Racial profiling in Georgia a microcosm of what's happening all over the U.S.

by: Restore Fairness

Thu Mar 25, 2010 at 16:35:07 PM EDT

From the Restore  Fairness blog.

As the dust settles around  the 200,000 March for America in D.C. this weekend, it is   important to remind ourselves why we need immigration reform. A new   report by the ACLU is one such reminder of racial profiling that is   alive and kicking in the United States. As one of the most   unconstitutional implications of our broken immigration system, racial profiling takes place when police stop,   interrogate, and detain people on the basis of their appearance, accent   or general perceived ethnicity, rather than on the basis of concrete   evidence of criminal activity.

Called “The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time   for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g),” the report   uses individual testimonies from the community to examine the   persistence of racial profiling in Gwinnett County, Georgia, before and   after the introduction of the 287(g) program that partners local law   enforcement with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to   enforce immigration law. Dedicated to the brave undocumented students walking the Trail of Dreams who  marched into this “risky”  287(g) county, the report focuses on Sheriff  Conway known as the “Joe  Arpaio of the South”, who claimed that November 16th, 2009 or the day that   the 287(g) program officially took off in Gwinnett County “was a great   day for Gwinnett County citizens.”

Racial profiling has always  been prevalent in Gwinnett County. In a  case that took place before the  implementation of 287(g), a  woman named  Mary Babington witnessed two  police offers stop a white  Sedan and pull  out two Latino men at  gun-point, shouting at them the  entire time.  They were then cuffed and  made to lie on the ground,  shirtless. One of  the men was crying and  asked the officer for his  shirt, saying he felt  cold. The officer then  kicked him on his back and  yelled at him not to  move. Mary then heard  one ="padding-left: 30px">They  wouldn’t come out when I pulled my   gun, so I sprayed the whole can of  pepper spray. I emptied the whole   can on them…Dude, I emptied the can  in his face. I love my job.

According  to the witness, Mary, the officers did not tell the men why   they had  been stopped, and did not read the men their rights at any   point.  Finally the officers administered a breathalyzer test and gave   one of  them a ticket for driving under the influence.

The implementation  of the 287 (g) program has  only exacerbated  racial profiling. Many  people of color have been stopped, interrogated,  detained and even   abused based on minor traffic violations even though  287(g) is supposed  to be implemented to catch serious criminals. Some  were stopped  without any  probable cause and never given an explanation.

A  case in point is the testimony of Juan, a 48-year maintenance   technician who is a legal permanent resident, entitled to live and work   in the U.S. In the last year he has been stopped by local police on two   different occasions, both times without any legal basis. On the most   recent occasion, a Gwinnett police officer asked Juan to pull over as he   was driving home from work. Despite him asking the officer five times   why he was being stopped, he was given no answer. Instead the officer   continuously screamed at him for asking questions and asked him for his   driver’s license, which he handed over. Juan was eventually released   without a citation but never found out why he had been pulled over and   detained. He is now constantly worried about such an event recurring and   avoids driving in certain areas of Gwinnett County.

In a podcast interview, Azadeh   Shahshahani from the ACLU talks about the ways in which the 287(g)   program has been extremely harmful for the 70 jurisdictions in which it   operates. Local profiling has threatened public safety so that instead   of trusting the local police, people are increasingly afraid to  approach  them, creating a dangerous communication barrier between local  law  enforcement and the community. In addition to diverting resources,  the  287(g) program employs local police officers who are not trained  in  making immigration and status determinations, resulting in them   restoring to their perceived notions about people’s race, ethnicity and   accent.

While 50% of U.S. states have enacted legislation  against racial  profiling, legislation is still pending for Georgia. According   to Azadeh -

In Georgia the problem is compounded   because not only is there not any meaningful federal oversight, but   there is also no oversight at the local or county level that we have   seen…One of our main recommendations would be for law enforcement to   revert to a policy of having federal immigration laws enforced only by   federal immigration officials, and leave police to the job of protecting   our communities.

So what’s the best outcome? Lacking training and   oversight, stop 287(g) program all over the country. Document all the   stops that are being made in the name of the program to check for   patterns of racial profiling. And pass anti-racial profiling legislation   so everyone is protected.

Photo courtesy of acluga.org

Learn.  Share. Act. Go to restorefairness.org

Weekly Immigration Wire: Obama's Hard Line on Immigration

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Mar 26, 2009 at 14:43:13 PM EDT

by Nezua TMC MediaWire Blogger

Last week, President Obama announced his intention to address immigration reform in the next few months in a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The statement came as a relief to many, especially with recent reports of human rights abuses within the U.S. detention system. But, as most of the President's statements seem crafted to appeal to warring political constituencies, his actual intentions are still elusive.

Weekly Immigration Wire: 'Systematic Failures' in U.S. Detention Healthcare

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 13:19:11 PM EDT

by Nezua TMC MediaWire Blogger

This week, two comprehensive reports on the health of immigrant detainees were released by Human Rights Watch and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. As Public News Service reports, "Immigrants are, literally, dying for decent care."

Weekly Immigration Wire: Obama Administration Absent on Immigration

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:36:16 PM EST

President Obama is shaking up the established political and corporate order with a bold economic agenda. Sadly, immigration reform remains untouched by Obama’s energizing blueprint for Change. Immigration policy and programs are still tied to President George W. Bush and former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff: Paramilitary-style raids, detention centers, and the deputizing of otherwise-engaged local police forces continue to stand strong.

Zach de la Rocha Calls on Fans to Turn the Tide Against Hate, March in Arizona

by: rachelfirm

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 12:30:14 PM EST

Who: National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Puente Arizona, and Zach de la Rocha  

What: March to Stop the Systematic Persecution of Migrants and Latinos in AZ.  

Where: March Start Location for Feb 28th: 300 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012  

When: March to Stop the Hate in Phoenix to be held 9:00 am on February 28.  

In the last month Sheriff Joe Arpaio intensified his on-going escalation of attacks against Latinos by segregating the county jail and parading undocumented migrants shackled in a chain-gang into "tent city." He erected and surrounded the tent with an electric fence in a grotesque display of human degradation.  

Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine responded to the news by saying, "To witness what is happening in Arizona and remain neutral is to be implicated in human rights violations that are occurring right here on US soil against migrants. History will not be kind to Joe Arpaio.   He will be remembered with other infamous sheriffs like Bull Connor who subjugated and terrorized communities for shortsighted political gain.  I hope everyone will join me in protesting Sheriff Joe."  

To take action NOW sign the petition asking for the Department of Justice to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

www.sheriffjoemustgo.com

House Judiciary Committee Calls for Investigation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

by: rachelfirm

Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 15:12:35 PM EST

Today, the House Judiciary Committe released a letter to Janet Napolitano and the Attorney General, calling on the Department of Justice to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona.  And I couldn't be happier.

Last week, Sheriff "Arpayaso" reached a new low, when he paraded over 200 immigrant detainees to a "tent city", surrounded by electric fences, shackled and forced to wear striped prison uniforms. This move, a horrofic publicity stunt using people as props, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sheriff Joe's Human and Civil Rights abuses.

It is high time that this maniac be held accountable for his actions. As Frank Sharry of America's Voice wrote today on the Huffington Post:

Arpaio is a modern day Bull Connor and his publicity-seeking crusades have made the Latino community scared and Maricopa County less safe by prioritizing racial profiling over executing the felony warrants that have piled up on his desk. His most recent scheme, rounding up immigrants and shipping them off to separate "tent cities," is just the latest in a career filled with dangerous and anti-Latino demagoguery.

It is also great news to hear that the Judiciary Committee is recommending an investigation of the 287(g) agreement between DHS and Maricopa County - it is this agreement that gives Arpaio the ability to enforce Federal immigration law, but not "to create mini Gitmos".

The letter was sent from the office of Rep. John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and stated:

"Racial profiling and segregation are simply not acceptable." said Conyers. "Media stunts and braggadocio are no substitute for fair and effective law enforcement."

Arpaio must be stopped, before his brand of hate is normalized and becomes an acceptable form of "law enforcement". He is not just an isolated rogue, but rather the pulse of the racist anti-immigrant movement that is working to dehumanize immigrants and strip them of their rights.

For more on this, check out www.sheriffjoemustgo.com and sign onto the petition from America's Voice.

Sheriff Joe to March Immigrant Detainees to Tent City in Chains

by: Duke Reed

Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 23:07:28 PM EST

Having expanded his tent facility to house 2500 of the 10,000 inmates currently incarcerated in the county jail with a newly authorized $1.6 million dollar grant from the state, Arpaio vows to fill it with immigrant detainees.

Surrounded by an electrified fence that Joe jokes will be one that immigrants "won't want to scale," the tent facility will eventually become the new home for those caught in Arpaio's racial profiling roundups.

As usual, Arpaio has invited the press to document the hour long march in order fuel his colossal ego and need for constant media attention.

PRESS RELEASE

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Lindsey Smith
Media Relations - M.C.S.O.
Spokeswoman
Office: 602-876-1802
L_Smith@MCSO.Maricopa.Gov

ARPAIO ORDERS MOVE OF HUNDREDS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS TO THEIR OWN TENT CITY

Electric Fence to Minimize Escape Risk

(PHOENIX, AZ.)  At 1:00 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, February 4, 2009, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will order of approximately 200 illegal aliens to be chained and marched into a separate area of Tent City, their new place of incarceration until their sentences are served and the illegal aliens are deported to their home countries.

The move to Tent City frees up much needed space in the Sheriff's hard facilities serving as a management tool for potential jail overcrowding, Arpaio says.

More importantly, the move is a financially responsible alternative to taxpayers already over burdened by the economic drain imposed by a growing number of illegal aliens on social services like education and healthcare.

The move also facilitates security and transportation issues as well as provides easier and quicker access for foreign government visits to these inmates, the Sheriff says.

The move to Tent City also makes room for the future.  Now that the Arizona state government has given Arpaio back his $1.6 million dollars slated for fighting illegal immigration, more arrests by the Sheriff's human smuggling unit and crime suppression operations are anticipated.

"We have expanded the tents to be able to house as many as 2500 inmates out of the 10,000 currently incarcerated in the jails," Arpaio says. "As we planned the expansion, I decided to have a special area to house this particular population of inmate more effectively and safely.  Starting tomorrow, Tent City will be their new address," Arpaio says.

Tent City is Arpaio's canvas incarceration compound which he opened in August of 1993.  Since then, it has been a safe and cost effective way of housing inmates and has gained worldwide attention as a model jail program. The consolidation of a large number of illegal aliens into Tent City, Arpaio says, should pose no substantial security problems as the area where they will be housed is protected by an electric fence.

"This is a population of criminals more adept perhaps at escape," the Sheriff says. "But this is a fence they won't want to scale because they risk receiving quite a shock - literally."

Tomorrow's move is expected to take about an hour as the illegal aliens make their way from the Durango Jail complex to Tent City on Gibson Road.  Traffic will be rerouted during the transfer, Arpaio says.

The inmates will enter Tent City through the west gate and pick up their bedding before making their way to their section of the tents.  

They will be treated like all other inmates incarcerated here with two exceptions.  Arpaio wants them to be instructed in American immigration laws, as a way to help them understand that the violation of these laws has serious consequences not only to them but to society as a whole. And anyone found to violate jail rules, may end up on a chain gang.  This chain gang will work to clean the areas of the valley, which have been impacted by human trafficking trade.

The inmate march begins at 1:00 PM on Wednesday beginning at the entrance gate of Durango Jail on Gibson Street. The 220 inmates will march east to Tent City. Interested media are asked to park on the access road west of Estrella Jail at 2939 West Durango.  SEE MAP ATTACHED.  Sheriff Arpaio will answer questions at 1:30 PM from inside Tent City.  Call the on call Media Relations person for more information.

How much longer is this racist clown going to be allowed to continue his one man war on the undocumented.

Forced marches in chains, outdoor tent cities surrounded by electrified fences, forced labor on chain gangs as punishment for misbehavior ... all that's missing from this nightmare scene are the search lights and trained attack dogs....but who knows, maybe Arpaio has those also.  

Why not give Joe a call, or drop him an e-mail to let him know just how much you appreciate the fine work he's doing out there in Maricopa Co

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The Sheriff Joe Apartheid Show

by: Duke Reed

Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 01:42:05 AM EST

In today's episode we see more footage from the 1/09/09, 1/10/09 Buckeye "crime-suppression" sweep by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The sweep utilized nearly 200 deputies and "volunteer posse" members, many clad in black ski masks and carrying assault rifles, who were ordered to look for any and all violations of the law, including traffic violations.

After two days, Sheriff Arpaio managed to net 14  suspected undocumented immigrants on minor traffic violations in an area he had characterized as a "hotbed of human smuggling traffic."

When asked about possible racial profiling, Joe also sited a rash of unsolved homicides from 2002-2003 that left 11 undocumented migrants dead as another reason for targeting this particular area.

Questioned how the random traffic stops might help solve seven year old murder cases, Arpaio claimed that many crimes are solved through traffic stops and perhaps his deputies would manage to simply "stumble onto one of the killers."

So there we have it. Joe claims he unleashed 200 heavily armed, masked deputies and "posse" to see if they could  "stumble onto" some killers in a seven year old coldcase by randomly pulling over every Latino they could find.

Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times raises an excellent point about the idea of masked law enforcement randomly pulling over cars at traffic stops.

Having MCSO deputies pulling over cars for traffic stops in black masks like this is reminiscent of some South American dictatorship. It's meant to terrorize and to hide the faces of the guilty from scrutiny. There is absolutely no law enforcement rationale for it. None. But then again, Maricopa County, under the control of Sheriff Joe and Candy Thomas is more like a South American dictatorship than part of the United States of America.

As for Sheriff Joe; he hinted that more episodes of the "Apartheid Show" are on the way.

Arpaio hinted that similar sweeps are planned.

"Stay tuned," he said. "We'll be in other locations soon."

link

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Maybe FOX should show this video on the new Sheriff Joe Arpaio Show

by: Duke Reed

Mon Jan 12, 2009 at 17:48:32 PM EST

He claims it's "a great merge of entertainment along with law enforcement." ... a humorous cross between "Punked" and "Cops."

Perhaps Fox would like to show this really hysterical clip from a recent episode of the real-life Sheriff Joe show.

What could be more entertaining than watching two small children cry as their mother is taken away forever because she has a broken headlight and an un-paid traffic ticket?

What could be funnier than watching them clutch the stuffed animals that sheriff's trade for their mother in an attempt to quite them down?  

What could be more humorous than the fear and horror on their faces as they plead to be returned to her?  

Come on FOX,  this is the real "reality" of Joe Arpaio. This is what goes on day after day for those who are forced to live in Joe's reality.

Show this video to the American public. Let them see the true face of "America's toughest sheriff"

Come on, don't you think they'd be rolling in the aisles over the funny antics of this modern day Bull Connor.

Get the facts of Sheriff Joe

Learn about the costs of Sheriff Joe's antics

Sign a petition demanding a Justice Department investigation into Joe's tactics

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hat tip to The Indigenous Xicano