Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County's King of Cruel

[pinboy3niner]

By Sadhbh Walshe, Guardian UK (commentary)
Wednesday 27 June 2012

In the southwest corner of Phoenix, Arizona, a large neon vacancy sign hanging from a watchtower looms over the Maricopa County jail complex, home to the infamous "tent city" – a facility as notorious as the tough guy Sheriff Joe Arpaio who makes it his business to keep it full. Arpaio's methods of rounding up and detaining prisoners, and the conditions to which they are subjected once inside his jails, have been relentlessly criticized by human rights groups. Yet, there is no indication that the vacancy light at the complex will be switched off anytime soon.


Last month, the federal government filed a lawsuit against Arpaio, accusing him of racial profiling and numerous civil rights violations for allowing (and encouraging) his deputies to make broad sweeps of Latino neighborhoods and rounding up anyone who they suspect might be in the US illegally or who cannot produce papers on request. Seeming nervous or avoiding eye contact with police has been cause enough to make arrests. Having brown skin helps, too.


...


Arpaio claims his pink underwear tactics are all about reducing crime and saving taxpayer money. Unfortunately, it seems they are achieving neither. A 2009 report by the conservative Goldwater Institute found that not only has violent crime gone up in Maricopa County (homicides alone increased 166% between 2004 and 2007). So, too, have costs. The combination of budget overruns, overtime payments and the millions of dollars in settlements paid out to plaintiffs who sued for wrongful arrest and detention have made a mockery of the sheriff's claims that he is saving his constituents money.

...


.... Despite the mounting criticism, Arpaio has shown no inclination to change his ways. In a speech to supporters, he laughed off accusations of racial profiling, lambasted the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for having the nerve to interfere in his business and boasted "we arrested 500 more (Latinos) just for spite."

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/27/joe-arpaio-maricopa-county-king-cruel

[UTUSN]

1. R#1 & K n/t

[TlalocW]

2. There was some graphic

That showed how bad things were in Maricopa County compared to the rest of Arizona, and it was quite clear that whatever Joe claims is happening isn't. Unfortunately, Joe's actions will always have their supporters, like my brother-in-law who when watching a special about Joe kept muttering praise for him - "that's right," "you can't be soft," "this will learn 'em!" It plays into a sort of macho, revenge fantasy of conservatives where criminals (certain kinds at least) are showed no mercy (and if their skin happens to be a darker shade, well, that's just a bonus for many of them). Yet recidivism is sky-high in Maricopa County, while I read that some other county (not sure if it's in Arizona or not) has a program where their inmates work with horses. Why? Because it teaches them empathy to have to see to another living thing's well-being, and apparently it works. Recidivism is super-low, and interviews with the cons indicate that it works - in fact, cons being released often cry on the day they have to say goodbye to the horse they've been taking care of. And unlike Joe's programs it costs almost nothing.

You could take out all the salient details of the two programs, call them Program A and B and list the results of each program: A doesn't work, doesn't reduce crime, costs too much; B works, reduces crime, costs nothing, and a normal, logical person would say, "Let's go with B." Joe and other conservatives like him would insist on hearing the details of each program, and because number B doesn't fulfill any of their revenge fantasies would go with A.

That's their mindset and what we'll always be up against.

TlalocW

[Meiko]

3. Sheriff Arpaio started out

with the right ideas in many areas but he has swerved off the track and is out of control. The fact that residents keep voting for him just empowers him more. In all fairness he did clean up the Van Buren area, it was covered with prostitutes and drug dealers. We now have new development and businesses going in there and it is a lot better overall.

I have dealt with Maricopa county sheriffs deputies and for the most part they are good and decent officers. They don't seem to be carrying the attitude some agencies carry.They do a very good job around the valley and in the county.

The sheriff re-instituted the chain gang for certain inmates. I know what it sounds like but it wasn't bad or cruel and it was voluntary. It gave inmates a chance to get out of their cells and work. If you have ever talked to anyone doing a long stretch of time staying in that cell can make you crazy. The inmates liked it and there was a waiting list to get on it. The program was on hold during the heat of the summer.

He has made deep cuts into the food services that inmates receive, baloney sandwiches for lunch, that sort of thing. I feel this is one area where you have to be careful. It is not a good thing to screw with an inmates food too much, in many cases it's all they have.

The biggest area of concern for many is the tent city. I have personally visited the place and have talked to two different people who have done time there. It is not the worst place you have ever been but there is plenty of room for improvement. However, in the summer it is a hell hole. As everyone knows it gets incredibly hot here in Phoenix in the summer. Daily temperatures of 115+ are not uncommon. Have you ever been in a tent in that kind of heat? not very pleasant. In addition there is no real shelter from the monsoon storms that blow through, and then there are the dust storms. Everything gets infiltrated by blowing dirt. Your clothes, your bed, all of your personal items...it's terrible. Of the two people I spoke to about tent city it was the one reason neither one of them ever wanted to go back to jail, so in one way I guess it works. It's an area that needs to be kept under close supervision.

The one area where the Sheriff is really getting himself into trouble is immigration. For some reason it seems to have become his personal goal to rid Maricopa county of undocumented immigrants. He just can't keep his nose out of it and it will become his downfall if he doesn't back off. He has and is under constant investigation for one thing or another, so far nothing has stuck to him but he is a very savvy politician. As the state and the county continue to shift left politically I see him being voted out of office in the near future. In the end I think it would be good for Maricopa county have a change of leadership.

[EFerrari]

4. Arpaio is a sadist and a racist. Neither has anything to do with immigration.

That's just the excuse he uses to get off.

He belongs behind bars and I have no doubt he will land there..

[blueamy66]

6. Amen.

for the rest of his ugly life....

[blueamy66]

5. Arpaio is a fucking asshole.

Last edited Sat Jun 30, 2012, 03:37 PM - Edit history (1)

I've stayed in tent city.

Cleaned up Van Buren? Who the fuck cares? We used to cruise Van Buren to get to Central back in the day. The liquor stores used to sell to us minors. We had a blast pointing out prostitutes. I miss them. The projects are still on 16th St. He's never gonna get rid of the drug dealing....ever been to the projects? I have....as a Juvenile PO intern. You should go sometimes and familiarize yourself with the real world.

Food in tent city? That wasn't food. It was shit. My dog wouldn't eat that shit. Lunch? There is NO lunch. You get shit in the morning and more shit in the evening. Lunch is a mixture of Frito's, jalapeno cheese in a bag and chili in a bag, then rolled into a tortilla...all has to be bought outta the vending machines that the girls are allowed to visit twice a day...the guys, oh well, they have 24/7 access to the vending machines. Thought about getting a lawyer and suing for discrimination.... Sometimes, if someone can smuggle it in, you get salt and pepper and tabasco. And don't be surprised to know that EVERYTHING is smuggled in. The DOs suck. You set the mixture out on the power box in the sun to "cook".

Savvy politician? He is an ugly POS. If AZ didn't house Mormons and retired Repukes, he never would have been voted into office.

Change of leadership? Yeah! Today!

Please don't post stuff about stuff that you don't have a clue about, k?