10/05/2012 - Myclipp

Reuters General/ - Article, Qui, 10 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Civil Rights)
U.S. sues controversial Arizona sheriff
for discrimination
By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX | Thu May 10, 2012 7:06pm
EDT PHOENIX (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice
Department sued a controversial Arizona sheriff on
Thursday for civil rights violations, saying he and his
office intentionally engaged in racial profiling and
unlawful arrest of Latinos in violation of their
constitutional rights. Joe Arpaio, who bills himself as
"America's toughest sheriff," vowed to fight the suit,
which he blamed on forces who do not like the way he
enforces immigration laws.The civil suit cited
systematic profiling, sloppy and indifferent police work,
and a disregard for minority rights by Arpaio, the
Republican sheriff of Maricopa County, and county
officials.The suit also said Arpaio's office routinely
violates the First Amendment rights to free speech of
political opponents by retaliating against them with
unsubstantiated complaints and lawsuits, even having
them unlawfully arrested.The sheriff's detractors hailed
the lawsuit as vindication for long-held grievances,
while Arpaio and his lawyer were defiant."I will fight
this to the bitter end," Arpaio told a news conference,
his voice rising in indignation. "They are trying to take
over my office, they are working with the activists in
this county ... who don't like how I enforce the
immigration laws."I will not surrender the Maricopa
County Sheriff's Office to the federal government ...
We'll see them in court," he said.His attorney, John
Masterson, predicted the government's case would fall
apart.Arpaio faces re-election in November in the
county that includes the Phoenix metropolitan area. He
has become the face of hardline local efforts to crack
down on illegal immigration, placing him on a collision
course with the federal government.The sheriff's
combative style and defiance of federal threats have
made him a hero to nativists and conservatives who
advocate strict border enforcement. He is a pariah to
liberals and immigrant rights advocates."The days of ...
covering up the corruption in the sheriff's office, the
abuse in the sheriff's office is over," said Steve
Gallardo, a Democratic state senator who celebrated
the suit. "It's time to shed some light ... on what's really
going on."The Justice Department sued Maricopa
County, the sheriff's office and Arpaio in U.S. District
Court in Arizona after trying unsuccessfully for 3-1/2
months to get Arpaio to comply with federal civil rights
law."Leadership starts at the top and all of the alleged
violations that are outlined in the complaint are the
product of a culture of disregard for basic rights ... that
starts at the top and pervades the organization,"
Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil
Rights Division, told reporters.The suit contends
Maricopa County has created inadequately trained
special units that are used to target Latinos for
unlawful and unjustified arrests; has willfully denied
Latino prisoners their civil rights in jail; and under
Arpaio's direction has arrested political opponents for
no valid reason."At its core, this is an abuse-of-power
case," Perez said.'VOLUNTEER POSSE'The lawsuit
cited the use of a "volunteer posse," or group of
untrained civilians, that carry out Arpaio's anti-Latino
policies in a county of 4 million people that is 30
percent Latino.Latino drivers in one part of the county
are nine times more likely to be stopped than
non-Latino drivers engaged in similar conduct, the suit
said.In one case, a sheriff's officer stopped a Latina - a
U.S. citizen who was five months pregnant - as she
pulled into her driveway and insisted that she sit on the
hood of her car."When she refused, the officer grabbed
her arms, pulled them behind her back, and slammed
her, stomach first, into the vehicle three times," the suit
said.Arpaio's opponents hailed the lawsuit as a
welcome first step in making the lawman
accountable."This reign of terror that has been hanging
over us may not come to an end, but sure enough, the
sheriff will be held accountable for what he's done,"
attorney and Latino activist Daniel Ortega told a news
conference.Mary Rose Wilcox, county supervisor and
longtime Hispanic activist, said she hoped the lawsuit
would "send a chilling effect to all deputies: this will not
be tolerated."On the eve of the lawsuit, Arpaio
released a 17-page document entitled "Integrity,
Accountability, Community - The Maricopa County
Sheriff's Office 2012," pledging to overhaul his office
and take into account the views of his critics."I do not
tolerate racist attitudes or behaviors. We at the
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office do not foster a
'culture of cruelty,'" Arpaio said in a statement.But the
pledge came too late to avoid the lawsuit, which was
filed amid a broader battle between the state and the
Obama administration over who has the right to
implement immigration law.The U.S. Supreme Court
is weighing Arizona's defense of its crackdown on
illegal immigrants, and the decision will be closely
watched by Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South
Carolina and Utah, which followed Arizona in passing
immigration crackdowns. A ruling is expected in June
or July.(Additional reporting by Edith Honan and Daniel
Trotta; editing by Anthony Boadle and Bill Trott)
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