Latinos living in Border Towns in Arizona BEWARE! Brewer is passing a bill to fund an Armed Volunteer Army of Masked Goons!

Latinos living in Border Towns in Arizona BEWARE! The Republican-led Arizona Legislature is considering a bill to fund an ARMED, VOLUNTEER (so similar to Arpaio's Volunteer Masked Goon Squad recruited from the White Nationalists) State Militia to respond to emergencies and patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
La Bruja, Jan Brewer could deploy the volunteer goons using $1.9 million included in the bill making its way through the state Senate. The militia itself was created by a law signed by Brewer last year.
The Arizona Republic reports the bill has a hearing on Tuesday before the state Senate Appropriations Committee. Senate Bill 1083 has already passed one committee primarily on Republican votes. It would provide $500,000 in one-time funding and $1.4 million a year from a gang task force fund.

RACIST Arizona Judge Says Factual Mexican-American Studies Program Violates State Law

Arizona is the most racist state in the country. All evil state laws start there. Their state is rampant with evil, racist politicians and judges.

Yesterday, a racist Arizona administrative law judge, Lewis Kowal, has sided with the right wing extremist Tucson school chief John Huppenthal saying the district's very factual Mexican American Studies program runs afoul of the state law. The law in question was passed in May of 2010 amid controversy over Arizona's racial profiling bill sb1070. Another racist Arizona bill, hb2281, specifically targetted Latino studies programs taught by the high schools in the Tucson Unified School District. Now, Tuesday's ruling puts the Mexican American Studies program in jeopardy.

Latinos, one thing we must ALL note: the racsist Judge's ruling is MERELY a recommendation. HOWEVER, his recommendation is to the racist superintendent of schools, Arizona's John Huppenthal. Huppenthal was against the program to begin with. Now it's up to the racist Huppenthal to decide whether the programs should continue. If he stops them, NO MORE TRUTH will be taught. No more teachings about Cesar Chavez or Dolores Huerta. No more teachings about the history of Latinos in America. No more teachings about our roots. No more teachings about the hundreds of years of abuses that occurred. This is like denying Slavery existed or that the Holocaust occurrred. Expect all of American History to be whitewashed.

We must all remember the words of the famed poet, George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

60 Arizona Executives say 'NO' to Russell Pearce and "NO" to more Immigration Bills

So much for Latinos, Immigrants and "Illeegals" being a "drain" on States' Economies! Today, 60 Arizona Businesses sent a direct message to Arizona's ANTI-Latino/ANTI-Immigrant (legal or not) State Rep. Russell Pearce.
azcentral.com reports:
More boycotts, more protests, more lost business. Arizona doesn't need this. The state Senate is looking at a reckless, costly and counterproductive package of immigration bills. Senate President Russell Pearce said, in a meeting with the Editorial Board, that he saw no downside to last year's misguided Senate Bill 1070.

Sixty top Arizona executives know the reality. In a virtually unprecedented move, they sent a joint letter to Pearce urging him not to pass any more immigration bills. These are the leaders who cross the economic spectrum in Arizona, from health care and development to tourism and automotive. Their company names are familiar: US Airways, PetSmart, Sunbelt Holdings, Intel Corp. They include The Arizona Republic. They can point to the cancellations, the missed opportunities and the lost jobs.

They know how much Arizona, a state that depends so much on tourism, feels the bite of controversial legislation that clouds our reputation. SB 1070 created such a noxious cloud of bad P.R. that Gov. Jan Brewer put $250,000 into repairing the state's image. And now the Senate is deciding whether to give Arizona another self-inflicted bad eye. Imagine the spectacle of mass protests as Arizona hosts Major League Baseball's All-Star Game for the first time in July.

Arizona is getting a global brand, and it's not the Grand Canyon State, but the place that is hostile to Hispanics and immigrants. The latest package of bills is profoundly divisive in a state with a Hispanic population of 30 percent - and growing. There's a problem: The federal government hasn't dealt with illegal immigration. But it requires a federal solution.

Arizona's latest package of immigration measures is particularly misdirected:

1. There's the unilateral attempt to revoke birthright citizenship and reinterpret more than a century of rulings on the 14th Amendment, an issue that is clearly not for individual states to decide.

2. There's the preposterous attempt to turn hospitals into immigration agents, requiring them to check the status of emergency-room patients. This would be expensive and legally difficult, if not impossible and outright dangerous (if you're injured while jogging and don't have ID with you, do you want the E.R. to waste time trying to figure out if you're legal?).

3. And then there's the "omnibus" immigration bill, which vacuums up half-baked ideas that range from driving to education.

The unintended consequences are breathtaking. And so risky that 60 executives are sounding the alarm. The Senate should listen.

STOP Arizona's Racial Cleansing Bill: HB2281 -- Support Our Childrens' Education for the Future!

On January 1, 2011, Arizona's HB2281, the Ethnic Studies BAN went into effect. This racist bill seeks to silence the true history of our nation. It seeks to ethnically cleanse the educational system to a Northern European view of American History -- no Manifest Destiny, No Trail of Tears, No Cesar Chavez, No Martin Luther King. Instead, a rewrite of what all students are taught in History Class to an Anglicized rewrite of what people like Rep. Pearce wants them to see!

This Arizona Bill DEMONIZES Latinos. Loyal Americans. This law terrorizes ONE Community! Many in the community wonder, "How did we get under the SPOTLIGHT! We've been Loyal, Hard Working Americans ALL OF OUR LIVES! Why are our Classroom Studies Now Targeted? Profiled! Targeted, in an unfair way!"

Now, a NEW FILM is documenting the thoughts of AMERICANS of Latino descent that have been DEMONIZED by this RACIST, RACIST Arizone Bill! I ask that ALL of my Viewers SEE this video and see this film! I ask ALL of my viewers to VIEW this Youtube Video then GO TO This Facebook Page and Join! Only "in force of numbers" can WE THE PEOPLE win this debate and enable our children to experience the Education they Deserve!

HISTORY OF THIS RACIST BILL:
In January, Tom Horne -- author of HB281, in his last act as Superintendent of Schools (now, newly elected AZ Attorney General), declared Tucson Unified School District in non-compliance with the law, thus setting off a 60-day period (deadline: March 4th has been extended) to prove compliance. Horne declared a Tucson school district's Mexican-American program illegal -- while similar class programs for blacks, Asians and American Indians were left standing. The most heinous part of the bill is that it clearly says that compliance with the law can be solely determined by the state superintendent. There is no clear explanation of what getting in compliance means, or any other metrics of compliance, except that the state superintendent, at that time Tom Horne (author of the bill), can decide whether you are in compliance or not.The penalty is 10% of the school district’s budget. If Tucson High School wants to have Ethnic Studies courses, then the second largest school district in the state gets a 10% across-the-board cut, thus pitting teachers against teachers as some faculty may blame those darn Mexican-American History teachers for their own budget cuts. Budget cuts mean layoffs.

How do you prove compliance? You have to convince the new superintendent, John Huppenthal, who ran ads that said “John Huppenthal is one of us, he stopped bilingual education, he will stop La Raza” that Raza studies should continue. The racism is pretty clear, and even worse is that John Pedicone says he respects Huppenthal for his strong convictions. And the new Attorney General who gets to defend the law? Tom Horne.
The members of the TUSD board and the Superintendent say that they want to defend Ethnic Studies. After the new HB2630 was introduced which would end this whole saga, I wondered how many of them would put their words into action. Only one did. Adelita Grijalva. Additional Good News: AZ Rep Sally Gonzales has authored a bill to repeal HB2281, the Ethnic Studies BAN.

Arizona's Hate Bill sb1070's sponsor, Russell Pearce

Phoenix New Times reports: Recalling Russell Pearce
Consider it a classic pincer move: two separate, ongoing efforts to recall the most powerful, hateful politician in Arizona, state Senate President Russell Pearce. First into battle was the irrepressible DeeDee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans, an organization loathed by wingnut GOPers and mainstream Democrats with almost equal intensity. Somos Republicans' stated intent is to increase the Latino Republican voting bloc. In working toward that goal, the group fervently attacks the nativist right, which is now dominant in the party of the pachyderms. The group supports the DREAM Act and humane immigration reform, has opposed Pearce's breathing-while-brown law, state Senate Bill 1070, and continues to denounce the efforts of wingnut legislators to undermine the birthright citizenship clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment.

Indeed, it was on the day that anti-birthright citizenship legislation was getting introduced by Pearce's lackeys in the state House and state Senate that Blase and a libertarian ally, Halina Reed, filed recall paperwork against Pearce at the Secretary of State's Office. The official "grounds" for the recall by Blase's new group, Arizonans for Better Government, specifically cites Pearce's "overt disdain" for the U.S. Constitution, and Blase clearly was motivated by Pearce's attack on birthright citizenship. "This guy is evil," Blase said of Pearce on the day she filed. "I was really bummed out because of the 14th Amendment [bills]. Now I'm so excited."

The recall effort will need to score 7,756 signatures of registered voters from Legislative District 18 by May 27. Once these are obtained and verified as legitimate, Pearce either has to resign or face a recall election on a date set by the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. Voters of all party affiliations can sign the recall petition, and there's a large pool from which to draw: 68,409 registered LD 18 voters, as of last count, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

This means that forcing a recall election on Pearce is doable. So much so that Assistant Secretary of State Jim Drake told me that his office is preparing for the eventuality that both the Blase-skippered recall and one filed days after hers by another group, Citizens for a Better Arizona, might be successful. If this occurs, Drake said his office will seek a judicial order combining the two recall elections into one. Pearce could face High Noon at the ballot box as early as November of this year or spring 2012. It's conceivable that Pearce could lose. In 2008, Pearce bested his Democratic rival for the state Senate by 5,343 votes. In 2010, Pearce exceeded the combined vote totals for both the Libertarian and Democratic candidates by just 4,081. Even if Pearce ultimately prevails, a recall would damage him politically.

See, Pearce longs to seek higher office, anything from governor or congressman to U.S. senator or — perhaps most powerful — Maricopa County Sheriff, should alterkocker lawman Joe Arpaio ever take a powder, get indicted, or just keel over while in office. But if Pearce has to campaign to beat back a recall in his own district, it will distract him from exploring other options, robbing him of time, money, and energy in the process. It also will expose an otherwise un-remarked-upon weakness: Many in his own district and party loathe him.

Indeed, I'm convinced that Pearce could never win a statewide election. Congress or sheriff? Maybe. U.S. senator or governor? No way, Jose. See, Pearce's ham-fisted use of power, his narrow, negative agenda, and his status as an icon of intolerance make him a hero to Tea Baggers, nativists, gun nuts, and the East Valley wackadoodles who dominate the Maricopa County Republican Party. To a broader audience, Pearce simply looks like what he is: a bigoted, far-right extremist.

Sure, many despise Republican Governor Jan Brewer for her policies or for signing SB 1070 into law. Still, as ditzy as she can be, she doesn't come off as an aggro redneck in need of some serious meds, as the Senate president most certainly does. Hell, even Sheriff Arpaio seems like a teddy bear compared to the truculent madman from Mesa....The grounds for CBA's recall are broader than those given for Blase's Arizonans for Better Government. CBA's statement knocks Pearce for "his failure to focus on issues and concerns that affect all Arizonans," demanding better representation on various issues.

"Mesa and Arizona need a leader who will pass laws to create jobs, protect public education, and ensure access to healthcare for our children and those most in need," CBA's petition statement reads, in part. "By signing this petition, we publicly withdraw our support for Russell Pearce and what he represents."

Racism Abounds in KKK Arizona: School Whitens Brown Students’ Faces on Mural

chattahbox.com reports: The State of Arizona has become a stain on our nation. When bigoted extremists start running the asylum this is what happens. With Arizona’s harsh immigration law that fosters an all-out war against brown-skinned residents, it’s suddenly become acceptable to outwardly display racism and bigotry. After all, Gov. Jan Brewer and fellow Republican nativist lawmakers have stoked fear and hate with their constant rhetoric of being “overrun” with violent “illegals.” The hate is so rampant now in Arizona that an elementary school principal in Prescott demanded that a school mural be changed to whiten the skin of an Hispanic student.
The furor over a public image of an Hispanic boy, was fueled by a prominent city councilman, who also hosts a talk radio show. Councilman Steve Blair went on a rant over the depiction of an Hispanic boy, as the centerpiece of a “Go on Green” mural, gracing the walls of the Miller Valley Elementary School. The mural depicts four actual students of the school promoting environmentally friendly transportation.

Blair became incensed that the featured student was brown-skinned in his town of Prescott that is about 90 percent white. He blamed political correctness and President Obama for the dark-skinned boy sullying the school’s mural: “I am not a racist individual,” (why do racists always say this?) but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who’s President of the United States today and based upon the history of this community, when I grew up we had four black families – who I have been very good friends with for years – to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, ‘Why?’” The black person that Blair finds so offensive, is a portrait of an Hispanic boy who attends Miller Valley Elementary School, one of the most racially diverse schools in town.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder, but I say [the mural] looks like graffiti in L.A.,” ranted Blair. The nativist Councilman also railed against diversity and “different” people. Blair said, “I can’t stand” the word diversity. “The focus doesn’t need to be on what’s different; the focus doesn’t need to be on the minority all the time,” he added. After Blair’s bigoted remarks, passing motorists began driving by the mural, hurling racial slurs at the artists and school children painting the mural. Artist R.E. Wall, director of Prescott’s Downtown Mural Project, told The Arizona Republic that after months of shouted racial epithets, school principal Jeff Lane pressured him to lighten the student’s skin tone:

“We consistently, for two months, had people shouting racial slander from their cars,” Wall said. “We had children painting with us, and here come these yells of (epithet for Blacks) and (epithet for Hispanics).” “It is being lightened because of the controversy,” Wall said, adding that “they want it to look like the children are coming into light.” But Lane insists his demand to whiten the students’ faces had nothing to do with the bigoted town sentiment. Lane claims he just wanted the mural to look brighter and he asked the artists to correct the shading. “We asked them to fix the shading on the children’s faces,” he said. “We were looking at it from an artistic view. Nothing at all to do with race.”

In Blair’s warped worldview, the depiction of a dark-skinned student in his lily-white town, is evidence of a “pathetic” conspiracy of diversity. “Personally, I think it’s pathetic,” he says. “You have changed the ambiance of that building to excite some kind of diversity power struggle that doesn’t exist in Prescott, Arizona. And I’m ashamed of that.” Blair is ashamed for all the wrong reasons.

(Update: Blair was sacked by the radio station KYCA. He has no plans to resign from the city council, but perhaps there are a majority of non-bigoted residents in Prescott who would force the issue. “When my constituents in the city tell me it’s time for me to go, and that I’m affecting how the city does its business, I will go. I ran because I wanted to help. If I can no longer do that, I’ll step down,” said Blair.

ALERT: Gov. Brewer sets 3:30 p.m. CT news conference on immigration measure

BREAKING NEWS:
PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer scheduled a 1:30 p.m. (3:30 CT, 4:30 ET) press conference at a state-owned auditorium about a mile from the Capitol. The location not only provide space for the local and national media interested in the issue but also provides some separation from the approximately 2,000 people who have gathered in the mall between the House and Senate.
Most of them appear to be high school or college students.
Hispanic community leader Elias Bermudez said he is urging calm no matter what the governor does.
There is a lot of political pressure on Brewer to sign the controversial measure which would give police new powers to stop and arrest illegal immigrants.
All three of her Republican foes in the gubernatorial primary are on record urging a signature. And virtually all Republicans in the Legislature voted for the legislation.
If she does, a lawsuit is a virtual certainty, with groups ranging from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund to the American Civil Liberties Union promising to challenge the measure.
The most controversial part of the measure could amount to a requirement to carry identification or risk being detained, at least temporarily. It says that when police officers make an official contact with anyone, a "reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.''
Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the language does not give officers absolute authority to stop anyone. He pointed to language saying that the must be "reasonable suspicion'' that the person is in this country illegally.
The law prohibits race or ethnicity from being the sole factor in reaching that conclusion. But it permits those being used as one factor.
Pearce, the architect of the measure, said that is justified because virtually all of the illegal immigrants in this state are from Mexico or points south.
The measure also makes it illegal for cities to have any policy that prohibits its police officers from enforcing federal immigration laws.
Other provisions include:
- Making it a state crime to be in this country in violation of federal immigration laws;
- Allowing people to be charged with harboring or transporting illegal immigrants;
- Letting police arrest those who stop in traffic to pick up day laborers.
There also have been calls for businesses to boycott the state if Brewer signs the legislation

Arizona Governor Brewer: Do We Sit Still For Racial Profiling OR Will We Tell Our Children "We Just Didn't Know?"

People often ask me why I write my blog. I respond, "I write my blog because I love my USA, I am a Christian and I am a Humanitarian. This is my cause." I don't profit from my blog. I never will. I write my blog because "there but for the grace of God go I." I am a humanitarian. What if my Dad's grandfather didn't decide upon moving to Texas 200 years ago? What if he had stayed in Mexico. What if my family didn't decide to move until now...when immigration policies were broken yet wanted their children to have a better life?
(skip forward 200 years to the time my future husband and I met and fell in love..two liberals, loving life, loving each other, loving America...hard working, starry eyed optimists.)

I remember when my husband and I were dating. It was the early 1970s. My husband and I were in our early twenties. After work, we frequented a bar owned by a blond, blue-eyed German Immigrant. Randy, the bar owner, was twenty years older than we were. He was born in Nazi Germany. He immigrated to the U.S. after the war. We later found out he was a member of the "German Youth."

My (future) husband asked him, as a friend, as someone he knew was friends to all cultures, how could HE be a member of the Hitler Youth and support such racist policies. Randy responded, "We didn't realize what was happening. We thought he was just improving our economy and our status in the world. We didn't know about the concentration camps."

I think about his words when I think about what is happening in the U.S. today, with all the racial profiling and the demonization and scape-goating of ALL Latinos. Are we ALL so blind that we fail to see what is happening in Arizona? Do we fail to see the racial profiling actions of sheriff arpaio and his masked goons? (this is an actual picture on the right) Do we fail to see what happened in Patchogue, N.Y. when the Caucasian Crew went "Beaner Stomping" EVERY WEEK after school?

This reminds me of the World War 2 days with the forced relocation and internment by the US Govt in 1942 of 110,000 Japanese Americans along the Pacific Coast. There was no rhyme or reason to it. It was based on the roller coaster steam of the ANTI Asian sentiment at the time after Pearl Harbor. The end result was a racist interment of one race of people primarily on the West Coast.

Now we see the same thing happening by the racist state senate of Arizona.

My question to all readers: Are we the people of America, going to allow these racist activities, racial profiling, to occur in all Latino neighborhoods in Arizona by masked volunteer goons? If we do allow this to happen, what will we tell our children? Or will we be like Randy and will we respond and say "we just didn't know."

Two Faced Napolitano & McCain! Restrictionist Arizona Laws Causes State to Lose $! Now new program invites new Mexican Guest Workers!

Arizona. In 2007, the home of the Nation´s severist restrictionist Immigration Laws. These laws promised to "come down hard" on not only illegal immigrants but on employers. Since the laws have passed, Arizona has seen changes, however not the changes they wanted.
As Sheriff Arpaio came down hard on Latinos, legal and illegal, via Racial Profiling Sweeps of Latino majority cities and towns. Latinos, both legal and illegal, fled in terror of being caught up in these raids.
While to date, not ONE employer has been arrested or sanctioned, Arizona is suffering the impacts of these restrictionist laws. Business owners are going out of business and they are suffering from the inability to hire workers needed to do the job, all while the state is experiencing one of their lowest unemployment rates in history.
Fast forward to May, 2008. Arizona , John McCain´s home state, the state with the most broken immigration policies, is seeking to change their laws and invite in more Guest Workers from Mexico.
My only question is to the bad-boy Sheriff Arpaio, "whatcha gonna do when they come for you..." All of the invited Guest Workers!
The Tucson Citizen Reports:
PHOENIX - With lawmakers temporarily diverting their focus from the state's budget crisis, the hot-button issue of immigration is getting renewed attention in the state Senate, where one lawmaker vows to conduct what would amount to a filibuster. Senators this week are expected to consider both a bill to revise the 2007 employer sanctions law penalizing businesses that knowingly hire illegal workers and a separate proposal creating a new state guest worker program. Arizona is the nation's busiest border crossing point for illegal immigrants, and the 2007 employer sanctions law was enacted in an attempt to eliminate jobs as a magnet for illegal entrants. The bill (SB 1374) to make numerous changes to the sanctions law is a response to criticism from business owners and others about its fairness and workability. Proposed changes include making its penalties for employers apply only to workers hired on or after Jan. 1 and establishing a new voluntary compliance program. The guest worker proposal would ask for federal permission so Arizona could create a program to provide temporary foreign workers for employers who experience labor shortages. ..

Proponents argue that creation of the program would help employers while diminishing unregulated illegal immigration, but it drew fire during a Republican caucus Tuesday as senators said it could undercut American workers and open the door for unreimbursed health care costs. The measure's sponsor, Democratic Sen. Marsha Arzberger of Willcox, later said she has commitments from enough fellow senators for passage. She briefly flashed a "laundry list" of checkmarks next to names of senators but declined to allow a reporter to examine it in detail. Arzberger said work for Americans would be protected because the state Industrial Commission, one of the agencies that would help administer the program, would determine whether businesses had made adequate attempts to hire local workers. The immigration-related measures are among numerous pieces of legislation being considered during a lull in budget action.

AZ Gov Napolitano Vetos Immigration Bill - Some Say Due to Arpaio´s Racial Profiling!

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has vetoed AZ´s lates immigration bill. This is upsetting many of the local AZ ANTI politicians.

YumaSun.com reports:

Napolitano vetoes bill on enforcing immigration

April 28, 2008 - 10:35PM

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed legislation Monday to require police departments and sheriff's deputies to do more to crack down on illegal immigration despite its bipartisan support. On one hand, Napolitano said HB 2807 is unnecessary because nothing in state law precludes local police agencies from entering into agreements with the federal government to have their officers certified to stop, question and detain people not in this country legally. She said the only thing they need is the proper federal training. "Many of these have already entered into these agreements on a voluntary basis,'' the governor wrote. "A legislative mandate to that effect is unnecessary." She also said the legislation could end up being a $100 million drain on the already overtapped state treasury. The measure mandated that police agencies have some sort of program to deal with violations of federal immigration laws...

Prezelski said he believes Napolitano's real reason for vetoing the bill had less to do with what it says and more to do with the politics surrounding the whole issue of illegal immigration and the role of local police agencies. "I don't think there was any problem with the bill legally, any problem with what the bill said in black and white,'' he said. But Prezelski said there were "larger political implications'' at hand. "It's happening in the context of what (Sheriff) Joe Arpaio is doing in Maricopa County,'' he said. The sheriff, who has had many of his officers certified to enforce immigration laws, has done a series of "sweeps'' of certain neighborhoods, looking for minor traffic violations as an excuse to pull people over and question them about whether they are in this country legally. In some circumstances that has occurred over the objections of officials of the cities where he is operating. Napolitano has repeatedly refused to take a public position on whether she believes the sweeps are legal or even good public policy. But Prezelski said this may be her way of expressing her concern. "Maybe this was an opportunity to say, 'No, this is not a local matter,'" he said. The activities of Arpaio clearly were on the minds of Hispanic activists who urged Napolitano to veto the legislation. "Racial profiling and targeting a sector of the population based on race, color of skin and national origin will only multiply as has been demonstrated in the Maricopa County Sheriff Office's operations,'' officers of Somos America wrote to the governor last week. The group, whose name translates as "We Are America,'' said the legislation "will amplify sweeps of this style, violate (individuals') civil liberties and often result in costly litigation.''

Driving While Black or Brown - Racial Profiling in Arizona

Recent Arizona studies have proven Racial Profiling is blatantly occurring in Arizona. We are all aware of the Racial Profiling by the heinous Sheriff Arpaio, but this thoroughly researched report proves Racial Profiling is occurring all across Arizona. Here is the Executive Summary:
Executive Summary of Findings
1. Arizona Department of Public Safety Officers made more than 500,000 stops between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. Just under 200,000 stops were made on Arizona’s interstate highways during this period.
2. Of those 200,000 interstate highway stops, approximately 13,271 resulted in searches.
3. African Americans and Hispanics stopped by DPS officers were more likely than whites to be searched on all major highways included in this analysis. Native Americans and persons of Middle Eastern descent also were more likely than whites to be searched on most highways.
4. On average, Native Americans stopped by DPS officers were 3.25 times more likely to be searched than whites stopped by DPS officers. African Americans and Hispanics were each 2.5 times more likely than whites to be searched by DPS.
5. Higher search rates for minorities were not justified by higher rates of transporting contraband. In fact, on average, whites were more likely to be carrying contraband than Native Americans, Middle Easterners, Hispanics and Asians on all major Arizona highways. African Americans were at least twice as likely as whites to be searched on all six interstate segments, despite the fact that the rate of contraband seizures for African Americans and whites was similar.
6. Minorities, including African Americans, Hispanics and Middle Easterners, were consistently stopped for longer periods of time than whites traveling on all interstate highways in Arizona.
7. In sum, this report concludes that DPS officers treated persons from different racial and ethnic groups unequally between July 2006 and June 2007. Minorities were more likely than whites to be searched and stopped for longer periods of time. This unequal treatment was not justified by higher contraband seizure rates from minority motorists.

Note: Study results are based on statistical analysis of the State of Arizona´s Department of Public Safety reports. DPS is legally required to document all data from traffic stops and this documentation is housed in the DPS database. Please click on link above for the entire study.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon asks FBI to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Arizona newspapers and Television stations are reporting Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is calling on the FBI to investigate whether Sheriff Joe Arpaio has violated any civil-rights laws. In an April 4 letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Gordon asked the Justice Department's civil-rights division and the FBI to probe what Gordon calls a "pattern and practice of conduct that includes discriminatory harassment, improper stops, searches and arrests."

Gordon's four-page letter details Arpaio's recent sweeps through predominantly Latino neighborhoods in Phoenix and Guadalupe. "Over the past few weeks, Sheriff Arpaio's actions have infringed on the civil rights of our residents," Gordon wrote. "They have put our residents' well-being, and the well-being of law enforcement officers, at risk."In his letter, Gordon says he was moved to write after Arpaio pledged to bring his sweeps to other Valley cities on an ongoing basis. Gordon, who is an attorney, asks that Arpaio be investigated for possible violations of four laws, including the Civil Rights Act and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. Gordon declined to discuss his letter in detail. "The letter speaks for itself," he said.The raids, which Arpaio has described as efforts to suppress crime in problem areas, have won the sheriff praise from residents fed up with government inaction on illegal immigration. But they have been harshly criticized by civil libertarians who say the sheriff's raids have led to racial-profiling and the illegal detainment of U.S. citizens.The American Civil Liberties Union and Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund have said the raids are likely to spark civil-rights lawsuits against the sheriff.Last week, the Arizona Ecumenical Council and American Jewish Committee issued a joint letter saying the raids had "evoked a 'police state' atmosphere" and led to "detainment on the basis of a racial profile and dehumanization of innocent people."They were joined on Friday by the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, which echoed calls for a Justice Department investigation."We're not saying the sheriff's guilty," said Bill Straus, the chapter's executive director, who described himself as a friend of Arpaio's. "All we're saying is, if the sheriff's department continues operating under this cloud of allegations and they're not true, that's really unfair to the sheriff's department. If in fact they are true, it needs to stop."A Justice Department investigation could lead to civil or criminal proceedings. Civil charges could result in a restraining order preventing certain aspects of Arpaio's raids, officials said. Criminal charges could lead to prosecution.In his office, Gordon has a pair of posters held by protesters at the recent sweep that took place near Cave Creek and Bell roads. Given to him by a Phoenix police officer who was on the scene, one refers to Latinos with an expletive and a slur. Another says "Hooray for the slaughtering of the illegals!" and is adorned with a swastika. Arpaio insists Gordon is taking the opportunity to play political games and said the series of letters, whether they come from ministers or politicians, don't bother him."I don't think any of them carry any weight cause I have nothing to hide," he said. "(Gordon) did this on his own because he's taking the heat. Now he's degrading my office and my deputies by insinuating that they're violating all these civil laws. We don't profile." The city of Phoenix's response to illegal immigration has focused on finding violent criminals and human smugglers. Arpaio wants his deputies to ask about immigration status for the most minor offenses and says business owners and city leaders ask for his deputies to come into their communities.On March 28, in a widely publicized speech, Gordon came out against the sheriff's tactics, calling them "made-for-TV stunts." Arpaio said he was "outraged" at Gordon's remarks but would not be deterred from his efforts to enforce immigration laws.One week after his speech, Gordon wrote his letter to the attorney general.

Gestapo Arpaio Resurrects Operation Wetback Part 2

AZ Maricopa County´s Heinous trigger happy Gestapo Sheriff Arpaio has resurrected Operation Wetback again as he Racial Profiles innocent Latino neighborhoods and towns in his area. Under the pretext of "Crime Suppression Sweeps" Sheriff Arpaio and his band of overzealous cops strip away the Civil Liberties of anyone Brown. All people of color are stopped and harrassed. A reported example: A Yaqui Indian woman (the town is half Yaqui, half Mexican) was stopped as she was walking to the protest and asked for her I.D. She has lived in Guadalupe all her life. WWB, "Walking While Brown", is considered probable cause by the Gestapo Sheriff. These deplorable sweeps are happening as we speak. Last night and today, the city of Guadalupe, AZ Mayor Rebecca Jimenez is bravely standing up to Herr Arpaio. Let´s pray for her safety throughout the face off this weekend!

The New Phoenix Times Reports:Open Rebellion: Guadalupe Mayor Rebecca Jimenez demands Sheriff Joe Arpaio cease anti-immigrant sweep.
Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 08:09:47 AM

Last night was a night of high drama as Sheriff Joe brought his illegal immigrant dragnet to the small town of Guadalupe, and the citizens and the mayor of that city demanded Joe leave. Last night around 10:30, Guadalupe Mayor Rebecca Jimenez personally presented Joe a statement to this effect in the parking lot of the Family Dollar where the MCSO was stationed. According to Jimenez, Joe accused her of inciting a riot and informed her she had 90 days to cancel Guadalupe's contract with the MCSO to provide law enforcement to the town. Jimenez and other town council members present said they would be reviewing the MCSO's contract. Jimenez's release states in part: "Sheriff Arpaio's attempt to push his own political agenda, from the State's largest municipality to the state's smallest municipality, shows that he disregards his statutory obligations to provide unbiased law enforcement to the residents of this county and should not be based on legal status. We are asking the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to cease their operation immediately."
Jimenez told me that the MCSO had informed the city that it would be doing an anti-graffiti operation and that she was promised that it would not be one of Joe's anti-illegal sweeps. If that's the case, I'd say she was a little gullible on that front considering Joe's recent activities. However, she bravely made up for this with her defiant press release and by insisting to Joe in person that he leave. This capped off an evening of spirited protest by about 200 or so demonstrators, and many drivers-by who honked their horns in agreement. While I was there, Rusty Childress' United for a Sovereign America was nowhere to be seen. People were angered by the MCSO's harassment of their fellow citizens, and many of those present had walked from their homes to be there. I think the demonstrations will be even larger today, as city leaders had initially asked residents to attend prayer vigils being held in different churches rather than protest the Sheriff on site. But obviously, all bets are off now.
The MCSO's stops were petty and pathetic. I rode along with one loosely organized group that monitors the MCSO and videotapes the traffic stops they're making. One lady was stopped and cited for "improper use of horn" (a favorite citation of the evening) because she had honked her horn in solidarity with the demonstrators. Another guy was stopped and cited for a cracked tail light right in front of his house. Still another fella was pulled over because the little light over his license plate was out. Back at the Family Dollar on Calle Guadalupe, another lady, a full-blooded Yaqui Indian (the town is half Yaqui, half Mexican) told me she was stopped as she was walking to the protest and asked for her I.D. She has lived in Guadalupe all her life. I guess WWB, Walking While Brown, is considered probable cause by the MCSO. For the Guadalupe operation alone, Sheriff Joe should have his 287g agreement with ICE jerked. That's the agreement that allows specially-trained MCSO to enforce immigration law under limited circumstances. How much more obvious can it be that Arpaio is abusing this authority and terrorizing Valley communities with these bogus and illegal anti-immigrant dragnets? When will the Feds wake up and halt Joe's reign of terror and error?

Glory Hound Sheriff Arpaio Costing Taxpayers Millions!

The Phoenix News Reports:

Inhumanity Has a Price
Corpses, a flesh-eating virus, the most-sued sheriff in America. Lawsuits against Joe Arpaio have cost us $41 million, so far
By John Dickerson Published: December 20, 2007

(summary)
Maricopa County's sheriff Arpaio has a vivid history of ignoring the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He's trampled the rights of prisoners, political enemies, and media critics. In partnership with the county attorney, the pair have expanded their enemies list to include the judiciary and immigrants. Private citizens and their Internet-viewing records were merely the latest victims in a long line.

The Sheriff´s antics include:

1. Establishing an Sheriff´s Enemies List

2. Identifying the identity of anyone who looked at New Times online in the past four years.

3. Vermin, filth, medical care suggestive of POW camps, chronic mismanagement, the wanton destruction of records, and a steady parade of corpses in Maricopa County jails have cost taxpayers an astonishing — and until now, undisclosed — 41.4 million dollars.

Read the entire Phoenix News article for the entire expose!

Inhumanity Has A Price!

Migrants from Arizona Returning Home!

"I don't want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment," he said. "I'll be better in my country."

CNN is reporting:

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Illegal immigrants in Arizona, frustrated with a flagging economy and tough new legislation cracking down on their employers, are returning to their home countries or trying their luck in other states.

For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state's new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect January 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border. And by all appearances, it's starting to work. "People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors -- they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."

...Under the employer sanctions law, businesses found to have knowingly hired illegal workers will be subject to sanctions from probation to a 10-day suspension of their business licenses. A second violation would bring permanent revocation of the license.

...State Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, the author of the employer sanctions law, said his intent was to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona. "I'm hoping they will self-deport," Pearce said. "They broke the law. They're criminals." Under the employer sanctions law, businesses found to have knowingly hired illegal workers will be subject to sanctions from probation to a 10-day suspension of their business licenses. A second violation would bring permanent revocation of the license.

Nancy-Jo Merritt, an immigration lawyer who primarily represents employers, said her clients already have started to fire workers who can't prove they are in the country legally. "Workers are being fired, of course," she said. "Nobody wants to find out later on that they've got somebody working for them who's not here legally." When immigrants don't have jobs, they don't stick around, said Dawn McLaren, a research economist at Arizona State University who specializes in illegal immigration. She said the flagging economy, particularly in the construction industry, also is contributing to an immigrant exodus. "As the jobs dwindle and the environment becomes more unpleasant in more ways than one, you then decide what to do, and perhaps leaving looks like a good idea," she said. "And certainly that creates a problem, because as people leave, they take the jobs they created with them."

Pearce disagreed that the Arizona economy will suffer after illegal immigrants leave, saying there will be less crime, lower taxes, less congestion, smaller classroom sizes and shorter lines in emergency rooms. "We have a free market. It'll adjust," he said. "Americans will be much better off." He said he's not surprised illegal immigrants are leaving the state and predicts that more will go once the employer-sanctions law takes effect next month. "It's attrition by enforcement," he said. "As you make this an unfriendly state for lawbreakers, I'm hoping they will pick up and leave."