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Phoenix commission votes 13-0 for Sheriff Joe Arpaio to resign

by Emily Gersema - Jan. 30, 2012 09:50 PM| The Republic | azcentral.com

A Phoenix commission focused on equality issues has voted 13-0 to call for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to step down, and it wants City Council members to take a stand.

The Phoenix Human Relations Commission approved the resolution Monday at a special meeting. Three members were absent. The commission's resolution was supported by about a dozen residents who came to speak at the meeting, while a handful of others argued the commission had no business holding a vote on the future of an official elected by popular vote.

Commission Chairwoman Diane D'Angelo said she wanted the board to vote on the issue because of the U.S. Department of Justice's recent findings that outline several civil-rights violations by the Sheriff's Office, such as racial profiling and neglected sex-crime investigations. Although the commission is an advisory board to the council, its decisions are non-binding. Council members are concerned the vote could affect the city's jail contract.

DOJ Is Sorry If Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Feelings Were Hurt When They Disclosed His Civil Rights Abuses

Ryan J. Reilly, January 5, 2012 | Source: TalkingPointsMemo.com

You know how when you’re trying to avoid apologizing to someone who’s upset you throw in a qualifier like “sorry you’re upset” or “sorry you feel that way”? That’s the type of classic non-apology that a Justice Department official gave to officials representing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio who were perturbed by the DOJ’s press conference announcing the findings of an investigation into wide-spread civil rights abuses in Arpaio’s office.

Arpaio’s people evidently didn’t get that the DOJ official was trying to be polite. A press release from Arpaio’s office yesterday in conjunction with their letter responding to DOJ called the press conference “a political sideshow that was both unfortunate and misleading and as such, prompted an apology to the Sheriff’s Office by the second in command of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.” A letter from attorneys for Arpaio’s people said that the DOJ official “specifically apologized to us for not being able to control the timing or manner of the announcement of the investigation’s findings.”

Obama’s Justice Dept. Finally Cuffs Sheriff Joe, But Not the Policy That Made Him

by Julianne Hing | Thursday, January 5 2012 | Source: ColorLines.com

Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America,” will cooperate with the federal government’s demands to clean up his department after a three-year investigation found rampant racial profiling and widespread discriminatory policing under his watch. But he’s not doing it without issuing a few demands of his own.

Arpaio was up against a Wednesday deadline set forth by the Department of Justice following the release of its damning report last month. He had to either voluntarily comply with the DOJ’s proposed reforms for Maricopa County, Ariz., or face civil action, the Department of Justice told Arpaio last month. Arpaio responded pointedly, saying he would begin talks with the Department of Justice only when federal government provided “proof” he’d done something wrong.

The lengthy response from Arpaio’s attorneys all but bristles. It includes 106 separate requests for documentation of the Justice Department’s findings and claims a “dearth of facts” in the original report.

“We, too, prefer to resolve this matter without litigation, but will not cower at the threat of litigation, either,” Arpaio’s attorneys wrote to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez.

It was a classic move from the publicity-obsessed sheriff, who’s made a name for himself as an anti-immigrant hardliner so committed to detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants that he was willing to trample on the rights of citizens and non-citizens alike.

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

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?

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.

Could Sheriff Joe Arpaio Be the Last Man Standing?

Source: New America Media, News Report, Valeria Fernández, Posted: Nov 23, 2011

PHOENIX -- The recall of Arizona anti-immigrant Republican Sen. Russell Pearce this month has energized both political and immigration activists here to push for the removal of another infamous figure, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But in the battle to take down immigration hardliners in the state, Arpaio could be the last man standing, unless there is federal action.

Yet, an army of Arpaio’s strongest critics, empowered by Pearce’s recall, thinks the sheriff’s political days are numbered. America’s toughest sheriff is more vulnerable than ever.

“There's nothing like an idea whose time has come, and I think that's the same for Arpaio,” said Chad Snow, chairman of Citizens for a Better Arizona (CBA), the coalition that worked on the Pearce recall.

New Campaign to Bring Sheriff Arpaio to Justice

For Immediate Release
Contact: Carlos Garcia, Puente Arizona

New Campaign to Bring Sheriff Arpaio to Justice
Puente Arizona Announces Isolation Strategy to
Cut Sheriff Off from his Enablers
Launches Pledge page at http://bit.ly/new-az-horizon

Nov. 21, 2011 Phoenix, AZ.

Today Puente Arizona, a non-partisan human rights organization, announces a new campaign to bring Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio to justice.

Carlos Garcia of Puente explains, "In the wake of the Russell Pearce recall, Arizona is ready for a new day. However, one pillar of tolerance remains. Sheriff Joe Arpaio's hate continues to drag the state backwards. To move Arizona forward, Puente is launching a new campaign to cut him off from his enablers. To not take action in the face of Arpaio's injustices is to become complicit in them. It poses a dilemma for us all. Its time we quarantine Arpaio’s terror."

The organization launched a new pledge page where supporters can sign up to "be part of the force that brings Arpaio to justice." http://bit.ly/new-az-horizon

Group That Recalled Russell Pearce Targets Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio

Jillian Rayfield November 22, 2011, 1:35 PM | Source: TalkingPointsMemo.com

The group behind the successful recall of Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is now targeting infamous Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

Citizens For A Better Arizona is gauging interest among Arizona voters for a recall of Brewer (R), saying they would back a recall effort if they get 5,000 people to sign a volunteer petition in which each person pledges to collect 100 signatures. “If Governor Brewer is recalled, I commit to being one of 5,000 citizens to collect 100 signatures,” the petition says.

For Brewer to be recalled, they would have to collect 432,000 valid signatures. Her term is currently set to end in 2014.

Joe Arpaio Dissembles on the Stand in Andrew Thomas Disciplinary Hearing

By Stephen Lemons, Tue., Oct. 18 2011 at 1:00 PM | Source: PhoenixNewTimes.com

In a performance worthy of a Mafia don, Sheriff Joe Arpaio dissembled under oath today in a disciplinary hearing for disgraced former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, and Thomas' ex-underlings, former deputy county attorneys Rachel Alexander and Lisa Aubuchon.

During more than two hours of questioning, mostly by counsel for the State Bar of Arizona, Arpaio's favorite response was, "I don't recall," which he repeated numerous times. 

He asserted that he had delegated all authority concerning the investigations of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, county judges, and various other county officials to former Chief Deputy David Hendershott, Arpaio's hand-picked fall guy. 

Though he admitted Hendershott briefed him regularly on investigations by the Maricopa County Anti-Corruption Enforcement unit, which went after the political enemies of the sheriff's and county attorney's, it was only "in general terms." The sheriff claimed ignorance of the "nuts and bolts" of the operations. 

"I was not micromanaging these operations," Arpaio stated at one point, in direct contradiction to press releases, public statements, and reams of documents released following a whitewash review done by Arpaio's political ally, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Manu Chao Stands in Solidarity with Sheriff Joe Arpaio Protesters (Video)

By Anthony Sandoval Wed., Sep. 21 2011 at 8:15 AM | Source: Phoenix New Times Blogs

It was a familiar sight in front of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's downtown office yesterday afternoon. Another assembly of a dozen protesters or so had gathered and members of the media were waiting in tow.

Word eventually reached Joe that some multilingual, slightly-famous international recording artist was on his way to play some music or something. "Is he gonna sing my favorite song 'My Way,'" Arpaio asks.

Not quite Joe. This "singer-guy" happens to be Manu Chao and um, he's kind of a big deal.

Protesting for Diversity: Manu Chao in Arizona

By Maria Hinojosa | October 7, 2011 | Sourc: NPR: Latino USA

It’s rare to find a popular musician these days who embraces a controversial political message, but that’s precisely what Manu Chao has done in his career. Originally from France, but his music transcends borders. Manu Chao’s songs speak of poverty and world politics, often in multiple languages – and his stardom has brought attention to many issues around the world.