In countries like Iran we regularly see dissent brutally crushed
and political enemies jailed. Yet here in Maricopa County, the
sheriff and county attorney are behaving in similar fashion.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas use their
popularity and the cover of law to embark on a reign of legal
intimidation. The list of political opponents and retribution keeps
growing.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, an outspoken Arpaio critic, was
visited by sheriff’s deputies. County supervisors Don Stapley and
Mary Rose Wilcox were under questionable indictments. When Wilcox’s
attorney, Colin Campbell, publicly rebuked the charges, he too was
visited by sheriff’s deputies. Attorney General Terry Goddard, who
might logically step in, is also a target of investigation by the
sheriff and county attorney.
There’s more. Citizen activists who earlier criticized the
Sheriff’s Office at Maricopa County supervisor meetings have been
arrested while peacefully standing outside the premises, and, in a
separate case, for applauding during public comments. In acquitting
them, the judge called the charges, “malicious and without probable
cause.”
As federal civil-rights case Ortega Melendres vs.
Arpaio moves forward, we’ll find out whether U.S. citizens
improperly arrested during immigration-violations sweeps by the
Sheriff’s Office had their Fourth Amendment rights violated, and
whether the Sheriff’s Office has systematically engaged in racial
profiling.
Ultimately, the courts and federal government can help check
these abuses of power. But the most important check lies at the
ballot box. After being handily re-elected in 2008, we have to
wonder whether, next time around, voters will give Arpaio and
Thomas their pink slips.
David Wells is a senior lecturer and Interdisciplinary
Studies associate faculty director at Arizona State University. He
holds a doctorate in political economy and public policy. He is a
policy analyst for the Arizona Leadership Institute. The article
originally appeared in the American Forum, a nonprofit
organization of community activists. For more information, visit
www.mediaforum.org.
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Stopping Maricopa County’s abuses of power
Posted: Monday, April 5, 2010 11:00 pm
Stopping Maricopa County’s abuses of power Commentary by David Wells Ahwatukee Foothills News | 0 comments
In countries like Iran we regularly see dissent brutally crushed and political enemies jailed. Yet here in Maricopa County, the sheriff and county attorney are behaving in similar fashion.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas use their popularity and the cover of law to embark on a reign of legal intimidation. The list of political opponents and retribution keeps growing.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, an outspoken Arpaio critic, was visited by sheriff’s deputies. County supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox were under questionable indictments. When Wilcox’s attorney, Colin Campbell, publicly rebuked the charges, he too was visited by sheriff’s deputies. Attorney General Terry Goddard, who might logically step in, is also a target of investigation by the sheriff and county attorney.
There’s more. Citizen activists who earlier criticized the Sheriff’s Office at Maricopa County supervisor meetings have been arrested while peacefully standing outside the premises, and, in a separate case, for applauding during public comments. In acquitting them, the judge called the charges, “malicious and without probable cause.”
As federal civil-rights case Ortega Melendres vs. Arpaio moves forward, we’ll find out whether U.S. citizens improperly arrested during immigration-violations sweeps by the Sheriff’s Office had their Fourth Amendment rights violated, and whether the Sheriff’s Office has systematically engaged in racial profiling.
Ultimately, the courts and federal government can help check these abuses of power. But the most important check lies at the ballot box. After being handily re-elected in 2008, we have to wonder whether, next time around, voters will give Arpaio and Thomas their pink slips.
David Wells is a senior lecturer and Interdisciplinary Studies associate faculty director at Arizona State University. He holds a doctorate in political economy and public policy. He is a policy analyst for the Arizona Leadership Institute. The article originally appeared in the American Forum, a nonprofit organization of community activists. For more information, visit www.mediaforum.org.
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Posted in Commentary on Monday, April 5, 2010 11:00 pm. | Tags: County, Sheriff, Arpaio, Attorney, Maricopa, Political, Crushed, Mayor, Use, Brutally
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