Protesters
held a rally in front of the Wells Fargo Center in downtown LA today,
demanding that the bank stop doing business with an Arizona sheriff,
who is accused of racially profiling Latinos.
Promoting himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff", Maricopa County's Joseph Arpaio maintains a strong approval rating in his home state - about 75 to 80 percent - especially among older residents, who have hailed him a hero for his controversial policies.
But these days, opposition has been mounting against the four-term sheriff, whose actions against Latino and immigrant communities are sparking protests in San Francisco, Los Angeles, El Paso, Austin, Boston and Chicago.
A boisterous group of about 25 protesters carrying banners that read "Evict Sheriff Joe Arpaio" formed a picket line in front of the Wells Fargo Center on Grand Street this morning.
Veronica Federovsky, spokeswoman with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said demonstators are demanding that Wells Fargo cut ties with the Maricopa County Sheriffs Department, which pays $675,000 a year to rent office space from the bank.
"They are hosting somebody that is violating human rights," she said. "They need to consider what they are doing and stop doing business with Arpaio."
Since March, Arpaio has made immigration sweeps his top priority, conducting eight sweeps in six cities. Federal agents have deputized 160 sheriffs to help conduct the raids.
"What makes Arpaio so different from other officials is that he has a whole army behind him," said United Steel Workers organizer, Carlos Prensa. "He keeps signing all kinds of agreements with (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) to make his deputies, so they can go and arrest people."
Arizona Republic reporter, JJ Hensley, said Sheriff Arpaio is also changing the way law enforcement agents conduct the raids.
"His deputies will go into a certain area, and operate essentially a DUI operation, where they are looking for the most minor infraction to pull someone over so they can start some sort of process to determine whether that person is driving drunk," he said.
"In this case, they are using the same methodology to determine if someone has come to the country illegally."
So far, Arpaio's "crime-suppression operations" have resulted in more than 150 arrests. Of that number, 73 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally were also detained.
The operations has drawn sharp criticisms from lawmakers and civil rights groups. Phoenix mayor, Phil Gordon, along with seven members of the state's Latino Legislative Caucus - is asking the Justice Department to launch a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, alleging that deputies are violating people's rights by checking cars and pedestrians looking for undocumented immigrants.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund is also filing a federal lawsuit against the MCSO for detaining legal residents as well as American citizens for long periods while their immigration status is checked.
Prensa calls Arpaio's approach racial profiling. "He's basically a racist," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a mom, or whoever. He's just attacking you for your color."
In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, Arizona Republic reporter JJ Hensely said there are likely to be other law enforcement departments across the country who will mimick Arpaio's tactics when it comes to immigration matters. "ICE has used that agreement with the sheriff's department here as a model, as they roll out that agreement to other agencies," he said.
Arpaio is already receiving push back from other Arizona officials, including Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris who said he is sinking too much of the state's money and resources into immigration raids.
Prensa agreed and said the sheriff should be concentrating his efforts elsewhere. "When you talk about police and sheriffs, we want them there, but for fighting crime. We've got plenty of that in our poor neighborhoods."
In the meantime, Prensa said organizers will continue to protest against Arpaio until he ends his practices against immigrant communities.
Rallies around the country to oppose the sheriff's raids are planned for October 12.
Promoting himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff", Maricopa County's Joseph Arpaio maintains a strong approval rating in his home state - about 75 to 80 percent - especially among older residents, who have hailed him a hero for his controversial policies.
But these days, opposition has been mounting against the four-term sheriff, whose actions against Latino and immigrant communities are sparking protests in San Francisco, Los Angeles, El Paso, Austin, Boston and Chicago.
A boisterous group of about 25 protesters carrying banners that read "Evict Sheriff Joe Arpaio" formed a picket line in front of the Wells Fargo Center on Grand Street this morning.
Veronica Federovsky, spokeswoman with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said demonstators are demanding that Wells Fargo cut ties with the Maricopa County Sheriffs Department, which pays $675,000 a year to rent office space from the bank.
"They are hosting somebody that is violating human rights," she said. "They need to consider what they are doing and stop doing business with Arpaio."
Since March, Arpaio has made immigration sweeps his top priority, conducting eight sweeps in six cities. Federal agents have deputized 160 sheriffs to help conduct the raids.
"What makes Arpaio so different from other officials is that he has a whole army behind him," said United Steel Workers organizer, Carlos Prensa. "He keeps signing all kinds of agreements with (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) to make his deputies, so they can go and arrest people."
Arizona Republic reporter, JJ Hensley, said Sheriff Arpaio is also changing the way law enforcement agents conduct the raids.
"His deputies will go into a certain area, and operate essentially a DUI operation, where they are looking for the most minor infraction to pull someone over so they can start some sort of process to determine whether that person is driving drunk," he said.
"In this case, they are using the same methodology to determine if someone has come to the country illegally."
So far, Arpaio's "crime-suppression operations" have resulted in more than 150 arrests. Of that number, 73 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally were also detained.
The operations has drawn sharp criticisms from lawmakers and civil rights groups. Phoenix mayor, Phil Gordon, along with seven members of the state's Latino Legislative Caucus - is asking the Justice Department to launch a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, alleging that deputies are violating people's rights by checking cars and pedestrians looking for undocumented immigrants.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund is also filing a federal lawsuit against the MCSO for detaining legal residents as well as American citizens for long periods while their immigration status is checked.
Prensa calls Arpaio's approach racial profiling. "He's basically a racist," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a mom, or whoever. He's just attacking you for your color."
In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, Arizona Republic reporter JJ Hensely said there are likely to be other law enforcement departments across the country who will mimick Arpaio's tactics when it comes to immigration matters. "ICE has used that agreement with the sheriff's department here as a model, as they roll out that agreement to other agencies," he said.
Arpaio is already receiving push back from other Arizona officials, including Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris who said he is sinking too much of the state's money and resources into immigration raids.
Prensa agreed and said the sheriff should be concentrating his efforts elsewhere. "When you talk about police and sheriffs, we want them there, but for fighting crime. We've got plenty of that in our poor neighborhoods."
In the meantime, Prensa said organizers will continue to protest against Arpaio until he ends his practices against immigrant communities.
Rallies around the country to oppose the sheriff's raids are planned for October 12.
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