With the Obama administration floating trial balloons in the New York Times on immigration reform, it doesn’t take a clairvoyant to foresee nativists, white supremacists and other elements of the far right seething with reactionary rage. The lot of ’em have invested far too much time and energy whipping up hate…
Maricopa County’s top oppressor of Mexicans has written the Reverend Al Sharpton a letter in response to the civil rights leader’s recent suggestion that Sheriff Joe take a long walk off a short pier career-wise, and resign from office. Unconfirmed reports have it that the sheriff went through a whole…
In the face of a barrage of criticism from nativist and right-wing groups angered by his recent testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Mesa Police Chief George Gascon has today released a statement justifying his actions, saying that he was invited by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, and that…
The folks that put thousands in Phoenix’s streets February 28 to protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the 287(g) program are ready to do it again May 2, with Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha slated to participate as he did before.The difference this time is that the…
As blogged previously, when Lou Dobbs had ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis and the Rev. Al Sharpton on his show recently to talk about Dobbs’ pal Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Arpaio’s racial profilin’ ways, the pair tag-teamed CNN’s alter kocker nativist, leaving him punch-drunk in his corner. Dobbs and Lewis in…
Part one of Sharpton and Lewis vs. TV minuteman Lou Dobbs I don’t know what CNN’s resident nativist Lou Dobbs thought he was doing when he invited the Rev. Al Sharpton and ACORN’s Bertha Lewis on his program yesterday. But suffice it to say that the bottle-blond senior citizen got…
As I promised in a previous blog post, I participated in a national conference call this morning, which featured the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Rev. William Barber…
KTARSucks.com’s video on Ankarlo’s homophobic tendencies. Back on March 9, I told you about my new favorite Web site KTARsucks.com. That’s the site that skewers local wing-nut hate jock Darrell Ankkkarlo and keep an eye on all the moonhowlin’ nitwittery he’s spitting on air every morn at KTAR 92.3 FM,…
The left’s finally bringin’ out the big dogs to take on our racial-profilin’ Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Tomorrow in Harlem, Rev. Al Sharpton will denounce Maricopa County’s corrupt, tin-pot tyrant in a national press conference with Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. Sharpton will demand Arpaio’s resignation by the end of May,…
So I roll back into town today, happy to return to the land of low humidity, and be free from the muggy swamp of D.C. I’m hoping to have a low key day, and save the venom for another time. But then I check out this clip of MCSO Sergeant…
The difference between Mesa Police Chief George Gascon and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is like the difference between Barack Obama and Geoge Bush. Brains versus bluster. The former LAPD assistant chief is a policy wonk with a cop’s toughness. He out-classes Arpaio. Too bad Gascon isn’t our sheriff instead of what we’re…
As an indication of the effectiveness of Mesa Police Chief George Gascon’s testimony, Republican minority attack dogs went after him like a hunk of raw hamburger. This was after the Congress members returned from the floor of the House after a quick vote on an unrelated matter. Texas Republican Congressman Ted Poe…
After the second panel of witnesses was seated and introduced, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren cited the Southern Poverty Law Center letter about witness Kris Kobach mentioned in my first live blog. She said she had decided to allow Kobach to speak, but noted the SPLC’s objection. The first speaker was David Harris, professor of law at University…
Avondale, Arizona, resident Julio Mora was the first witness for the House Judiciary Committee after it came back from it’s break for voting. Mora is a U.S. citizen. His father is a permanent legal resident. Mora was driving his father to work at HMI Landscaping in Phoenix, when his car was stopped more than…
Things are just getting under way here in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building for the House Judiciary Committe’s 287(g) hearings. There’s a packed house, with plenty of representation from Arizona, including Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, civil rights activist Salvador Reza, and lawyer/activist Antonio Bustamante. California Congresswoman Zoe…
Stepping off the plane in Washington D.C. this afternoon was like my first trip to New York many moons ago. The cab driver is Russian. The hotel front desk guy is from someplace in Africa. The room service waiter is from El Salvador. In other words, D.C. shows us to…
I paid another visit to the sad hellhole of Estrella Jail last weekend to talk to one more target of Arpaio’s ethnic cleansing raids: Alejandra Alvarez, a 31-year-old mother of four American children who was arrested during the MCSO’s raid on Handyman Maintenance Inc. this February 11. She was one…
I just received the witness list for Thursday’s 287(g) hearing from New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler’s office. At this point, it’s highly unlikely that the Republicans will try to call Sheriff Joe Arpaio because the Dems are running the show, and Arpaio would be walking into a hostile environment.As previously…
What a difference a few hours make. I just received confirmation from Mesa Police Department PIO Edward Wessing that Police Chief George Gascon has been contacted by the House Judiciary Committee, and that he will testify Thursday, April 2 during the committee’s 287(g) hearing.In other words, it’s on like Donkey…
Several credible sources in the pro-immigrant activist community have informed me that they believe the House Judiciary Committee is afraid of taking on Sheriff Joe Arpaio directly, and is wary of having him become the centerpiece of the hearing.These sources, who do not wish to be identified, say they’ve been…
Props to the Arizona Republic’s Richard Ruelas for looking into Sheriff Joe’s Fox Reality show boondoggle, Smile…You’re Under Arrest! Ruelas, a former Rep columnist whose byline is far too infrequent these days, sought to find out just how much Joe’s lame-o reality show cost Maricopa County. Alas, the MCSO stonewalled…
I just saw this report in the Washington Post indicating that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has put the brakes on some pending ICE raids, as part of a new policy that will supposedly target employers more than workers. The Post cites the pressure being put on the Obama administration…
