News organizations across the U.S. are focusing on the farcicality of the ongoing civil contempt proceedings surrounding Sheriff Joe Arpaio — it’s just business as usual in Arizona. While having a racist, inhumane sheriff serves as a joke for the rest of the nation, it’s a humiliation that has been thrust upon Arizonans by Maricopa County voters six times over. With a track record as corrupted as Arpaio's, it is vital that in 2016 Maricopa County voters select a better-suited leader for its law enforcement that values the integrity of the citizens it serves and the sanctity of the Grand Canyon State.
Arpaio, who has served as sheriff and resident civil rights violator of Maricopa County since 1992, has been scrutinized multiple times for issues surrounding his practices, accusations which have come as a surprise to no one except the sheriff himself. Most recently, he's come under investigation for contempt after disregarding the prohibition of the federal immigration law by Judge G. Murray Snow. Now Arpaio is forced to defend himself in court against testimony delivered by one of his own, Sgt. Brett Palmer. According to Palmer, Arpaio instructed members of the force to continue enforcing the federal immigration law despite the ruling of Snow.
Arpaio's extensive curriculum vitae consists of enforcing several unlawful practices, including 2010's controversial immigration legislation Senate Bill 1070, overfilling jails (but finding new ways to make it work!), marketing humiliation for profit and disregarding court orders in favor of his own beliefs, which are just a few of his noteworthy accomplishments.
“America’s toughest sheriff,” as Arpaio has called himself, sees no issue in living above the law while cowering behind his badge. When he isn’t racially profiling, Arpaio enjoys gloating about his over-crowded jails and the emasculation of inmates he has trapped in his infamous World War II-style “Tent City,” which gained him fame following its creation in the summer of 1993. He also enjoys joining inmates in the kitchen to cook his favorite meal, steaming plates of liver and onion — but his hobbies don’t stop there.
Arpaio is an accomplished entrepreneur, finding new ways to coerce staunch conservatives into purchasing products that allow him to capitalize on inmate humiliation, all in the name of what he thinks the public wants: justice and crime fighting (Watch out, McGruff, you’ve got some hefty competition). The pink underwear, a required inmate fashion staple of Maricopa County Jails, are coveted by outsiders and raised more than $400,000 within the first few months of being sold as souvenir items. This fundraising feat, which was spearheaded by some creative thinking on Arpaio’s part, allocated increased subsidies for programs like the sheriff's “rehabilitating” chain gang program and for increasing features, like watch towers, K-9 units and shock fences, around the Tent City.
Citing his five decades of experience in law enforcement, Arpaio claims that he knows what the public wants. "The public is my boss," he says, "so I serve the public." Arpaio's sixth sense for public desire must be out of tune, because a sheriff this controversial doesn't come cheap, and higher taxes do not make the public happy. Arpaio's appearances in court have not been kind to tax payers, with settlements amounting to several millions of dollars that come directly from their pockets on April 15 of every year.
With public disapproval reaching record highs, prison conditions soaring to ultimate lows and publicity stunts involving Pamela Anderson taking place, it's clear that Arizonans no longer need Sheriff Joe as much as he needs Arizonans. Standing behind their values and viewing his track record, Maricopa County voters need to advocate for a true upholding of their their rights by standing against Arpaio in 2016. In order to force law enforcement back into their place, keep tax payers from paying for recklessness from a lawman and ensure a safe environment for minorities, it is crucial that he is not re-elected when the time arrives.
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