By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 12:59 PM EST, Thu December 15, 2011
Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Arpaio has sparked controversy by conducting raids using deputies in order to apprehend illegal immigrants and housing inmates in large outdoor tents.
Arizona sheriff faces federal allegations of discrimination against Latinos
(CNN) -- Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, under the leadership of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, has engaged in systemic discrimination against Latinos with practices that violate federal law and the Constitution, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.
A comprehensive investigation found the practices include "unlawful stops, detentions and arrests of Latinos," according to a Justice Department statement.
It also noted that the sheriff's office has discriminated against "Latino inmates with limited English by punishing them and denying critical services."
It further blames the office for allowing "specialized units to engage in unconstitutional practices" and for a lack of oversight and deputy training.
Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said the office's "systematic disregard for basic constitutional protections has created a wall of distrust between the sheriff's office and large segments of the community."
"The problems are deeply rooted in (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office) culture, and are compounded by (its) penchant for retaliation against individuals who speak out," added Perez, who said authorities were also looking at allegations of excessive force and a deliberate failure to provide law enforcement services in select communities.
The initial inquiry began in June 2008 and reviewed tens of thousands of pages of documents and more than 400 interviews, including current and former inmates as well as office personnel.
Authorities notified the sheriff's office of a formal investigation a year later, a statement said.
Perez told reporters Thursday that the sheriff's office initially failed to cooperate with investigators, prompting federal authorities to take the "virtually unprecedented step" of filing a lawsuit in 2010.
He noted the investigation had uncovered startling levels of racial profiling against Latino drivers, ranging between four and nine times higher than against non-Latino motorists.
Perez added that an independent reviewer involved in the probe described it as "the most egregious racial profiling in the United States" he had ever seen.
Arpaio, whom the media has dubbed "America's toughest sheriff," has long been considered a hard-liner on illegal immigration in a state known for its tough 2010 law on the issue.
He's also a well-known and controversial personality, running for his sixth term as sheriff.
The Justice Department investigation also found evidence that the sheriff's office failed to "adequately investigate allegations of sexual assaults."
Arpaio's office was not immediately available for comment.
He apparently defended himself last week, pledging to investigate the alleged assault cases, according to media reports.
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Today is
Institutional Racism, Intimidation & Civil Rights Violations,,, Equal To Mississippi of 1950s
The Allegations against Sheriff Arpaio's Police Department are the same type of descriptions of the Sheriff & Police Departments of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Florida of the 1940s, 50, 60s, and 70s.
The only difference is, the Blacks were the ones being target as their race of interest to abuse, humiliate, beat, rape, and lynch.
These types of behaviors of law enforcement stem from, and, are the results of "incitement" by their immediate leaders, their political leaders and their government of the state to which they live.
Any type of abuse by "1" law enforcement officer isn't simply felt by the individual that the officer is abusing, the affect is reverberated thru his immediate family, his local community, and his city. The Victim, immediately, informs everyone he knows, of his mal treatment by any law enforcement officer, and all it takes is "1" instance of abuse to plant the seed of "un trust" of the entire law enforcement department.
The Residual affect of any instance of abuse by a local police officer infuses a cancerous cloud of negative feelings in the community.., and it's these types of communities that often are the types of communities that grow hate for ones local law enforcement, and from within, there ones that feel a need to fight back against the system of corruption, complicity, and racism.
Unfortunately, for communities that are the target of racist abuses by the local and state law enforcement, the lack of trust between the community and law enforcement is a perfect breeding field for the true criminally minded individuals of these communities, who then capitalize on the fear of law enforcement by those within their community, allowing them to become embolden to commit crimes with very little concern that their crimes will be reported to a police department that would abuse, rape.
Thus, the direct results of racism by a police department.., cause the degradation of a entire community or city, ensuring that crime within the community or city, rise to such a state that the same law enforcement that caused the distrust of the citizens of that community, or city, are the ones..., calling these communities or cities..., "war zones", or, uncontrollable people who are simply meant to be what they are, and live like they are living. Wow
This Report, by the Justice Department, isn't news that is surprising by any minority in the U.S., and definitely not new news to the Hispanics & Blacks that live in Arizona or the gulf coast.
Additionally, this report doesn't surprise a large percentage of the non-racist white community in the U.S., because they know the extent of racism in their brothers, sisters, fathers, and friends, yet they just don't have the courage to say a word.
The Silent Non-Racist Whites are simply weak hearted people who turn the other cheek, as long as the focus of their racist friends, aren't on them, so they stay silent and act as if they have no idea that racism actually is happening at all.
In This Year Of Our Lord, 2012, we can not allow this type of racism to exist in these United States of America.
It's the responsibility of all U. S. Citizens..., to take a stand against racism in any form..., in order to ensure that our future is peaceful, because the same racist of today..., their children will be the minority in the next 50 years, and the need to retaliate in the future "is inherently possible", which would simply reverse the skin color of the ones that are racist, acting out their mal behavior, on the white community, with the same degree of abuse, intimidation, beatings, rape and murder, as their parents endured, but with a feeling of "payback", as appose to simply feeling a sense of being part of the "in crowd".
The NAACP, the Evangelicals, the Hispanic Organizations, the Tea Party, the Non-Racist Whites, all the citizens of the U.S..... ought be marching on Arizona, as show of unity, against the collective abuses against the Hispanics of Arizona.
Accountability by anyone and everyone who played any role in the abuses of the Sheriffs department or the government of Arizona. Everyone that participated should be held, investigated, and if required, charged with any associating crimes for their role of civil rights violations against the Hispanic Citizens of Arizona.
It's time to set an example for all the states that followed Arizona's lead in the creation and implementation of their racist immigration laws, that simply provide the tools of abuse..., to the racist police department's members, who act out their racist acts behind the shield of the law.
An Example is absolutely necessary at this time in the American History, an example that states to all racists..., by non racist..., that we will not condone racist mal behavior any longer.
The Peaceful future of the the U. S. is at stake, in that, as the population migrates in the direction of the true melting bowl, the changing dynamics will ultimately lead to "no dominant" race in the U.S. that will maintain significant numbers over any other race.
The possibility of retaliation for the atrocities of our past are inherently possible in our future, unless, we act as one today, combining our collective intent to ensure that racism is address by "all people" of today, ensuring that all race in the U.S. get credit for taking part in the cleaning of the U.S.'s racist issues.
This Collective Protest against racism is particularly important to whites because..., it's the whites of this country..., that have been the predominant initiators of racist acts in the U. S. for the past 200 years, thus, they will be the target of the future, more so than any other race.
The Justice Department Report regarding Sheriff Arpaio's department's racist abuses... is simply capturing "one out of thousands of departments" that we know are equally as corrupted.
Now that the Justice Department have the facts, what's next?
We know that Arizona's entire government is part of the problem, and it won't be easy to simply hold this department accountable and not investigate how far up the chain, with in the state of arizona, this corruption reaches. Who knew, who turn a blind eye, who refuse to act, who provided assistance, who covered-up instances?
This scenario is almost a duplicate of the type of scenario that took place in Mississippi in the 70s, and the results of the Mississippi scenario didn't turn out to pretty for some people.
In My Opinion
ASMFMB
12/15/12
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