In true Nazi fashion: Joe Arpaio really deserves that expensive Wells Fargo tower office space when his deputies are told to abuse a mentally ill inmate, who shouldn't have been in jail in the first place.
Then, in true Nazi fashion, after the poor man finally gets out of jail, after being tortured, they want to charge him with something that happened while he was having a psychotic fit as detention officers were (unbelievably!) forcing him to wear pink underwear — and he [dies of a heart attack].
There's no depth of Hell low enough for Joe and his creepy-crawlers.
Mary Faith Thompson, Phoenix
Top-down cruelty: It's difficult to deal with crazy people in jail, but these detention officers handled this in the stupidest way possible. They did everything wrong, and they did it because, if they hadn't, their boss, the sheriff, would've accused them of mollycoddling criminals.
Better to abuse somebody who doesn't deserve it rather than get accused of being a pussy when it comes to "law and order," right? Cruelty is top-down at the MCSO, baby!
Al Garcia, Glendale
Joe understands the importance of publicity: Okay, explain this to me: What was so all-fired important about getting that pink underwear on this psychotic guy? Under the circumstances, don't you think they could've just veered away from evil old Joe's publicity gimmick?
Obviously not! Failure to force even the craziest inmate to don the pink knickers would no doubt lead to firing. Remember, the barbarism comes from the top of the Wells Fargo tower at the MCSO.
T. Nelson, Phoenix
How nice: So, the MCSO got away with murder again. How nice.
Jim Cozzolino, Peoria
New Times has gullible readers: Yeah, the MCSO got away with murder. Believe everything New Times tells you. How pathetic!
So the MCSO "killed" this mentally ill person because, a month after being in its custody, he was told he had an arrest warrant. And they didn't even arrest him for it, and he dies of heart failure that night.
That's murder? New Times and its gullible, idiotic readers never fail to amaze me. The "mental anguish" of telling him there was a charge against him killed him — so let's throw Sheriff Joe in prison!
Name withheld
He was mentally ill. Not really a game: I find it hilarious that Paul Rubin thinks that when an inmate is being booked, and he's not cooperating or doing what the officers tell him to do, they should be put in timeout.
Those officers don't have time to play [inmates'] f---ing games! They should not have handled it any differently. Except, maybe, he should have been taken in when they found out he had a warrant, rather than letting him go.
Name withheld
Tim, you'd excel as an MCSO guard: The only good thing I can say about what happened to this poor, psychotic man is that he's better off dead than in the situation he was in. Maybe the sheriff's guards did him a favor?
Tim Pierce, Tempe
Joe=bad for business: Sheriff Joe Arpaio cares nothing about anybody but himself. What the hell are he and his goons doing in the pricey Wells Fargo building anyhow?!
Maricopa County is in a serious budget crisis, as are other governments in Arizona, and Joe Arpaio should be made to buckle the hell down. The money he's wasting — and continues to waste — is astounding.
It's great that Wells Fargo wants him out. Face it, Joe: You're very bad for business.
This is a case where civil disobedience has worked to the max. Protesters, please stay out in front of the bank until it forces the geezer and his storm troopers to beat it.
John Winter, Phoenix
Answer: Very likely: What is it about all these anti-immigrant "patriots," like MCSO Deputy A. Reese, [Minutemen leader] Chris Simcox, and [State Senator] Russell Pearce that they like to physically abuse women?
Does it make them feel tough to break a woman's jaw or arm, or to punch their wife?
Chad Snow, Peoria
Jail Joe: Now that Arpaio's losing his Wells Fargo penthouse, he says he wants to be somewhere "close to the jails." How about in jail, where he belongs?
Name withheld
We're all endangered with Joe in charge: Thanks to Stephen Lemons for the detailed information on Wells Fargo's elegantly giving the sheriff the boot. But most importantly, thanks to New Times for staying on this story from the beginning, so we were able to run downtown on occasion and stand by Sal Reza and the protesters.
It's not just about illegal immigration. All are at risk for arrest and imprisonment with the destructive combination of overzealous law enforcement, malicious prosecution of anyone who stands in the way, and a broken criminal justice system.
By the way, if County Attorney Andrew Thomas stays in control, the new courthouse tower won't be large enough to handle all the innocent people he sends to the gallows.
Name withheld
TAXI!
Bang-up job, City Council!: Sarah Fenske really knows how to dissect a problem in our town. Her story on the airport cab wars was insightful, and it laid the problem right at the feet of the deserving Phoenix City Council. Trust the city's Aviation Department! Indeed.
It doesn't look like there's any corruption here; just lazy-ass city officials such as the hard-head-exploding Claude Mattox. And he wants to be mayor?! Just what we need — another mayor who's too busy or confused to take care of city business in a professional way.
J.T. Thurman, Phoenix
Another convoluted corruption case: Sarah Fenske was spot-on. Thanks for staying on these convoluted corruption cases. There's a pattern to all this that blankets Maricopa County, local, and state. We are paying attention to the details you write about.
Name withheld
Sound of silence: Silence always seems to be the response when officials are questioned. Where's the oversight and accountability?
Name withheld
Who's providing the money?: Perhaps this little dust-up will draw some attention to the taxi business in Phoenix. Being the state capital and largest city in the state, you'd think there'd be some regulation on taxi services here — but no.
Starting your own cab company is easy. All it takes is one car and a class D (standard license), unlike basically everywhere else that requires a hack (taxi) license. You just need a sign on the roof, meter, proper-size lettering, and taxi insurance. Then, for $25 annually, you get your weights-and-measures label, and you've got a taxi company.
An airport company is a bit more complicated, and things are more expensive for it. The cars have to be powered by natural gas. There is a minimum number of units. I've never seen Visum around, but I have seen Apache, and it looks like they've got three cabs, which are probably owner-operated (common with smaller companies). Makes me wonder who's providing the money.
Name withheld
Looks like collusion: From the City of Phoenix to the Superior Court judge to the winning bidders, there seems to be a collusive effort to screw cabbies. [The people involved in this] should all be removed from their jobs.
Name withheld
Great. Sleep-deprived cabbies: Just what this town, desperate for tourist and business revenue, needs — an injury accident caused by an exhausted/sleep-deprived taxi driver forced to work more hours for less pay. Brilliant! Nothing amazes me anymore about the sheer ineptitude of our government.
Name withheld
