Even before a protest against alleged civil rights violations by the
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office had begun Saturday night, dozens of activists
had gathered with signs and loud voices.
Officials with the Unitarian Universalist Association organized the
nighttime protest to bring attention to Senate Bill 1070 and Maricopa County
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Tent City, which they say, violate human rights.
Monday is the next day the Supreme Court could issue a ruling on the
controversial immigration bill signed into law two years ago by Gov. Jan
Brewer.
About 1,000 to 4,000 activists were expected at Tent City Jail near
29th Avenue and Durango Road in Phoenix, officials said.
Arpaio said that no matter what the Supreme Court decides about SB
1070, he will continue the practices he has long been practicing.
"We've had
the Rev. Al Sharpton here protesting and Linda Ronstadt. They wanted us to close
Tent City, too. But that will never happen," Arpaio said. The Arizona
Republic
Arpaio is a national political fixture who built his reputation on
jailing inmates in tents during Phoenix’s
triple-digit summer heat, dressing inmates in pink underwear, selling himself to
voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds
of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration. The U.S. Justice Department has accused the sheriff’s office of racially profiling Latinos in its immigration
patrols. The sheriff has said the Justice Department’s
investigation of his immigration patrols was a politically motivated attack by
the Obama administration and denied allegations of systematic discriminatory
policing. Organizers say conditions at "Tent City" complex are inhumane. The
sheriff has said he doesn't see any problems with housing inmates in tents and
often points out that some members of the U.S. military live in tents. "We are
with you," protesters chanted in both English and Spanish, in hopes that inmates
could hear them. AP
KA/DB
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