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Protest Against Sheriff Joe Turns Violent
The AP via YellowBrix
January 18, 2010
PHOENIX, AZ – Thousands of immigrant rights advocates marched in front of a county jail in Phoenix Saturday in a protest that was aimed at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration efforts and was marked by a clash between a small group of protesters and police officers.
Organizers say the protest was meant to show officials in Washington that Arpaio shouldn’t handle immigration enforcement, and that Congress and the Obama administration need to come up with a way for immigrant workers to come to the country legally.
The three-mile walk that started in a west Phoenix park ended by afternoon at the Durango Jail Complex, a collection of five jails, where officials played music, including a record by singer Linda Ronstadt, to drown out noise made by protesters. Ronstadt took part in Saturday’s protest.
Protesters chanted “Joe must go” as they approached the jail complex. One person carried a sign that said “We are human” and bore a picture of a lawman with a wolf’s face. A family of five wore T-shirts saying “Who would Jesus deport?”
For his part, Arpaio said he wasn’t bothered by the protesters and that they should be directing their frustrations at Congress because it has the power to change America’s immigration laws.
“They are zeroing in on the wrong guy,” Arpaio said. “They ought to be zeroing in on the president.”
The demonstration was peaceful until police say protesters near the end of the procession started throwing water bottles at officers. Phoenix Police Lt. Pat Hofmann said officers used pepper spray as they tried to separate protesters from an officer who was trying to take away the bottles.
Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said on-scene supervisors described a group of demonstrators purposefully disrupting the demonstration by assaulting several police officers and a police horse.
He said one demonstrator struck a police sergeant on the head and chest with a flagpole. Two others threw water bottles, possibly containing rocks, at other officers, but missed.
Hill also said a police officer on horseback was assaulted while her horse was mobbed, punched and pushed. The officer used pepper spray to stop the assault.
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canemah
over 3 years ago
136 Comments
Keep up the good work Sheriff Joe. You've got a hell of a lot more people, in and out of law enforcement, standing with you than against you.
Skiman94
over 3 years ago
56 Comments
Most of these posts are great, but Jonas(2 days ago) says, "Too bad Sheriff Joe. All these protesters just want are rights for illegals." WTF?!? What rights do illegals have in this country? We cannot bestow our rights, the natural rights of a US born or legally immigrated citizen to everyone in the world! Jonas, when these folks go home and come back the right way THEN they can have our rights!
BillJ
over 3 years ago
264 Comments
I am so glad to hear all these comments in favor of sheriff Joe, being an AZ resident I am glad to see him doing the job he was elected to do. These people who shout discrimination when he arrests illega aliens( they are not immigrants) need to wake up and smell the coffee most of these so called poor immigrants are gang members and are here to build their gang membership and break our laws. If the feds would enforce our laws like they should Sheriff Joe wouldn't have to do it for them. Keep up the good work Sheriff Joe.
JoelSomething
over 3 years ago
10 Comments
I wish there were more like Sheriff Joe.
sterlingcat12001
over 3 years ago
268 Comments
rjbaiad, right on the money, and Sheriff Joe, keep up the good work, as you can see Mr. Brown won Mass last night, people are getting tired of the Demonrats running this country already in a corrupt manner, from health care to threatening to take peoples firearms away, Mr. Brown said last night this could happen all over the USA come November, he's right, I'm going straight Republican ticket in November, I am changing, why???, ask Obama...
jmccloskey
over 3 years ago
18 Comments
GO JOE He should run for president of the united states !
vgirl93
over 3 years ago
128 Comments
Go, Sheriff Joe! It's not up to the federal gov't (Pres Obama) to control the laws in Maricopa County. I wish he was OUR sheriff!
meinekebob
over 3 years ago
38 Comments
Good going, RJBAIAD! You hit the nail on the head. If you ever find your way to Texas, I would be honored to shake your hand & buy a fellow patriot a beer and dinner...an American beer...at an American restaurant...chased with an American steak.
gtoguy
over 3 years ago
6 Comments
Keep up the great work Sheriff Arpaio, if we could get all of the people who know and agree with you would stand up and be counted, everyone in this country would completely drown out these groups that are so ignorant regarding what the American people want. I'm sure that their own country Mexico could help them there. The rights of the American citizens have been trampled on for way to long. Hooray for ourside.
Wrangrunner
over 3 years ago
8 Comments
Sheriff Joe is an example of what all law officers should be. Fair but tough!
I like him.
t_hunt24
over 3 years ago
32 Comments
one more thing, I love how they bring religion into this, "who would Jesus deport?" How about this. Would Jesus, a perfect man, break the laws of the land for personal gain? No. He taught to follow the laws of the land when asked if it was lawful to pay tribute to Cesar. So idiots saying "who would Jesus deport," make sure you follow his example if you want to use that as justification for breaking the law...
RotaryWingUH1H
over 3 years ago
18 Comments
Simple response... They say they are HUMAN... Let them be human in their own country and not using up and wasting our humanity and resources.
Good work Joe.
Shame you're not closer to Washington to arrest the illegal alien in the white house.
meinekebob
over 3 years ago
38 Comments
The Feds are after Sheriff Joe for one reason...he is the only one doing anything that works concerning illegal immigration. In other words, he is an embarrassment to Washington. As far as profiling goes, so what? El Al Airlines, the Israeli airline, the #1 terrorist target, has never had a terrorist incident. The reason? They profile and the terrorists know it. I am a hunter and feel that the reason I have never had a snake bite is simple. I profile. It rattles, I avoid it. It has an hour-glass pattern on it's back, I avoid it. Washington is so eaten up with "political correctness" that sanity has fallen by the wayside. Anyone who has any knowledge of U.S. history are aware of "Operation Wetback". Yep, that's what they called it. Three Presidents, mainly Eisenhower, put Operation Wetback into action & deported illegal aliens by the millions to create jobs for Depression Era Americans and veterans returning from foreign wars. Of course, the Liberals say the program was a failure & innocent people were caught up in the roundups, but the illegals were loaded onto ships and taken back to Mexico. I have no problem with anyone migrating to this country...if they follow our laws...including proper immigration procedures. Even Mexicans who came here, went through the processes, learned our language and built lives for themselves here are for Sheriff Arpaio and against illegal aliens. Due to the Sheriff's location, I think he knows a lot more about how to handle the illegal immigration problem than a bunch of stuffed shirts in Washington, D.C. Give him a chance. Fire our Homeland Security boss (the who said "the system worked" about the Detroit bound airline bomber, then 24 hours later admitted that it didn't work) and replace her with someone who knows something about illegal aliens...Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I don't think he is Presidential material, but he damn sure knows a lot more about immigration issues than Washington and Janet Napolitano.
t_hunt24
over 3 years ago
32 Comments
How can you not racially profile when picking up illegals?? Do you look for Americans or foreigners? It doesn't sound very productive targeting white, English speakers during immigration raids even if people think it is politically correct...
davidct
over 3 years ago
18 Comments
Way to go, Sheriff Joe!
If I'm ever Sheriff, I want to be just like him!