| BARRIOZONA |
| Bilingual Community Expression Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues |
| United Nations observers witness the Sheriff's impressive deployment of force to monitor a small protest. |
| Joe Arpaio and Demonstrators Stir Up Immigration Debate at a Rally in East Phoenix |
The quest of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to
crackdown on illegal immigration and day laborers
reached an impressive high, when he personally —
along a little battalion composed of his posse,
uniformed deputies and men in plainclothes—
showed up at the parking lot of Pruitt’s furniture
store. Arpaio and his detachment were there to
guard the store’s parking lot from a group of
demonstrators who gathered there to protest
against Pruitt’s owner as well as the Sheriff
crackdown on illegal immigration and day laborers
reached an impressive high, when he personally —
along a little battalion composed of his posse,
uniformed deputies and men in plainclothes—
showed up at the parking lot of Pruitt’s furniture
store. Arpaio and his detachment were there to
guard the store’s parking lot from a group of
demonstrators who gathered there to protest
against Pruitt’s owner as well as the Sheriff
office’s actions toward men who hang around the “superstore” seeking day labor.
Called by workers’ rights advocates, Saturday’s rally was in response to several arrests of day laborers made by
Arpaio’s department in previous weeks, as well as to voice disapproval for the employment of off-duty sheriff
deputies providing a sort of private police-surveillance of Pruitt’s premises against men who they see wandering
around seeking work, and presumably undocumented.
Arpaio’s security apparatus in front of the store’s building was laughable compared to the number of demonstrators
who showed up for the rally. The Sheriff justified the proportion of his deployment by assuring that he was led to
believe that about three thousand people were showing up. Seeing the posse, the number of deputies on foot,
and the fleet of marked and unmarked county vehicles, and Arpaio himself orchestrating the pointless show of force,
a demonstrator using a bullhorn yelled at him, “Did you also bring the tear gas and the water hoses?”
The demonstration was also special for the presence of two observers to the United Nations who witnessed,
literally from the horse's mouth, the tense and volatile situation in Arizona. J. Wilton Littlechild and Tonya Gonnella
Frichner were present at the rally, but they were virtually ignored by “America's toughest Sheriff.” Arpaio requested
to talk to Salvador Reza —the forefront advocate and organizer of day laborers in the County— as well as
approached demonstrators to exchange arguments face to face, but did not show any desire to talk to the
observers. When Captain Paul Chagoya, Arpaio’s speaker, learned Littlechild was there, he shook hands with him,
checked his I.D., and pulled him into the parking lot —by then a restricted zone— to briefly talk to him.
Nevertheless, Littlechild returned shortly after to the small crowd, without given a chance to speak to the Sheriff.
Meanwhile, protesters were not just expressing their disapproval of Joe Arpaio’s crackdown on day laborers and
exaggerated tactical operation for the protest. Among the strident sound of vehicles’ horns, they became personal
and were yelling insults against the Sheriff, who at times waved his hand friendly, smiled, joked, and even took time
to sign autographs. “Clown, clown, clown!”; “Arpaio, you belong to the KKK!”; and, “Hitler, Hitler, Hitler!” The
Sheriff cracked up when he was surprised by a dog inside a private vehicle that barked at him, catching him off
guard momentarily, and then said something pointing to the dog, and smiling at the crowd. Arpaio and
demonstrators shared the spontaneous moment of laughter, until a man from the crowd expressed his opinion
about the dog’s barking, “See Arpaio, not even the dogs like you!”
A more serious tone saved the protest from becoming a complete circus spectacle at taxpayer’s expense.
Interviewed by BARRIOZONA (watch video), the observers to the United Nations expressed perhaps the most
articulated and logical statement of the day. J. Wilton Littlechild —a Cree Canadian lawyer and member of the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues— declared, “We are here as part of our obligation as U.N.
members to monitor situations like this, so there can be peaceful resolutions to matters like these. First of all to
recognize that there is a right to work for people; and on the other hand, there’s also a balance that you have to
question: What might become illegal police activity? So when that matter comes to me as a serious concern, I have
to be here to make sure that there is, not only a peaceful conduct, but also a peaceful resolution.”
Tonya Gonnella Frichner —from the Onondaga Nation, and recently named as the North American Representative to
the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues— sent a message to Arizona senator John McCain. “We
need some serious negotiations and some serious solution solving. So I would encourage Senator McCain to take
on that leadership. Arizona could be the leader on this.”
Salvador Reza —a member of Tonatierra and coordinator of the Macehualli Labor Day Center in North Phoenix—
stated that “Joe Arpaio’s method of fighting immigration is by listening to racist individuals, friends of Chris Simcock,
so they come and deploy sheriff deputies (at the furniture store); sheriff deputies on the County’s payroll. In other
words; they aren’t sheriff deputies doing the work for the community; they are deputies being paid (by a private
citizen). That is inadmissible.” Tupac Enrique Acosta —also from Tonatierra— who invited to Arizona the two
observers to the United Nations, pointed out what he considers an irony in the midst of the immigration debate in
Arizona. “Pruitt is a Greek name; Arpaio, Italian; and we, the original peoples from Arizona, are the ones who are
seen as foreigners. That is what’s wrong with this picture,” he said pointing toward the Sheriff and the Pruitt’s
building.
A demonstrator who identified himself only as “Alejandro”, stated that “enough is enough about Joe Arpaio’s
hunger for power; he doesn’t get tired —and he won’t— of being the main character in the Media; the reality is that
Hollywood is not located here. The community needs a lot of help; there’s a lot of theft, and much violence; I think
he needs to focus more on the community.”
Reza announced that they will continue the weekly protests every Saturday, and that they will move forward until
the situation changes.
Called by workers’ rights advocates, Saturday’s rally was in response to several arrests of day laborers made by
Arpaio’s department in previous weeks, as well as to voice disapproval for the employment of off-duty sheriff
deputies providing a sort of private police-surveillance of Pruitt’s premises against men who they see wandering
around seeking work, and presumably undocumented.
Arpaio’s security apparatus in front of the store’s building was laughable compared to the number of demonstrators
who showed up for the rally. The Sheriff justified the proportion of his deployment by assuring that he was led to
believe that about three thousand people were showing up. Seeing the posse, the number of deputies on foot,
and the fleet of marked and unmarked county vehicles, and Arpaio himself orchestrating the pointless show of force,
a demonstrator using a bullhorn yelled at him, “Did you also bring the tear gas and the water hoses?”
The demonstration was also special for the presence of two observers to the United Nations who witnessed,
literally from the horse's mouth, the tense and volatile situation in Arizona. J. Wilton Littlechild and Tonya Gonnella
Frichner were present at the rally, but they were virtually ignored by “America's toughest Sheriff.” Arpaio requested
to talk to Salvador Reza —the forefront advocate and organizer of day laborers in the County— as well as
approached demonstrators to exchange arguments face to face, but did not show any desire to talk to the
observers. When Captain Paul Chagoya, Arpaio’s speaker, learned Littlechild was there, he shook hands with him,
checked his I.D., and pulled him into the parking lot —by then a restricted zone— to briefly talk to him.
Nevertheless, Littlechild returned shortly after to the small crowd, without given a chance to speak to the Sheriff.
Meanwhile, protesters were not just expressing their disapproval of Joe Arpaio’s crackdown on day laborers and
exaggerated tactical operation for the protest. Among the strident sound of vehicles’ horns, they became personal
and were yelling insults against the Sheriff, who at times waved his hand friendly, smiled, joked, and even took time
to sign autographs. “Clown, clown, clown!”; “Arpaio, you belong to the KKK!”; and, “Hitler, Hitler, Hitler!” The
Sheriff cracked up when he was surprised by a dog inside a private vehicle that barked at him, catching him off
guard momentarily, and then said something pointing to the dog, and smiling at the crowd. Arpaio and
demonstrators shared the spontaneous moment of laughter, until a man from the crowd expressed his opinion
about the dog’s barking, “See Arpaio, not even the dogs like you!”
A more serious tone saved the protest from becoming a complete circus spectacle at taxpayer’s expense.
Interviewed by BARRIOZONA (watch video), the observers to the United Nations expressed perhaps the most
articulated and logical statement of the day. J. Wilton Littlechild —a Cree Canadian lawyer and member of the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues— declared, “We are here as part of our obligation as U.N.
members to monitor situations like this, so there can be peaceful resolutions to matters like these. First of all to
recognize that there is a right to work for people; and on the other hand, there’s also a balance that you have to
question: What might become illegal police activity? So when that matter comes to me as a serious concern, I have
to be here to make sure that there is, not only a peaceful conduct, but also a peaceful resolution.”
Tonya Gonnella Frichner —from the Onondaga Nation, and recently named as the North American Representative to
the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues— sent a message to Arizona senator John McCain. “We
need some serious negotiations and some serious solution solving. So I would encourage Senator McCain to take
on that leadership. Arizona could be the leader on this.”
Salvador Reza —a member of Tonatierra and coordinator of the Macehualli Labor Day Center in North Phoenix—
stated that “Joe Arpaio’s method of fighting immigration is by listening to racist individuals, friends of Chris Simcock,
so they come and deploy sheriff deputies (at the furniture store); sheriff deputies on the County’s payroll. In other
words; they aren’t sheriff deputies doing the work for the community; they are deputies being paid (by a private
citizen). That is inadmissible.” Tupac Enrique Acosta —also from Tonatierra— who invited to Arizona the two
observers to the United Nations, pointed out what he considers an irony in the midst of the immigration debate in
Arizona. “Pruitt is a Greek name; Arpaio, Italian; and we, the original peoples from Arizona, are the ones who are
seen as foreigners. That is what’s wrong with this picture,” he said pointing toward the Sheriff and the Pruitt’s
building.
A demonstrator who identified himself only as “Alejandro”, stated that “enough is enough about Joe Arpaio’s
hunger for power; he doesn’t get tired —and he won’t— of being the main character in the Media; the reality is that
Hollywood is not located here. The community needs a lot of help; there’s a lot of theft, and much violence; I think
he needs to focus more on the community.”
Reza announced that they will continue the weekly protests every Saturday, and that they will move forward until
the situation changes.
Store's parking lot turned into a circus
| Text and Photographs by Eduardo Barraza |
| Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006-2007 All rights reserved. webmaster@hisi.org |
M.D. Pruitt's Furnishing Sheriff Joe Arpaio Salvador Teza Tupac Enrique Acosta United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues J. Wilton Littlechild Tonya Gonnella Frichner Tonatierra Macehualli Labor Day Center Maricopa County Sheriff office Roger sensing 3425 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix Arizona MD Pruitts's furniture furnishings. www.pruitts.com Captain Paul Chagoya Laborers