| BARRIOZONA |
| Bilingual Community Expression Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues |
Organizers and residents from
the town of Guadalupe are
turning negative experiences
with the agency in charge of
their law enforcement into a
positive effort to look for
options to maintain dignity and
respect for their community.
With a set goal “to better
understand the changing
immigration issues as it relates
to law enforcement,” members
of the Guadalupe Public Safety
Committee recently invited
several community
organizations to speak to
residents and business
owners about civil rights and
liberties. The meeting took
place in the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Church.
the town of Guadalupe are
turning negative experiences
with the agency in charge of
their law enforcement into a
positive effort to look for
options to maintain dignity and
respect for their community.
With a set goal “to better
understand the changing
immigration issues as it relates
to law enforcement,” members
of the Guadalupe Public Safety
Committee recently invited
several community
organizations to speak to
residents and business
owners about civil rights and
liberties. The meeting took
place in the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Church.
At least 70 people attended the June 25 meeting to listen to a panel of experts invited by the committee. The panel
was composed by members of various organizations, a government agency and a Spanish radio station.
Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Anti-Defamation League, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, Respect/Respeto, Tonatierra, KSUN 1190 AM, NAACP, and Los Abogados, shared relevant
information to attendees, who had the opportunity to present testimonials and ask the panel questions.
Due to a growing concern about how the MCSO was conducting law enforcement in Guadalupe, the committee was
founded and began working in October of 2007. A partnered effort, the committee brings individuals together from
various organizations, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Centro de Amistad, Valley Interfaith Project, as well
as private citizens from the community.
Committee members set to the task of obtaining information on the interaction between the Maricopa County Sheriff
Office (MCSO) —the contracted agency providing law enforcement services in Guadalupe— and residents. To achieve
this goal, several meetings were conducted in homes and public locations, where citizens shared information
regarding law-enforcement incidents which occurred in the community.
was composed by members of various organizations, a government agency and a Spanish radio station.
Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Anti-Defamation League, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, Respect/Respeto, Tonatierra, KSUN 1190 AM, NAACP, and Los Abogados, shared relevant
information to attendees, who had the opportunity to present testimonials and ask the panel questions.
Due to a growing concern about how the MCSO was conducting law enforcement in Guadalupe, the committee was
founded and began working in October of 2007. A partnered effort, the committee brings individuals together from
various organizations, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Centro de Amistad, Valley Interfaith Project, as well
as private citizens from the community.
Committee members set to the task of obtaining information on the interaction between the Maricopa County Sheriff
Office (MCSO) —the contracted agency providing law enforcement services in Guadalupe— and residents. To achieve
this goal, several meetings were conducted in homes and public locations, where citizens shared information
regarding law-enforcement incidents which occurred in the community.
APRIL 3, 2008: As MCSO's vehicles patrolled the streets of Guadalupe,
dozens of demonstrators gathered around the sheriff's mobile command
center to protest the immigration sweep.
dozens of demonstrators gathered around the sheriff's mobile command
center to protest the immigration sweep.
The committee also met with the MCSO’s
Guadalupe branch officials, and with
members of the Town Council. A workforce
analysis of sheriff deputies assigned to
Guadalupe since the year 2000 was
conducted. Guadalupe’s officials received the
information on the committee’s activities and
progress through formal presentations.
As the Guadalupe Public Safety Committee
began looking for ways to improve the
relation between residents and the MCSO,
an event triggering a more determined
reaction from the community in Guadalupe
unfolded the evening of April 3, when the
sheriff arrived in town to carry out one of
their actions theoretically dubbed as “crime
suppression operations.”
In real application, these operations consist
of patrolling the streets to stop motorists
with the purpose of detecting people living
in the country without legal documents. The
sheriff then proceeds to turn suspected
Guadalupe branch officials, and with
members of the Town Council. A workforce
analysis of sheriff deputies assigned to
Guadalupe since the year 2000 was
conducted. Guadalupe’s officials received the
information on the committee’s activities and
progress through formal presentations.
As the Guadalupe Public Safety Committee
began looking for ways to improve the
relation between residents and the MCSO,
an event triggering a more determined
reaction from the community in Guadalupe
unfolded the evening of April 3, when the
sheriff arrived in town to carry out one of
their actions theoretically dubbed as “crime
suppression operations.”
In real application, these operations consist
of patrolling the streets to stop motorists
with the purpose of detecting people living
in the country without legal documents. The
sheriff then proceeds to turn suspected
undocumented individuals over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation procedures.
The operation in this town of about 6,000 residents was the third of its kind to be implemented by the MCSO
consecutively. A couple of weeks prior to their arrival in Guadalupe, Maricopa's sheriff had conducted similar actions in
Central East and Northeast Phoenix, in neighborhoods predominantly populated by immigrants from Latin America.
Groups of protesters and counter-protesters gathered around the sheriff’s mobile operational centers in Phoenix, set
up in public parking lots to function as provisional headquarters of the immigration sweeps. Emotions ran high during
the demonstrations in Phoenix, where verbal confrontations among antagonistic groups of protesters generated a
hostile environment bordering in physical violence.
The MCSO’s operation in Guadalupe prompted the town’s residents and public officials to gather in protest around
the mobile command post set up in the parking lot of the Family Dollar store, located on Guadalupe Road, just east of
Avenida del Yaqui.
As the numbers of protestors grew, MCSO’s personnel became virtually boxed in between the angry crowd and the
store’s building. Unlike the two prior operations in Phoenix, counter-protestors did not show up in Guadalupe.
The protest reached a boiling point when Guadalupe officials criticized and confronted the head of MCSO, accusing
him of coming to their town under the pretense of doing a “crime suppression operation,” when evidently the plan
was to arrest undocumented people.
The operation in this town of about 6,000 residents was the third of its kind to be implemented by the MCSO
consecutively. A couple of weeks prior to their arrival in Guadalupe, Maricopa's sheriff had conducted similar actions in
Central East and Northeast Phoenix, in neighborhoods predominantly populated by immigrants from Latin America.
Groups of protesters and counter-protesters gathered around the sheriff’s mobile operational centers in Phoenix, set
up in public parking lots to function as provisional headquarters of the immigration sweeps. Emotions ran high during
the demonstrations in Phoenix, where verbal confrontations among antagonistic groups of protesters generated a
hostile environment bordering in physical violence.
The MCSO’s operation in Guadalupe prompted the town’s residents and public officials to gather in protest around
the mobile command post set up in the parking lot of the Family Dollar store, located on Guadalupe Road, just east of
Avenida del Yaqui.
As the numbers of protestors grew, MCSO’s personnel became virtually boxed in between the angry crowd and the
store’s building. Unlike the two prior operations in Phoenix, counter-protestors did not show up in Guadalupe.
The protest reached a boiling point when Guadalupe officials criticized and confronted the head of MCSO, accusing
him of coming to their town under the pretense of doing a “crime suppression operation,” when evidently the plan
was to arrest undocumented people.
Guadalupe's Mayor Rebecca Jimenez and
Sheriff Joe Arpaio became involved in a
brief, heated altercation, abruptly ending
when the sheriff responded to the mayor’s
request to recall the scheduled second day
of operation, by assuring her his
department would return the next day in
“full force.”
However, on the following day —April 4—
the MCSO did not set up the mobile
command center as they had done the day
before. The parking lot of the Family Dollar
store, as well as the surrounding area,
was mostly deserted of sheriff’s special
vehicles and protesters. Only television
channel’s trucks and MCSO’s patrol
vehicles were seen around the streets of
Guadalupe.
During the second day of the immigration
crackdown, the sheriff department
resumed their tactic of enforcing traffic
Sheriff Joe Arpaio became involved in a
brief, heated altercation, abruptly ending
when the sheriff responded to the mayor’s
request to recall the scheduled second day
of operation, by assuring her his
department would return the next day in
“full force.”
However, on the following day —April 4—
the MCSO did not set up the mobile
command center as they had done the day
before. The parking lot of the Family Dollar
store, as well as the surrounding area,
was mostly deserted of sheriff’s special
vehicles and protesters. Only television
channel’s trucks and MCSO’s patrol
vehicles were seen around the streets of
Guadalupe.
During the second day of the immigration
crackdown, the sheriff department
resumed their tactic of enforcing traffic
CIVIL RIGHTS MEETING: Attorney and community activist Daniel Ortega
offers legal advice to attendees of the June 25 meeting in the Our Lady of
Guadaluoe Church. At least 70 people listened to the panel of community
experts.
offers legal advice to attendees of the June 25 meeting in the Our Lady of
Guadaluoe Church. At least 70 people listened to the panel of community
experts.
violations, mostly non-moving infractions. Nevertheless, the announced “full force” was reduced to sheriff’s vehicles
cruising around the streets of Guadalupe and stopping motorists. The MCSO utilized its facilities in the Maricopa
County Southeast Regional Campus instead —a few miles east of Guadalupe— where they processed motorists
arrested in Guadalupe.
In the aftermath of the sheriff’s operation in Guadalupe, town officials immediately moved to explore the possibility
of ending the contractual relationship they had with MCSO to receive law enforcement services. Since the town lacks
its own police agency, the sheriff’s department has functioned as Guadalupe’s only police since 1990, a service
costing the town $1.2 million a year.
A month after the April 3 incident, the committee organized and held a community-wide meeting, where residents
had the opportunity to participate and express their ideas on issues such as what would be the most needed
service for law enforcement in Guadalupe, and the desired attributes police officers working in Guadalupe should
have.
Among the desired police officer’s characteristics presented by Guadalupe residents were, respect of community and
religious customs; officer’s close involvement in community’s activities versus only patrolling the streets; and, an
effort to get acquainted with citizens. In addition, the community felt the officer need to speak both English and
Spanish to interact effectively with residents. Community feedback gathered at this meeting was presented three
weeks later to the Town Council.
According to the Guadalupe Public Safety Committee, no formal recommendation on what direction the town should
take about the law enforcement issue has been made. But the committee has stressed several times to public
officials the necessity of including the community’s input on their decisional process, as well as to keep residents
informed. For the committee, Guadalupe’s residents should have an active role in deciding what they think is best for
them in terms of the type of law enforcement agency they need.
Nine months since the committee was established, searching for law enforcement options is not the only change
Guadalupe is seeking to make. The negative experiences in dealing with sheriff deputies —particularly after the
turmoil of the MCSO’s operation on April 3— and a reportedly growing harassment from deputies patrolling their
streets, Guadalupe is moving forward to increase the level of community awareness and involvement, as well as
disseminating useful and contextualized information to residents.
The efforts beyond just finding professional law enforcement alternatives sensitive Guadalupe’s cultural and
demographic identity have resulted in constructive improvements, such as educating and informing residents about
civil rights and liberties. The town’s pursuit to be served and protected by a law enforcement body respectful to its
traditions, culture, religion and peculiar demographic challenges is resulting in a growing opportunity to empower the
people within, as well as to promote understanding of the people living in other bigger surrounding cities.
cruising around the streets of Guadalupe and stopping motorists. The MCSO utilized its facilities in the Maricopa
County Southeast Regional Campus instead —a few miles east of Guadalupe— where they processed motorists
arrested in Guadalupe.
In the aftermath of the sheriff’s operation in Guadalupe, town officials immediately moved to explore the possibility
of ending the contractual relationship they had with MCSO to receive law enforcement services. Since the town lacks
its own police agency, the sheriff’s department has functioned as Guadalupe’s only police since 1990, a service
costing the town $1.2 million a year.
A month after the April 3 incident, the committee organized and held a community-wide meeting, where residents
had the opportunity to participate and express their ideas on issues such as what would be the most needed
service for law enforcement in Guadalupe, and the desired attributes police officers working in Guadalupe should
have.
Among the desired police officer’s characteristics presented by Guadalupe residents were, respect of community and
religious customs; officer’s close involvement in community’s activities versus only patrolling the streets; and, an
effort to get acquainted with citizens. In addition, the community felt the officer need to speak both English and
Spanish to interact effectively with residents. Community feedback gathered at this meeting was presented three
weeks later to the Town Council.
According to the Guadalupe Public Safety Committee, no formal recommendation on what direction the town should
take about the law enforcement issue has been made. But the committee has stressed several times to public
officials the necessity of including the community’s input on their decisional process, as well as to keep residents
informed. For the committee, Guadalupe’s residents should have an active role in deciding what they think is best for
them in terms of the type of law enforcement agency they need.
Nine months since the committee was established, searching for law enforcement options is not the only change
Guadalupe is seeking to make. The negative experiences in dealing with sheriff deputies —particularly after the
turmoil of the MCSO’s operation on April 3— and a reportedly growing harassment from deputies patrolling their
streets, Guadalupe is moving forward to increase the level of community awareness and involvement, as well as
disseminating useful and contextualized information to residents.
The efforts beyond just finding professional law enforcement alternatives sensitive Guadalupe’s cultural and
demographic identity have resulted in constructive improvements, such as educating and informing residents about
civil rights and liberties. The town’s pursuit to be served and protected by a law enforcement body respectful to its
traditions, culture, religion and peculiar demographic challenges is resulting in a growing opportunity to empower the
people within, as well as to promote understanding of the people living in other bigger surrounding cities.
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