joint statement. If anything, their criticizing reads like kowtowing.

Here it is:

STATEMENT BY SENATORS McCAIN AND KYL ON REPORTS OF ALLEGED SEX-CRIMES CASE

December 8, 2011

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl today made the following joint statement regarding recent media reports of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of alleged sex-crimes cases:

“We are concerned by the recent press accounts of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of alleged sex-crimes cases, some of them involving children.  Victims of abuse not only deserve the respect of law enforcement, but their rights must also be protected throughout the criminal justice process.  Laws that we have championed are intended to give a voice to victims of crime.  We intend to support state and local authorities’ requests for any additional assets from the Justice Department that are necessary to properly investigate and prosecute these and other cases, including those which need to be investigated by other law enforcement agencies.”

It's a testiment to the political clout Arpaio has in local Republican circles that even the state's two U.S. Senators don't want to point fingers at him directly.

Don't believe me?

Guatemalteco fue baleado en Arizona por agente fronterizo

The Associated Press | Fecha: 12/08/2011 | Fuente: Univision.com

SELLS, Arizona- Un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza baleó de muerte a un guatemalteco en el sur de Arizona después que el inmigrante sin permiso de residencia presuntamente lo atacó.

El tiroteo fue el más reciente de varios este año que han incrementado las tensiones en la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos.

Julia Guzmán, cónsul de Guatemala en Arizona, dijo que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional le envió a su gobierno un resumen de los hechos, que comenzaron cuando agentes fronterizos encontraron un grupo de inmigrantes no autorizados.

Citizens suffer in Arpaio's wars

Dec. 8, 2011 12:00 AM | Posted in OPINIONS | Source: The Arizona Republic

For many years, a doting public has reveled in the bluster and bravado of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio based on a single premise -- a premise we now know to be utterly, transparently false.

Let "America's toughest sheriff" tell the molested kids of El Mirage how tough he is on crime.

Let him explain to them how his incompetent administration scarcely lifted a finger to investigate hundreds of sex-crime cases Valley-wide -- many of them perpetrated against children; many with easily identifiable suspects -- to say nothing of numerous other crimes, including homicides, that Arpaio's investigators did virtually nothing to close.

The sheriff on Monday offered up a facsimile of an apology for the dereliction that adds to his legacy of contempt for critics. He said: "If there were any victims, I apologize to those victims."

If ... there ... were ... any ... victims. The reams of botched investigations include that of a 9-year-old girl who reported that her grandmother's live-in boyfriend repeatedly attacked her in her bedroom. They include a 15-year-old girl who ran terrorized into a store crying that two men had just raped her. They include victims as young as 2 years old.

None of the investigations of these cases, and hundreds more like them, went anywhere.

AZ group calls on Obama to cut Arpaio funding

By: Mario Solis-Marich, Senior Editor, MarioWire | Source: MarioWire.com

This press release  just crossed my screen.  Sheriff Arpaio needs to be cut loose.  Arpaio is the worst example of what goes wrong when local authorities are given federal roles:  

Amidst Calls for Resignation, NDLON Calls on White House to Take Action

President has Obligation to Conclude DOJ Investigation, Cut Arpaio’s Immigration Enforcement Powers

As the call for Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona to resign grows, Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following statement:

“We are pleased attention has properly returned to Sheriff Arpaio and we agree he should resign. However, the White House role in Maricopa’s crisis deserves greater scrutiny and requires immediate action. Sheriff Arpaio’s mishandling of crime cases is the direct result his out-of-control and discriminatory focus on immigration; focus he’s able to implement through federal contracts.

President Obama’s contracts granting immigration authority to the Sheriff fueled his conversion into a Frankenstein and the President’s refusal to pull the plug continues to enable Maricopa’s monstrosity.

The process to bring Arpaio to justice should be swift. The President and Secretary Napolitano have a moral obligation to ensure it begins with cutting the Sheriff off from federal immigration enforcement contracts and concluding the delayed Department of Justice investigation.”

Background

• July, 2008: Arpaio Sued Over Racial Profiling
• 2009 Report: Arpaio Law Enforcement Slows as Immigration Enforcement Quickens
• Feb, 2009: Arpaio Creates Outdoor Tent-City Segregated by Immigration Status
• Sept, 2010: Arpaio Uncooperative in DoJ investigation
• July 30, 2010: Arpaio Wrongfully Arrests Local Human Rights Leader
• May, 2011: Groups Call for Resignation

 

Sorry, but Joe's not sorry

By E.J. Montini | Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 11:38 AM | Source: AZCentral.com

Sheriff Joe Arpaio did something earth-shattering Monday, something that I don’t believe he has done since the early 1990s.

He apologized.

And this time, it was for something done under HIS watch.

In ’93 Arpaio apologized to the four men falsely accused of murder in the 1991 Buddhist-temple massacre, a botch investigation that led to Arpaio first being elected. That investigation was conducted by the previous sheriff and a few years later Arpaio said, “I’m sorry. This is something that needed to be said, and it was something that should have been said. I’m doing it.”

I don’t recall him doing it since, until Monday.

Arpaio apologized this week to victims of what could be hundreds of botched investigations of sex-crimes cases by members of his office.

“If there were any victims, I apologize to those victims," the sheriff said.

If?

There definitely were victims and they definitely were ignored.

Sheriff Arpaio Showdown: Resignation Demands Grow Amid Child Sex Crimes Debacle

By Jeff Bigger, Posted: 12/ 7/11 04:21 PM ET | Source: HuffingtonPost.com

A groundswell of demands for Sheriff Joe Arpaio's resignation continued to spread across local, county and state levels in Arizona today, as questions over his Maricopa County department's failed leadership and bungling of hundreds of reported sex crimes, including child rape and molestation, remained unanswered.

"Victims who get the courage to report sexual abuse to authorities have every right to expect law enforcement to take their report seriously and to investigate it," said state Rep. Katie Hobbs, a social worker and expert on domestic abuse who represents a district in Maricopa County. "These cases have been referred to as 'botched investigations', but really, this situation is a gross miscarriage of justice. Irreparable damage has been done to these victims and their families. Ultimately Sheriff Arpaio didn't get the job done, and it's time for him to recognize it."

After offering a questionable apology on Monday, "if there were any victims," as Arpaio quipped, the increasingly erratic and out-of-touch 79-year-old sheriff found time to ride in his beloved U.S. Army tank in the Phoenix Light Parade on Tuesday, and then tweeted about a supermarket tabloid's feature on his posse to verify President Obama's birth certificate:

Will bungled sex abuse investigations matter to the Joe Arpaio faithful?

Laurie Roberts' Columns & Blog | Source: AZCentral.com

A 15-year-old girl bursts into an El Mirage store and reports that she’s just been raped by two men in a nearby ditch. A 9 year old tells a school counselor that her grandmother’s boyfriend comes into her room at night and molests her as she tries to sleep.

A 13 year old opens the door to a man whose car had supposedly broken down. He knocks the girl out and sexually assaults her.

In each case, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate. In every one, the “investigation” ended with that call.

They are among 432 sex crimes reported to the sheriff’s office between 2005 and 2007. Reported and …

Nothing.

No investigation, no arrests, no justice.

More calling on Joe Arpaio to step down over botched sex-crimes cases

by JJ Hensley - Dec. 7, 2011 01:50 PM | Source: The Arizona Republic

Two more elected officials joined the chorus calling for the resignation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio over the botching of sex-crimes cases by his department in 2005.

State Reps. Ruben Gallego and Katie Hobbs, both Phoenix Democrats, held a press conference at the Capitol Wednesday morning to ask that Arpaio step down, two days after U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz, also call for the sheriff to resign.

"We pay for public safety and protection under the law and we expect to get it," Hobbs said. "Justice in Maricopa County has taken a giant step backward thanks to Sheriff Joe Arpaio."

Hobbs said the calls for resignation were not a partisan issue and said voters would have a chance to express themselves in the November election if Arpaio does not step down.

Arpaio said he has no intention of resigning.

The calls for Arpaio's resignation have come in recent days after national media outlets began reporting this week about hundreds of sex-crimes cases the Sheriff's Office mishandled between 2005 and 2007.

Grijalva Calls for Immediate Resignation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio – Office Has Mishandled More Than 400 Sex Crimes

Monday, December 05, 2011 | Source: Grijalva.House.gov

Tucson, Ariz. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today called for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to resign in the wake of revelations the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office failed adequately to investigate more than 400 sex-crime cases– includingdozens of alleged child molestations cases– over a three-year period ending in 2007.

According to an in-depth investigative story by the Associated Press:

[The cases] were among more than 400 sex-crimes reported to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office during a three-year period ending in 2007 — including dozens of alleged child molestations — that were inadequately investigated and in some instances were not worked at all, according to current and former police officers familiar with the cases. In El Mirage alone, where Arpaio’s office was providing contract police services, officials discovered at least 32 reported child molestations — with victims as young as 2 years old — where the sheriff’s office failed to follow through, even though suspects were known in all but six cases. [. . .]

Arpaio’s office refused several requests over a period of months to answer questions about the investigations and declined a public records request for an internal affairs report, citing potential disciplinary actions. Brian Sands, a top sheriff’s official who is in charge of the potential discipline of any responsible employees, was later made available to talk about the cases. He declined to say why they weren’t investigated. “There are policy violations that have occurred here,” Sands said. “It’s obvious, but I can’t comment on who or what.”

“This nothing-to-see-here attitude is the worst kind of unaccountable arrogance, and Mr. Arpaio needs to step down before any more damage is done to public confidence in our law enforcement and justice system,” Grijalva said. “The picture emerging – no follow-up, no investigation, no prosecution, no justiceand a shield of silence after the fact – is not how we conduct law enforcement in this country. Enforcing laws against violent crime, whatever a victim’s legal status, is mandatory and not something we leave to individual communities as an open question. Selective enforcement undermines respect for our brave legal officers and is rightly not tolerated by the public.

“Mr. Arpaio might love headline-grabbing crackdowns and theatrical media appearances, but when it comes to the everyday work of keeping people safe, he seems to have lost interest some time ago. He should give the affected families a sense that justice is finally being done by taking the honorable route and resigning now.”

The full Associated Press article is available at http://bit.ly/uXKsj6.

Joe Arpaio's Racial Profiling Case: Summary Judgment Hearing Set for December 22

By Stephen Lemons Fri., Dec. 2 2011 at 12:27 PM | Source: PhoenixNewTimes.com

If there were Black Hole of Calcutta for bad sheriffs, is there any doubt that Joe Arpaio would be in it? 

Arpaio, the biggest un-indicted criminal in Arizona, is responsible for so much malfeasance, illegal activity and human misery, that his Teflon Don persona continues to amaze, even as the nearly 80 year-old autocrat is looking at running for re-election in 2012, yet again.

But there are signs that some of his shenanigans are finally being halted. 

Such could be the case with the now four year-old civil rights lawsuit Melendres v. Arpaio, in which clients represented by the ACLU (the American Civil Liberties Union) and MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) have charged Arpaio, his underlings and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office with a pattern of racial profiling during its Hispanic-hunting sweeps of Latino neighborhoods.

Yesterday, federal Judge G. Murray Snow ordered a hearing with two hours of oral arguments for December 22 in a motion for summary judgment and other pending motions. You can read the order, here. 

He's also asked for a supplemental briefing on various issues and pointed out things he wishes addressed in court. 

Based on these, were I one of Arpaio's lawyers, I would not be looking forward to the hearing.

Joe Arpaio, Arizona Sheriff, Botched Sex-Crime Cases, Critics Say

By JACQUES BILLEAUD   12/ 4/11 02:57 PM ET   Source: HuffngtonPost.com

EL MIRAGE, Ariz. -- The 13-year-old girl opened the door of her home in this small city on the edge of Phoenix to encounter a man who said that his car had broken down and he needed to use the phone. Once inside, the man pummeled the teen from behind, knocking her unconscious and sexually assaulting her.

Seven months before, in an apartment two miles away, another 13-year-old girl was fondled in the middle of the night by her mother's live-in boyfriend. She woke up in her room at least twice a week to find him standing over her, claiming to be looking for her mother's cell phone.

Both cases were among more than 400 sex-crimes reported to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office during a three-year period ending in 2007 – including dozens of alleged child molestations – that were inadequately investigated and in some instances were not worked at all, according to current and former police officers familiar with the cases.

New Report Details ALEC Influence in Arizona

Wednesday 30 November 2011 | by: Brendan Fischer, PRWatch | News Analysis | Source: TruthOut.org

Last year, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) attracted attention when reporters revealed Arizona's SB1070 anti-immigration law was pre-approved by ALEC corporations that stood to benefit from its passage. As ALEC's legislative and corporate members descend upon Arizona for meetings this week, a new report (pdf) shows that ALEC's influence in Arizona goes beyond SB1070 to include bills that suppress voting, attack worker's rights, privatize public education, and limit environmental protections.

"Working side-by-side with elected officials, ALEC uses its resources to shepherd legislation from the corporate boardroom to the governor's desk," said Marge Baker, Executive Vice President at the People for the American Way (PFAW) Foundation, which produced the report. Several times each year, ALEC brings corporate lobbyists together with state legislators to rub shoulders and push model legislation that tends to benefit the bottom line of member corporations, or advance the right-wing agenda. ALEC boasts that corporations have "a voice and a vote" in approving ALEC model bills, hundreds of which become law each year.

Jesse Jackson's perception of Arizona

Rev. Jesse Jackson discusses his perception of Arizona, SB1070 and guns

The Arizona Immigration Bill Seems To Have Created A New Swing State

Evan McMorris-Santoro November 16, 2011 | Source: TPM.com

The rumors are true, Rep. Chad Campbell, the Democratic leader of the Arizona state House, told TPM Wednesday: the state best known for Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the toughest immigration law in the land really is a swing state in 2012. And Democrats have SB 1070 to thank for it.

“I’d hesitate to say it was ever good that it was passed,” Campbell said in a sitdown interview. “Because of the damage it did to the community, damage to the economy. But I do think it motivated a lot of people, especially people in the Latino community, to get involved and it energized them.”

Rick Perry and Joe Arpaio: the Bromance Explained (By the Sheriff Himself)

By James King Wed., Nov. 30 2011 at 6:06 PM| Source: Blogs.PhoenixNewtimes.com

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has officially picked his horse in the GOP presidential primary, Texas Governor Rick Perry, which came as a bit of shock to those familiar with America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff."

Arpaio, as you probably know, is the poster-boy for bootin' brown folks back across the border. Perry, on the other hand, recently told his GOP opponents that people who don't want to offer in-state tuition to the children of undocumented immigrants don't "have a heart."

Those opposite trains of thought tend not to jibe.

We met Arpaio at Sky Harbor International Airport this afternoon as he returned from New Hampshire -- where yesterday he campaigned with Perry -- to discuss his endorsement.

The sheriff seems quite taken by his new pal Perry.