Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio yesterday announced that it was "about time" immigration activist Sal Reza be convicted of a crime for protests held in opposition to SB 1070 last year.
He also had the gall to say the whole protest was a publicity stunt.
"The protest was staged to receive national publicity from virtually
every media outlet as well as to cause disorder to Sheriff Arpaio's
crime suppression operations being conducted on that July day," the MCSO
says in a press release.
During the protest, in July of 2010, Reza and several other activists formed a human chain to keep MCSO
deputies from entering an MCSO jail. Last week he was convicted of willfully failing to comply with a police order. He -- and 12 other protesters -- face up to four months in jail, a $75 fine, and two years probation when they're sentenced on August 23.
Was the protest a publicity stunt? Of course -- protests are designed to bring attention to social issues. Does it compare to Arpaio's own brand of media slutiness? If you ask us, not even close.
As we mentioned yesterday, in roughly the past month, Arpaio has invited the media to witness a duet with an Elvis impersonator, introduced a Spanish-language version of his infamous pink undies to prove he's not a racist, spared the city of Phoenix the humiliation of having his female chain-gang smile for the international press at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, and challenged "any reporter" to a hotdog eating contest.
But we want to know what you think; which publicity stunt is worse: Reza's SB 1070 protest or Arpaio's Elvis-themed panty party?
Cast your vote below.
