Dennis Gilman's latest on the protests at Wells Fargo...
The anti-Arpaio protests at the Wells Fargo bank building in downtown Phoenix are in their second week, and so much is happening on a daily basis that I think the organizers of the action should have their own blog just to keep folks updated. Already, Maricopa County's corrupt top cop has twice descended from his aerie on the 19th floor to check them out. (Read more about that in this week's Bird column when it hits the Web tonight.) And yesterday, we hear a Dutch film crew stopped by to interview the demonstrators. Seems they were there to film Joe, and ended up getting the other side of the equation from Reza and his merry band.
The protests are spearheaded by pro-immigrant activist Salvador Reza's organization PUENTE, and as I mentioned in my first blog item about the demos, the stated goal is to evict the MCSO from its Wells Fargo offices. The gripe: The sweeps. Are the placard-carriers tilting at windmills? Maybe, but while the Sheriff's seeking reelection, Reza's keeping the pressure on, and giving people a constitutionally protected outlet for their outrage over Joe's racist anti-brown raids.
This new Dennis Gilman video gives you a window onto the first week of the protest and what's at stake. Reza and the rest are down at 100 West Washington Street weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some nativist/minuteman types have buzzed by, but so far, there've been no serious confrontations. Let's hope everything remains civil as the protests continue.
