Stop Arizona. Stop Arpaio. Stop the Circus.

February 4, 2009 by Rev. David L. Ostendorf
Filed under: Immigration, Politics 
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At 1:00 p.m. today Joe Arpaio, the infamous sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, will chain up some 200 immigrant prisoners and force march them to his nearby tent city for incarceration. Media are welcome and encouraged to view the march, another sick stunt in the Gestapo Sheriff’s widening repertoire of humiliations. With some 10,000 prisoners currently jailed in the County, the tent city will, the sheriff asserts, serves “as a management tool for potential jail overcrowding.”

*Video by America’s Voice

After marches, sheriff, what’s next? Box cars?

Frankly, however, the question before us is why this shoddy sheriff is getting away with “law enforcement” run amok. Where are the lawsuits against him? Where are the protests to shut him down? Where are the arrests for civil disobedience? Where are the incensed civic and religious leaders? Where are the civil and human rights advocates? Where is the national immigrant rights movement? Where are the politicians? Where is the federal government? Where?

Ten thousand prisoners in a county jail? A tent city for overflow, with an electrified fence? We’ve seen this horror show before. This is an incarceration empire emerging, generously supported by the people of Arizona. The state government recently gave Arpaio 1.6 million dollars back to fight “illegal immigration,” in spite of his tactics. If immigrant prisoners misbehave, we’re assured, they will be on a chain gang cleaning up the valley. Welcome to the Weimar Republic in the desert.

Today we learn that in 2006 ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program quietly ignored its mandate requiring 75% of those arrested to be criminals, and began rounding up any undocumented immigrants they could. A Migration Policy Institute report released today indicates that some three-quarters of all the people ICE apprehended over a five year period had no criminal records. $625 million down the drain; 96,000 apprehended. Many of them are now residents of Arpaio’s tent city—“criminals” all.

How ironic that this week marks the beginning of the elephant cruelty trial. Animal rights groups have brought suit to stop alleged mistreatment of elephants by the circus in a showcase trial garnering headlines nationwide. Elephants chained. Elephants marched. Elephants. A real trial.

Much has been said and written of Arpaio. Enough. No more excuses. The responsibility to reign him in is ours. Stop the circus.

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Comments

11 Responses to “Stop Arizona. Stop Arpaio. Stop the Circus.”

  1. Thunder on February 5th, 2009 9:47 am

    If people would respect our laws in the first place then we wouldn’t have these problems. Blame the law-breakers, not law enforcement.

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    FLopez Reply:
    February 5th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    You said it (PEOPLE) they are doing what any of us would do for our families. Arpaio is a jerk. If you back him up I would check your conscience. Here, I’ll give you the definition: Conscience is an ability or a faculty that distinguishes whether one’s actions are right or wrong. In plain English, it is a person’s inner sense of what is right or what is wrong morally. (Morally) They are human beings.

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    L- Lopez Reply:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    yea put he is taking all the hard works who have families in arizona and they have a life there inted of taking the bad guys who are mexicans and are doing bad stuff those are the ones he should take no the ones how work harrrddd and yea he’s a big jerk!!

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  2. drrylwrrn on February 5th, 2009 7:12 pm

    Wow Thunder . . . so if you break the law anything that happens to you is your fault? All of sudden you lose every right? Wow . . . watch yourself the next time you jaywalk. I hope no one purposely runs you down and uses that you broke the law as an excuse.

    wow!!! *shaking my head*

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  3. richardweeds on February 6th, 2009 7:50 am

    Actually, we need more Sheriffs like him since ICE and Border Patrol can’t do it all.

    I guess you don’t understand that these people are criminals. If you don’t like what he’s doing then don’t break the law plain and simple.

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    Victoria Reply:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:22 am

    uh actually richard it’s not that plain and simple. I love it when people pull “the law is the law” argument. They always sound like petulant children whining to their mommies about how it “it’s just not fair!”.

    There are also laws in this country about the punishment fitting the crime and the the right to humane treatment and oh heard about the ones against segregation?? All of which arpaio has broken. But who cares about those laws right?! Those laws are just get in the way of rounding up brown people and locking them away.

    If you’re going to talk about this issue at least do it intelligently and check your bigotry at the door.

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  4. richardweeds on February 6th, 2009 8:31 am

    Typical response from a programmed lemming. Right away with just a few words you have figured out my personality.

    Very opened minded “NOT”.

    as displayed your personal attack mode.

    Is there some problem with Laws?

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    Liz Reply:
    May 18th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    There are lots of problems with laws in general in the United States that are still standing in place that violate human rights. although the person above did personally attack you, you do sound quite judgmental in your statements.

    A crime is supposed to be punished within the same degree. Immigrants are not treated fairly. There is nothing wrong with wanting a better life.

    The United States’ history shows us that WE ARE ALL IMMIGRANTS!

    There should not be a problem with people immigrating, people enrich the lives of others. I don’t know about you but i know there are a lot of jobs that i would never do that are done by immigrants legal are now. Have you considered who would maintain the landscape in your neighborhood? Who would pick up trash on your streets and your highways? Who would fry your french fries and flip your burgers?

    Some perspective is never a bad thing, You might want to rent the movie A Day Without A Mexican, it might help you.

    And next time you go one mile over the speed limit or forget to buckle your seat belt you might want to consider the harshness in your point of view.

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  5. drrylwrrn on February 6th, 2009 2:24 pm

    So Richard . . . please just answer my question. Are you then saying that if you jaywalk (which is breaking the law) that any motorist is free to run you down or any law enforcement officer is free to then do whatever they want. That basic rights no longer apply to you?

    That is the basis of your logic.

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  6. joan on February 13th, 2009 11:52 am

    My book club recently read “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” a novel about the Nazi occupation of Guernsey Island in the English channel during World War II. The authors write unforgettable stories based on the history of local prisons and foreign death camps perpetrated by the Nazi ideology that We are better than Them. One tool the Nazis used to make this work was a total news blackout. Keep up the good work on this blog so we in America can not only say “Never again” but also fight until it is “Never in America.”
    Joan Flanagan

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  7. Richard Grass on May 18th, 2009 2:44 pm

    Come On Children. If you went to School you would understand “The Rule Of Law” The philosophy is if you don’t like change the rules through elections with Citizen representation. It’s not about circumventing the rules just because you don’t like them.

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