PANIC ATTACK
No one really expects or wants their hometown police department to be the harbinger of hysteria. But the Phoenix PD, in the person of Phoenix Law Enforcement Association president Mark Spencer, has been doing just that recently. Spencer enacted his own version of that Norman Jewison comedy The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, save that the nationality involved is Mexican instead of Rooskie, and Spencer was not playing it for laughs.
Cruz Ortega-Enriquez with her two American-born sons during an outing to Payson, long before ICE shipped her back to Mexico.
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PLEA is essentially the Phoenix police officers' union, and Spencer its full-time rep. Like most union reps, he's full of the brown stuff, and no, this famous grouse doesn't mean bourbon.
Spencer, who resembles the Pillsbury Doughboy with a Wilford Brimley mustache, was all over the media last week, squawking that the Mexican military was behind a recent home invasion/murder/robbery at a house near 83rd Dr. and West Cypress Street. Spencer was armed with preliminary PPD reports stating that one of the three captured suspects had said he and his buds were former Mexican military or had had military training, at least.
Though the internal reports were tentative and came almost immediately after the incident, Spencer didn't wait a lick before leaking them, contrary to Phoenix PD policy. In fact, Spencer had them posted on PLEA's Web site with a goofy illustration showing home invaders in full-body armor and carrying assault rifles, under the title, "PPD Reports Mexican Military in Phoenix."
Officially, the PPD had reported no such thing.
Rather, PPD flack Joel Tranter had been quoted about the disturbing-enough details, saying the suspects were in tactical gear, armed with assault rifles, and wearing shirts identifying them as Phoenix cops. Approximately 100 rounds had been sprayed into the house, which had been linked to the drug trade. And the occupant of the home lost his life.
But Spencer added another layer to the awfulness, using pure speculation to spin a scary tale of the Mexican military come to the PHX. Acting as a self-appointed flack for the Phoenix cops, his account of the home invasion allowed for only one interpretation: Mexican forces were in town causing chaos.
"We have Mexican military in our city," Spencer told KFYI host and former Congressman J.D. Hayworth on the latter's show. "Using tactical weapons, operations, [they] committed a homicide of a person inside of a home, fled, and then were subsequently willing to utilize ambush techniques and deadly force against our men and women."
Other wing-nut windbags, like KTAR bigot Darrell AnKKKarlo, lapped up the story, but so did the general media, with TV stations repeating Spencer's cock-and-bull blarney. On Channel 12, for instance, Spencer amped up the hysteria full-throttle.
"So we're in a situation now," spat Spencer, "in the city of Phoenix, when somebody does a tactical entry into your house, the occupant has a question to ask: Is it the Mexican military, or is it the Phoenix police?"
Problem is, those initial, internal reports Spencer was relying on to support his claim didn't hold up. Of the three individuals nabbed after the home invasion, the one who had made the statements about military training turned out to be a U.S. citizen (the other two are reportedly Mexican nationals).
ICE flack Vinnie Picard has since stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no evidence of the men in custody being Mexican military, ex or otherwise. And the Phoenix PD has completely discounted Spencer's Mexican military fantasy. Sergeant Tranter even told this talon-bearer that Spencer was in violation of department policy on the release of information to the public.
In defiance of the facts, Spencer's sticking to his guns as of press time, alleging that the Phoenix PD is trying to hide the truth. In reality, Spencer's cockeyed gambit was all about his effort to have the Phoenix PD outfitted like something out of RoboCop or Iron Man, even wielding tactical rifles on the beat if they wanted to. Next thing you know, Spencer will be demanding every cop patrol in tanks, bazookas at the ready.
What Spencer's done is cynically use this already frightening home-invasion incident to further petrify the public so that he can score a change in department policy — which currently allows for only so many assault rifles in circulation among Phoenix PD officers. In doing so, Spencer played the Mexican card, exploiting right-wing demagoguery about a Mexican "invasion" to peddle his shabby tale.
Phoenix PD rank and file should think long and hard about having someone as unreliable as Spencer as their rep, unless they prefer being perceived as a bunch of xenophobic nervous Nellies who get their panties in a bunch and cry wolf whenever a home invasion goes down. John Q. Public looks to the po-po for calm and reassurance, not the inflammatory rumor-mongering Spencer prefers.
THE ACCUSED
Underlying Mexican-baiting such as Spencer's is the landscape of bigotry, blame, and fear we all currently live in, one more akin to Selma, Alabama, circa 1960 than this feather duster would like. All the undocumented in Sand Land are commonly referred to by Sheriff Joe and others as "criminals," when the most they are usually guilty of is a civil violation of U.S. law, one that carries a possible fine and threat of deportation, but no jail time.
