The Pink Flamingo :: The Ongoing Mis-Adventures of Sheriff Joe

Has Sheriff Joe Gone Too Far This Time?

See Sheriff Joe Trample the Constitution!

Feel the Excitement as Sheriff Joe Steps in and Arrests an Unarmed Lawyer!

Does Sheriff Joe Have a Personal Vendetta Against Lawyer Dan?

Watch as Sheriff Joe Breaks His Promise Not to Run for Re-Election!

The conservative, anti-immigration crowd is thrilled because Sheriff Joe Arpaio arrested the legal director of the ACLU in Phoenix Sunday. Naturally he crowed about it, and forced Dan Pochoda into a Perp Walk, complete with wall to wall press coverage. Why? Well, it seems like Pochoda was “trespassing” because he parked in a parking lot and was walking over to speak to a client who was involved in a “protest”.

But – the way the conservative blogs are portraying it, a major ACLU wonk was arrested for trespassing. Fact is, according to our favorite liberal site, The Feathered Bastard, once again Sheriff Joe was stepping on the toes of the Phoenix PD by making an arrest (himself – on a Sunday?) within the city limits and not in Maricopa County jurisdiction.

“…"I can state on the record it will not stop any of our challenges or other activities," said Pochoda of the ACLU. "We are concerned about the Sheriff's overreaching and his unconstitutional behavior towards immigrants and many other things. This will not be stopped or harmed by this if that was his intent."

Other reports have quoted Arpaio as saying that the MCSO deputies who arrested Pochoda were not the off-duty officers hired by Pruitt's as security. If so, why were they there? Why did Arpaio rush down to Pruitt's after Pochoda's arrest to talk to reporters, and why did he show up with a contingent of on-duty MCSO officers last week, in support of the off-duty officers? The relationship between Pruitt's and the MCSO needs to be investigated further. Last time I checked, Pruitt's is in Phoenix city limits. So why is the MCSO giving this store special protection, when inside Phoenix city limits, the PHX PD should be the law enforcement agency with paramount authority? More on this donnybrook as it develops...”

Sheriff Joe’s storm-troopers ignored the other cars parked in the lot. They hand-cuffed the Pochoda after he presented identification that he was there to observe the protest and was on his way to introduce himself to the protest leader when he was arrested. There was no sign or notice that there was “No Parking” in the lot. According to the attorney, he was doing nothing unlawful. There was no reason for him to have been charged and arrested or kept in jail for 10 hours. A friend posted the pittance of $150 bail at 4:30PM. He was arrested around 1PM. He was not released until 12:30AM. They also impounded his BMW.

SHERIFF JOE’S LITTLE PROBLEM:
According to the liberal AZ News

“…The sheriff's office and the ACLU have had a contentious relationship. The organization, which Pochoda joined last February, has said that the sheriff is misapplying a state law aimed at punishing anyone caught smuggling immigrants into the United States. Sheriff's deputies have arrested hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants on suspicion of smuggling themselves in recent months.  Pruitt's has been the backdrop of a simmering dispute between immigration supporters and local shop owners who complain that persistent presence of day laborers in the area is interfering with business. A handful of counter-protesters briefly held signs Saturday morning, demanding enforcement of immigration laws, but soon left the scene. A woman who refused to give her name said members didn't want draw any more attention to the day laborers.   The neighborhood business owners have hired off-duty sheriff's deputies for security while the demonstrations continue. Protesters vowed to march there every Saturday until Christmas.  Last week, Arpaio and a group of his on-duty deputies showed up at the demonstration. Arpaio said he was concerned that trouble would erupt because he had heard 2,000 protesters would be there. But turnout was small - about two dozen - and only one person was arrested, Arpaio said. The man was cuffed after yelling in opposition of the protest.  However, the county deputies trained in federal immigration law arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants in the neighborhood whose status was discovered after they were pulled over for traffic violations.  Arpaio said anyone accusing him of preying on the demonstrators and surrounding neighborhood should know that he and his team are enforcing immigration laws everywhere.   The off-duty deputies weren't involved in the arrests, Arpaio said, and they are being paid for security by the businesses, not the county.  Reza complained that the sheriff ended up using the protest to stage a "dog and pony show" where he and his deputies intimidated demonstrators. "The only thing he didn't have with him was his tank," Reza said….”

THE ANTI-IMMIGRATION SIDE OF THE STORY
Now, read Immigration Watchdog’s version of the story.
KTAR

“…Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tuesday he has every right to crack down on day laborers in Phoenix. "I happen to be the county sheriff. I think Phoenix happens to be in the county. I go into Phoenix all the time to do investigations," Arpaio told FM News/Talk 92-3 KTAR's Darrell Ankarlo. Arpaio's comments came a day after he arrested six illegal immigrants near 36th Street and Thomas Road, triggering an angry response from immigrants' rights activists who called for a boycott against Pruitt's Furniture, one of the businesses that had complained about day laborers gathering in the area.

"There are a lot of problems on that corner that haven't been resolved by Phoenix," Arpaio said. He added, business owners "came to my office and wanted something done, so I promised I would do it and it's not over yet." According to the sheriff's office, the business complaints were not being addressed by Phoenix police, who said it was a federal problem.

Mayor Phil Gordon backed Phoenix police when he talked to Ankarlo. "The City of Phoenix police, 3,000, are doing a lot in immigration, fighting the criminals, the violent criminals," Gordon said. Gordon defended the Phoenix police. "The Sheriff is using his resources as he believes, but he also has officers that are trained as federal immigration agents that have the legal ability to do certain things that our officers don't," Gordon said. Immigrant rights supporters are protesting the arrests.

"We are declaring a boycott against Pruitt's Furniture starting today," said Salvadore Reza. "And starting two weeks from now we're going to start a series of demonstrations every Saturday here. Reza said day laborers had an agreement with the store's owner that they wouldn't be bothered.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio admits that store owner Roger Sansing visited him six weeks ago to complain about the laborers near his property….”