Copwatch and Anarchists help bring down Sheriff Joe; Homeland Security finally ends 287g with MCSO

My earlier post was critical that the US Department of Justice hasn't gone far enough to prosecute Joe Arpaio, but my Spacebook community reminds me that a lot of people helped move the feds to act as they did today, and that was no small piece of ground we just took. It led to the decision by Homeland Security to finally cancel the 287g agreement they have with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), as noted below by Janet Napolitano. 

Without the work as well as the sacrifice of a lot of people - folks who don't put on body armor and guns, but have taken great personal risk nonetheless to document and fight our dear sheriff's crimes - today's DOJ ultimatum to Maricopa County never would have come. So, while I wish we were getting more from the feds (and sooner), I'm grateful to all those in this community that helped get us this far. 

Much of the evidence the DOJ and ACLU have against the MCSO - particularly in regards to their practice of racial profiling - was provided by people like Dennis Gilman and a fleet of observers with camcorders (organized by everyone from the unions to PUENTE) trained by Phoenix Copwatch (full of anarchists).  Props to the undocumented targets of racism, the UUs and black bloc(kers) alike who turned out for the protests when they were both big and small, to keep Arpaio's criminality and his incompetence in the public eye. Finally, thanks to all those journalists, (left and center) and bloggers who have helped amplify the voice of resistance out here, too, rather than just echo what comes out of the MCSO's propaganda machine.

So, relish this day and what comes of it; let's just not forget that the bigger picture without this one man - the capitalist, white supremacist patriarchy and prison industrial complex that have devastated so many lives and communities - will continue to exist long after he's history. Remember, too, that our dear DOJ is still part of that tyranny as well.

-----------------------

Statement by Secretary Napolitano on DOJ’s Findings of Discriminatory Policing in Maricopa County

Release Date: December 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is troubled by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) findings of discriminatory policing practices within the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).   Discrimination undermines law enforcement and erodes the public trust.  DHS will not be a party to such practices. Accordingly, and effective immediately, DHS is terminating MCSO’s 287(g) jail model agreement and is restricting the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office access to the Secure Communities program.  DHS will utilize federal resources for the purpose of identifying and detaining those individuals who meet U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) immigration enforcement priorities.  The Department will continue to enforce federal immigration laws in Maricopa County in smart, effective ways that focus our resources on criminal aliens, recent border crossers, repeat and egregious immigration law violators and employers who knowingly hire illegal labor.”

ARPAIO and the DOJ: We want a perp walk.

The DOJ just released a 22-page letter of findings, concluding that the practices of Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office violate the 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendments to the US Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and Section 14141 of the Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act. The feds threaten a civil suit to convince him to change his ways. It's just a letter, though, not an indictment - never mind the blood dripping from Joe Arpaio's hands. 

People have been harassed, detained, arrested, abused, and neglected to death in Arpaio's custody, and yet his treatment of them doesn't appear to be a criminal case - not yet, anyway. I "loitered" in a public park after the posted hours at a protest, though, and immediately did 18 hours in Arpaio's jail. I may face more time yet for my graffiti and activism on behalf of human rights, and he's taking campaign donations as if he's running for office again. Texas Governor Rick Perry even courted good old Sheriff Joe's endorsement for the 2012 Republican presidential ticket...that sure says a lot about Perry's character, doesn't it?

I assume that the letter of the DOJ's findings is addressed to Bill Montgomery, Maricopa County Attorney, because his office will represent the county against any suit the DOJ actually brings (Arpaio's office has a private attorney) - all parties will fight at our expense, of course. Then there are the individual civil suits against the county and Arpaio that will all be bolstered by this finding; And there's the $99 million that he "misappropriated"; this man is costing American taxpayers a fortune. 

What Arpaio's term in office has cost us, though, far exceeds the expense involved in both prosecuting and defending him - he also cost the public our safety through his harassment and by clearing real crimes by "exceptional" means. He pursued his racist agenda and employed discriminatory tactics chasing down "aliens" at the expense of solving child sexual abuse cases, rapes and homicides - is it any wonder that so many of the victims his office ignored were children of undocumented latinos?

For the harm he's perpetrated all of our communities - flagrantly violating human and constitutional rights in the process - I want to see that man prosecuted. He owes hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution to his victims and has done violence to people's lives, as far as I'm concerned, but right now the DOJ is just talking about "reform" and "remediation". Someday I hope we have no prisons, but until we come up with a better way to protect the public from racist, abusive and dangerous people, I want to see Joe Arpaio locked away by the feds, not put into outpatient rehab. We have far too many people locked up on drug charges to be squandering resources rehabilitating him. It's time to indict this Criminal Joe - and let our people go.

4th Avenue Jail, Phoenix
Chalk the Police Day 2011

-----from the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division------

Investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

In June 2008, the Civil Rights Division opened an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Following a comprehensive investigation, on December 15, 2011, the Justice Department announced its findings that MCSO has engaged in a pattern or practice of misconduct that violates the Constitution and federal law. The documents on this page provide more information about the investigation, the Justice Department's findings, and next steps.

Findings Letter:

English   |   Spanish

Mi amigo Newt.

If any of you reading this believe that you are good enough to play safety or linebacker in the National Football League, please apply to the Philadelphia Eagles c/o the Philadelphia Sports Complex on South Broad Street here in Philadelphia. Thank you.

This was just ugly.

Anywhoo, the blog must go on.

I see where Newt Gingrich had his Sistah Souljah moment with the republicans. The wingnut purist are mad about his immigration stance, but Newt is trying to move to the middle, so he wants to seem like a "compassionate conservative."

The thing is, there is nothing compassionate about Newt. (Just ask his first wife.)
Newt tends to be somewhat of an asshole who pretends to be smart. He likes to take swipes at the media and everyone else who questions whatever he does, but that's just Newt.

Sad story out of Arizona where a Marine who defended his country in Iraq was shot to death in his own home by a Tuscon, Arizona SWAT team.

"TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jose Guerena Ortiz was sleeping after an exhausting 12-hour night shift at a copper mine. His wife, Vanessa, had begun breakfast. Their 4-year-old son, Joel, asked to watch cartoons.

An ordinary morning was unfolding in the middle-class Tucson neighborhood — until an armored vehicle pulled into the family's driveway and men wearing heavy body armor and helmets climbed out, weapons ready.

They were a sheriff's department SWAT team who had come to execute a search warrant. But Vanessa Guerena insisted she had no idea, when she heard a "boom" and saw a dark-suited man pass by a window, that it was police outside her home. She shook her husband awake and told him someone was firing a gun outside.

A U.S. Marine veteran of the Iraq war, he was only trying to defend his family, she said, when he grabbed his own gun — an AR-15 assault rifle.

What happened next was captured on video after a member of the SWAT team activated a helmet-mounted camera.

The officers — four of whom carried .40-caliber handguns while another had an AR-15 — moved to the door, briefly sounding a siren, then shouting "Police!" in English and Spanish. With a thrust of a battering ram, they broke the door open. Eight seconds passed before they opened fire into the house.

And 10 seconds later, Guerena lay dying in a hallway 20-feet from the front door. The SWAT team fired 71 rounds, riddling his body 22 times, while his wife and child cowered in a closet.

"Hurry up, he's bleeding," Vanessa Guerena pleaded with a 911 operator. "I don't know why they shoot him. They open the door and shoot him. Please get me an ambulance."

When she emerged from the home minutes later, officers hustled her to a police van, even as she cried that her husband was unresponsive and bleeding, and that her young son was still inside. She begged them to get Joel out of the house before he saw his father in a puddle of blood on the floor.

But soon afterward, the boy appeared in the front doorway in Spider-Man pajamas, crying.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said its SWAT team was at the home because Guerena was suspected of being involved in a drug-trafficking organization and that the shooting happened because he arrived at the door brandishing a gun. The county prosecutor's office says the shooting was justified." [Story]

Oh, the old "justified" shooting excuse. After all, he was a "suspected" drug dealer. But six seconds after crashing his door you start blasting into his home with his wife and child inside? (Shot sixty times!)

I will wait to hear more about this one.

Finally folks, if you happen to be unemployed and see an ad. offering you a job on Craiglist, please do your research before you head off to your new found nine to five. It seems that there might be someone killing folks who answer to Want Ads on Craigslist.

These serial killers seem to be getting more and more creative.

Be careful out there everybody, the Internet can be a wonderful place, but it can also get you killed.

*Image courtesy of Tucsoncitizen.com and cartoonist Taylor Jones. 



  

the Desaparecidos of 9/11: Immigrants died there, too.

A memorial re-post from last year...

Gee Vaucher

A friend passed these lyrics on to me today in remembrance of those most forgotten from the tragedy on 9/11/2001. Grief was spoken in our country in many languages that day - and it was silenced by fear. Still is.

This is for the families of the Desaparecidos everywhere. May you someday safely bring your loved ones into our light.

--------------------------

If I Give Your Name
by Emmas Revolution


Mi esposa, my wife, worked on the 80th floor
The company had hired illegals before
She got the job by word of mouth
That’s the way in the north when you’re from the south
They say 3,000 but the counting’s not done
Mi esposa está muerta
Three thousand and one


I have no papers, I have no rights
All my days end in sleepless nights
Missing you, silently
If I give your name
Will they come after me?


Mi hermano, my brother, the elevator man
A doctor in our country but you take what you can
I saw the photos in Union Square
But I could not leave his picture there
They say 3,000 but that’s not true
Mi hermano no volverá
Three thousand and two


Mi hija, my daughter, went in early that day
She had always been that way
Her daughter asks, "Where did she go?"
How to tell her, I don’t know
They say 3,000 but that can’t be
Perdí a mi hija
Three thousand and three


Mi padre, my father, I have no words
I tried to find you when I heard
They gave some ashes to families
But I’ll only have the ones I breathe
They say 3,000 there’s so many more
Desaparecidos
Three thousand and four


Mi esposa, my wife. Will they come after me?
Mi hermano, my brother. Will they come after me?
Mi hija, my daughter. Will they come after me?
Mi padre, my father. If I give your name,
Will they come after me?

Immigration and Mass Incarceration in the Obama Era

The New Operation Wetback

Counterpunch.org
By JAMES KILGORE

Last week Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) joined a demonstration in Washington D.C. to protest the refusal of President Obama to use his executive powers to halt the deportations of the undocumented. Gutierrez’ arrest came only two days after Obama had addressed a conference of the National Council of La Raza. Conveniently forgetting the history of the civil right struggles that made his Presidency a possibility, Obama reminded those attending that he was bound to “uphold the laws on the books.”

With over 392,000 deportations in 2010, more than in any of the Bush years, many activists fear we are in the midst of a repeat of notorious episodes of the past such as the “Repatriation” campaign of the 1930s and the infamous Operation Wetback of 1954, both of which resulted in the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Latinos.

But several things are different this time around. A crucial distinction is that we are in the era of mass incarceration. Not only are the undocumented being deported, many are going to prison for years before being delivered across the border. While the writings of Michelle Alexander and others have highlighted the widespread targeting of young African-American males by the criminal justice system, few have noted that in the last decade the complexion of new faces behind bars has been dramatically changing. Since the turn of the century, the number of blacks in prisons has declined slightly, while the ranks of Latinos incarcerated has increased by nearly 50%, reaching just over 300,000 in 2009.

A second distinguishing feature of the current state of affairs is the presence of the private prison corporations. For the likes of the industry’s leading powers, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group, detaining immigrants has been the life blood for reviving their financial fortunes.

Just over a decade ago their bottom lines were flagging. Freshly built prisons sat with empty beds while share values plummeted. For financial year 1999 CCA reported losses of $53.4 million and laid off 40% of its workforce. Then came the windfall - 9/11.

In 2001 Steven Logan, then CEO of Cornell Industries, a private prison firm which has since merged with GEO, spelled out exactly what this meant for his sector :

"I think it's clear that with the events of Sept. 11, there's a heightened focus on detention, both on the borders and within the U.S. [and] more people are gonna get caught…So that's a positive for our business. The federal business is the best business for us. It's the most consistent business for us, and the events of Sept. 11 are increasing that level of business."

Logan was right. The Patriot Act and other legislation led to a new wave of immigration detentions. By linking immigrants to terrorism, aggressive roundups supplied Latinos and other undocumented people to fill those empty private prison cells. Tougher immigration laws mandated felony convictions and prison time for cases which previously merited only deportation. Suddenly, the business of detaining immigrants was booming. PBS Commentator Maria Hinojosa went so far as to call this the new “Gold Rush” for private prisons.

The figures support Hinojosa’s assertion. While private prisons own or operate only 8% of general prison beds, they control 49% of the immigration detention market. CCA alone operates 14 facilities via contracts with ICE, providing 14, 556 beds. They have laid the groundwork for more business through the creation of a vast lobbying and advocacy network. From 1999-2009 the corporation spent more than $18 million on lobbying, mostly focusing on harsher sentencing, prison privatization and immigration.

One significant result of their lobbying efforts was the passage of SB 1070 in Arizona, a law which nearly provides police with a license to profile Latinos for stops and searches. The roots of SB 1070 lie in the halls of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a far right grouping that specializes in supplying template legislation to elected state officials. CCA and other private prison firms are key participants in ALEC and played a major role in the development of the template that ended up as SB 1070.

For its part, GEO Group has also been carving out its immigration market niche. Earlier this year they broke ground on a new 600 bed detention center in Karnes County, Texas. At about the same time the company bought a controlling interest in BI Corporation, the largest provider of electronic monitoring systems in the U.S. The primary motivation for this takeover was the five year, $372 million contract BI signed with ICE in 2009 to step up the Bush initiated Intense Supervision Appearance Program. (ISAP 11). Under this arrangement the Feds hired BI to provide ankle bracelets and a host of other surveillance for some 27,000 people awaiting deportation or asylum hearings.

Sadly, the Obama presidency has consistently provided encouragement for the likes of CCA and GEO to grow the market for detainees. While failing to pass immigration reform or the Dream Act, the current administration has kept the core of the previous administration’s immigration policy measures intact. These include the Operation Endgame, a 2003 measure that promised to purge the nation of all “illegals” by 2012 and the more vibrant Secure Communities (S-Comm). Under S-Comm the Federal government authorizes local authorities to share fingerprints with ICE of all those they arrest. Though supposedly intended to capture only people with serious criminal backgrounds, in reality S-Comm has led to the detention and deportation of thousands of people with no previous convictions.

At the National Council of La Raza’s Conference Obama tried to console the audience by saying that he knows “very well the pain and heartbreak deportation has caused.” His words failed to resonate. Instead Rep. Gutierrez and others took to the streets, demonstrating that “I feel your pain” statements and appeals to the audacity of hope carry little credibility these days. It is time for a serious change of direction on immigration issues or pretty soon, just as Michelle Alexander has referred to the mass incarceration of African-Americans as the New Jim Crow, we may hear people start to call the ongoing repression of Latinos a “New Operation Wetback.”

James Kilgore is a Research Scholar at the Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois. He is the author of three novels, We Are All Zimbabweans Now, Freedom Never Rests and Prudence Couldn’t Swim, all written during his six and a half years of incarceration. He can be reached at waazn1@gmail.com

Arizona's tax base eroded by anti-immigrant legislation.

Even the cookie monster says: "STOP SB1070"
Resistance Alley, Phoenix (June 4, 2011)

Apparently, America's undocumented immigrants paid $11 billion in taxes last year, while the multinational GE paid NOTHING. No wonder Arizona's economy is still in the gutter - we chased away all the honest, hard-working taxpayers, while cutting extra breaks to freeloading, exploitative corporations...So, thanks a lot SB1070, ALEC, Russ Pearce, and Jan Brewer - and all the idiots who voted for the right wing last election thinking they were protecting their own interests. You screwed us all.

-------------------------

Unauthorized Immigrants pay taxes too.

Immigration Policy Center

April 18, 2011

Estimates of the State and Local Taxes Paid by Unauthorized Immigrant Households

Tax Day is an appropriate time to underscore the often-overlooked fact that unauthorized immigrants pay taxes. The unauthorized, like everyone else in the United States, pay sales taxes. They also pay property taxes—even if they rent. At least half of unauthorized immigrants pay income taxes. Add this all up and it amounts to billions in revenue to state and local governments. The Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has estimated the state and local taxes paid in 2010 by households that are headed by unauthorized immigrants.

These households may include members who are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. Collectively, these households paid $11.2 billion in state and local taxes. That included $1.2 billion in personal income taxes, $1.6 billion in property taxes, and $8.4 billion in sales taxes. The states receiving the most tax revenue from households headed by unauthorized immigrants were California ($2.7 billion), Texas ($1.6 billion), Florida ($806.8 million), New York ($662.4 million), and Illinois ($499.2 million) {See Figure 1 and Table 1}. These figures should be kept in mind as politicians and commentators continue with the seemingly endless debate over what to do with unauthorized immigrants already living in the United States. In spite of the fact that they lack legal status, these immigrants—and their family members—are adding value to the U.S. economy; not only as taxpayers, but as workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs as well.

ACLU-AZ: tasers, prisoner abuse, and juvenile diversion.

This is really exciting folks. Go to all if you can if for no other reason than to show them how many people out here care....

From: ACLU of Arizona [mailto:grassroots@acluaz.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 2:53 PM
Subject: Location update: You bring your lunch. We'll bring the experts.

---

All lectures will be held at 3707 N. 7th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85014

You are invited to the ACLU of Arizona's Summer 2011 Brown Bag Lecture Series!

Who says there is nothing to do during the summer in the Valley of the Sun?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

In Their Own Words: Enduring Abuse in Arizona Immigration Detention Centers

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Protecting What Works: Juvenile Diversion in Maricopa County

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Force to Be Reckoned With: Taser Use in Arizona Police Departments

All brown bag lectures will be from noon to 1 p.m.

Free and open to the public. Drinks and desserts served.

Seating is limited, so please make reservations by calling Mary Hope Lee at 602-650-1854 ext. 100 or by emailing info@acluaz.org.

When education is under attack: FIGHT BACK!!!

These youth so ROCK!!!

Let's go support them today, folks!

Tuscon Unified School District's Board is meeting today at 5:30pm at TUSD HQ!

TUSD's ethnic studies meeting changed again

Reporter: Steve Nunez
Web Producer: David Rush

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - KGUN9 News has learned TUSD will hold a special meeting to consider a controversial ethnic studies proposal on Tuesday. And it will be held 5:30pm at district headquarters.

9 On Your Side reporter Steve Nunez was at the board's agenda committee meeting today where the decision was made to change the meeting for the second time.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday this week. But moments before the start, protestors stormed the board room. Some chained themselves to board members' chairs and refused to leave. TUSD Superintendent Dr. John Pedicone then canceled the meeting.

Board members re-scheduled the meeting for Thursday May 5 at the Catalina High School auditorium. But the agenda committee changed its mind and moved it two days earlier and back to district headquarters.

Board members said they were concerned over security at Catalina High. They said security will be beefed up inside the board room, in the hallway and outside the building. In addition, when the board room fills up, authorities will lock the doors and won't allow anybody else in.

Doctor Pedicone told KGUN9 News he was upset at the student's actions Tuesday night and vowed to keep them from holding back the democratic process.

Ethnic studies supporters were demonstrating over a proposal by Dr. Mark Stegeman that would make most ethnic studies courses electives. Currently students have a choice of taking U.S. history or Mexican American studies to graduate.

Carlos LaMadrid: another child murdered by US Border Patrol agent for throwing stones.

This sad story keeps repeating itself. Our heavily-militarized US Border Patrol is still gunning down children throwing rocks (though we are told the real threat are the drug cartels), while Joe Arpaio is gearing up his amateur posse pilots to identify "illegal activity" from the sky so the Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies can pick off fleeing "suspects" with automatic weapons.

The AZ governor, meanwhile, wants her own private army to call up for whatever she "considers to be necessary" - which I suspect would be used to put down domestic disturbances as the masses slip deeper into debt and poverty, not to protect us from the alien invasion, as she would have the people believe.

Americans are really a sorry bunch of people. We're the ones perpetrating the most border state violence, hands down. Neither Brewer nor Arpaio have suggested using any of those precious resources to rescue desert crossers with, of course - a record number of whom died in 2010, despite the drop in migration...

And so, here we are again. Last night was the first I heard of this youth. If a Border Patrol officer is murdered, it's the crime of the century. Governor Brewer exploits it as a chance to amp up the war on all brown people passing through the state - redirecting hundreds of millions of health care dollars towards criminalizing and incarcerating more immigrants - while Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano personally declares the guy a hero and swears she will stop at nothing to solve the crime. If a latino child is murdered by an officer, though, his family and community are met with either these lame justifications from the feds for why the agent felt threatened, and stone cold silence from everyone else.

------------------From Border Action Network--------------

*Pulsa aqui para leer este artículo en Español*

Carlos La Madrid was known as the teenager who always smiled, who loved to play soccer, guitar and was learning to work with solar energy. This week however, his family has been mourning his death. On March 21st, Carlos La Madrid was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents near the border wall separating Douglas, Arizona from Agua Prieta, Sonora. He was 19 years old.

This is the second incident to shock the Arizona border region so far this year in which teenagers have been shot and killed by border guards in alleged rock-versus-bullets incidents. In January, 17-year-old Ramses Barrón Torres was shot and killed in Douglas, Arizona. That case is still under investigation.

Family and friends of Carlos La Madrid gathered near the site of the shooting to demand justice as they hung two banners on the border wall, one depicting a smiling Carlos playing the accordion, the second commissioned by Carlos’ soccer team that read “You will always be in our team and in our hearts.”

Holding back tears outside the family home, Marta, Carlos’ younger sister, remembered her slain sibling: “He was a great brother, he was always smiling and loved to play soccer,” she told organizers with Border Action Network, a human rights organization in Arizona.

Although federal authorities have not released any information on the incident, Border Patrol claims its agents were confronted by rocks throwers who were standing on the Mexican side.

“Rock throwing is often the pretext to justify shooting and killing migrants crossing the US-Mexico border. In this case, Carlos was a 19-year- old U.S. citizen and hometown boy of Douglas, Arizona,” explained Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of Border Action Network and co-chair of the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC), a recently-formed border-wide coalition of over 60 entities. Allen continued, “The Border Patrol agents took the law into their own hands, and acted as judge, jury and executioner and shot a teenager.”

This incident has also had a chilling effect on communities along the international divide with Mexico.

“Border communities from San Diego to Brownsville are saying enough is enough,” explains Christian Ramirez, a San Diego-based National Coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee and SBCC co-chair. “The growing pattern of agents shooting first and asking questions later is a border-wide epidemic that is rapidly diminishing the quality of life of border communities and trampling on the dignity of the millions of people who call the US-Mexico border home.”

The SBCC and its Arizona members expect:

1. For the FBI and the Cochise County Attorney’s office to conduct thorough and swift investigations that include investigating civil rights violations;

2. For Customs and Border Protection to institute new training for agents to better assess levels of threat and determine appropriate non-lethal responses; and

3. For all agencies involved to provide copies of incident reports to the family, including one that explains the delayed paramedics’ transport to the local hospital.


To see more photos and videos of Carlos and his family, click here.

ALEC: The Me Party's Invisible Right Hand.

Sloan does a great job of unpacking the role of the right-wing legislative policy monster ALEC in dominating, criminalizing, and disenfranchising anyone who might resist their brutal agendas. Not surprisingly, that's where a lot of Arizona's legislators get trained to write laws. These are the selfish, fascist, invisible hands choking the heart and soul out of people all over this land. They're raising a whole generation of Nazis who would justify putting us in prison for stopping at the side of the road to help a family needing medical attention if we don't first verify that they have legal status in this country. This is the main source of firepower of the new American Me Party.

For stuff like this, the Daily Kos is a good source.

------------------Daily Kos------------------

Sat Mar 19, 2011 at 10:18 AM EDT
Slave Labor - The "new" Debtor's Prison concept - ALEC and KOCH Industries
DailyKos
by Bob Sloan

Many over the past few months have said more than once, "Next they'll be trying to bring back Debtor's Prisons." Well as I answered then, many states have done just that due to lobbying by financial, investing and loan companies and corporations.

Wednesday's Wall Street Journal had this article titled: "Welcome to Debtors' Prison, 2011 Edition ."

"More than a third of all U.S. states allow borrowers who can't or won't pay to be jailed. Judges have signed off on more than 5,000 such warrants since the start of 2010 in nine counties with a total population of 13.6 million people, according to a tally by The Wall Street Journal of filings in those counties. Nationwide figures aren't known because many courts don't keep track of warrants by alleged offense. In interviews, 20 judges across the nation said the number of borrowers threatened with arrest in their courtrooms has surged since the financial crisis began."

The Federal Trade Commission has become involved in this return to debtor's prisons and when asked to comment on the subject:

"An FTC spokesman declined to comment on whether the inquiry has led to formal investigations by the agency, which oversees the debt-collection industry and enforces a U.S. law that restricts how borrowers can be pursued for debts."


So here we are once again with the government agency representing the people, looking the other way and issuing a series of "no comments" on the matter - as if it will go away on it's own.

As the article says, when an individual is arrested for failure to appear at court hearings about the debt(s) owed, warrants can be issued and the debtor arrested. Any bond that is set for the "charge" is usually in the amount claimed to be owed by the finance company, loan company or bank. Once the "bond" is met by the debtor (in cash) the money is immediately turned over to the claimant and the prisoner/debtor released. This manner of using our courts to collect debts is so inefficient that it clogs the dockets with unnecessary debt cases. Sheriff's also complain it causes needed personnel to be shifted from criminal cases to pursue warrants for owed debts.

All of this not only clogs law enforcement agencies and causes backlogs in the Courts, it also necessitates substantial expenses in court costs, prosecution expenses and manpower costs of issuing and attempting to serve warrants for bad debt. The cost to the taxpayers is enormous. We are paying for the pursuit of collecting bad debts brought into the courts by the corporations. Any of the money collected through the issuance of the "bonds" or settlements going to reimburse the public for the costs involved with the recovery of their money? I would presume the answer there is no. When we consider that anyone arrested and held in jail for any amount of time costs the community for such incarceration, it is easy to see just how insidious this return to laws that were abolished more than a century ago are to not only the debtor, but also to the community that has to pay for prosecuting him/her on behalf of the owner of the debt. This simply represents another way corporations are getting taxpayers to cover the costs of their using our governments for their personal needs and goals.

If it wasn't for the fact that the same financial institutions are responsible for issuing tens of thousands of unsecured loans that brought our economy to it's knees, maybe there would be some amount of sympathy for those holding the debt. As it is I have no sympathy for them. Loans are a gamble - just as investing is - and once you put your chips down, betting on making a profit and lose, there should be public bailout for your actions. Corporations and loan companies know the job is dangerous when they take it. To later want us to help them recover what they lost gambling with our money, is adding insult to injury. How many of them toss us a few bucks when their gambles pay off? NOT!

Since debtor's prisons were outlawed by the federal - and most state systems - in 1833, debts have been considered civil matters to be handled in civil courts. This new trend of using criminal action against debtors is only the first baby step in turning back the clock 175 years. It benefits no one but the corporate interests pushing for this kind of debt system. As the article I linked to above informs, many Republican and/or conservative states are the ones leading the way. Here is a look at some of the model legislation and "resolutions" adopted or passed by ALEC's task forces involving wages and consumer debt:
Business and Entrepreneurship:

Business Ombudsman Act

Standards for Competitive Contracting

Competitive Contracting of Public Services Act

Uniform Photographic Records Act

Council on Efficient Government Act

Prohibition Against Regulation of Nutritional Information Dissemination

Economic Civil Rights Act

Business Exit Interview Act

Licensing and Certification Common Language Act

Resolution in Opposition to a Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Public-Private Fair Competition Act

Electronic Pay Choice Act

Regulatory Flexibility Act

Employment Policy and Regulatory Reforms:

At-Will Employment Act

Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act

Breach of Personal Information Notification Act

Omnibus Common Language Act

Civil Rights Act

Prevailing Wage Repeal Act

Employment Reference Immunity Act

Starting (Minimum) Wage Repeal Act

Full Employment Act

Professional Licensure and Certification Reform Act

Resolutions:

Opposing Any Increase in the Starting Wage

Resolution on Occupational Licensing

Opposing Comparable Worth Legislation

Resolution opposing increases in minimum wage linked to the CPI

Opposing Employer-Paid Health Care Mandates

Urging Congress to Pass Legislation Requiring Expedited Waiver Procedures to States

Opposing Ergonomic Regulations Based on Unsound Science

Resolution Opposing Federal Mandates on Unemployment Insurance

Opposing Federal Regulation to Extend Unemployment Insurance Benefits to New Parents

Resolution on Criminal-Background Checks

Financial Services and Consumer Banking:

Access to Financial Services for Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers

Free Contract in Financing Act

Consumer Banking Act

Loan Originators Voluntary Registration Act

Credit Enhancement Loan Act

Nationwide Interstate Banking Act

Deferred Presentment Services Act

State Power to Regulate Lending Act

Expanded Consumer Choice in Financial Services Act

Title Pledge Act

Resolutions:

Opposing Government-Imposed Caps or Elimination of ATM Fees

Urging Congress to Oppose Measures Designed to Impose Ceilings on Credit Card Rates

Supporting Insurance Commissioners’ Exclusive State Regulatory Authority over Variable Life Insurance and Variable Annuities

Urging Congress to Protect Our Uniform National Credit System

As the foregoing "few" topics and laws proposed by ALEC show us, they are all about deregulation and eliminating all government interference with wages, debts, corporate banking and other fees...issues and subject important to ALEC's corporate membership and donor base. Granted some of the issues presented appear to be beneficial to consumers...but we'll never know because when you click on the subject to expand it and see what ALEC's position is, we are told access to each page is unavailable to non-members.

Take a few minutes and peruse the Task Forces of ALEC here and click on the links to all nine of them. You will not only be disgusted with some of the legislation they are proposing but will also not believe that all of these efforts are ongoing off of everyone's personal and political radars. Multiply what is disclosed today at ALEC's site by the 30 years of influence they have wielded since Reagan was elected President and one begins to understand how we find our country in the state it's in currently.

Want to know what they think about wages, especially "living wage" proposals? Check out this page from ALEC's site that provides:

· “Living Wage” laws, generally enacted as ordinances at the municipal or county levels, set hourly take-home pay above the federally defined poverty level.

· While such action is driven by good intentions, living wage laws are an inefficient and ineffective means of fighting poverty. According to a survey of 336 labor economists, all members of the American Economic Association, 75 percent of respondents said that a living wage would require employers to hire entry-level employees with greater skills and experience than current standards; since labor will cost more, employers will demand more efficiency and production from employees. In addition, only 7 percent of those responding agreed that the living wage is an efficient means of fighting poverty.

· Living Wage laws hurt low-skilled employees, the very group that supporters of the living wage portend to be helping. Even The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a liberal workers’ rights organization, has sued the State of California in an attempt to avoid having to pay its own employees the state’s $4.25 per hour minimum wage. In its legal brief, ACORN said that the more it must pay each worker, the fewer workers it can hire.

· The arguments for the living wage are similar to those in favor of other wage laws. Commonly, the private sector is seen to be untrustworthy in the setting of wages because it is perceived that corporations will take advantage of low-skilled workers by paying them very little. However, in reality—and just like other wage laws—the living wage produces higher, not lower rates of unemployment among impoverished workers.

· Living wage ordinances generally apply to companies that receive government contracts, or subsidies such as those located in an “Enterprise” or “Empowerment” Zone. This means that not only are large corporations affected by these ordinances, but small businesses such as those that lease space from a city or county must also comply.

· Left-leaning organizations actively support the living wage campaign. Because living wage laws have thus far been enacted only on the local level, rather than in state legislatures, these organizations target specific municipalities or counties in an effort to circumvent the legislatures’ resistance to setting exorbitant wage laws that they know will hurt small businesses.

· Unions support the living wage too, but for the wrong reasons. Labor organizations such as AFSME and SEIU support the living wage because in so doing, they can thwart governments’ efforts to privatize public services. As evidenced in recent years, moving jobs out of the government and into the free market economy can have a significant and positive impact on the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these services. However, such movement into the market also threatens these unions’ hold on the labor pool. Sometimes unions even ask that living wage laws be preempted by union contracts if the union wage is the living wage, so that governments will be bound by union contracts.4

· State legislatures need the power to preempt local governments from enacting their own wage laws. Every state except for Alabama, Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and West Virginia have at least one living wage ordinance put in place by municipal governing bodies.5 Without centering the ability to set wages at the state level, local governments will continue to be the targets of unions seeking to maintain full employment of their members while thwarting municipalities’ efforts to assist small businesses, and hindering efforts to more productively provide public services to taxpayers."

Hmmm...they don't much like Unions or others who support living, fair or prevailing wages - especially for public workers. Wonder where they got that philosophy? Let's glance at their Private Enterprises Board:

Koch Industries
Centerpoint360
Energy Future Holdings
Johnson & Johnson
PhRMA
American Bail Coalition
Kraft Foods
GlaxoSmithKline
Coca-Cola Company
AT&T Services, Inc.
Pfizer Inc
Intuit, Inc.
ExxonMobil Corp.
Reynolds American Inc.
Bayer
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

and the list goes on and on.

Now we start to get a better picture of how and why the fair wage and collective bargaining issues have begun to be exploited in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and several other states. We've heard about the funding of Governor Walker of Wisconsin by Koch money. Additional funding for Republican lawmakers there in Wisconsin and the other states. All of that funding to ensure that the states where that money has been spread around, will put forth right to work legislation and implement other laws eliminating collective bargaining and Union-busting.

As my forthcoming books points out, the wage, imprisonment, slave labor and privatization issues are all supported and funded by the same collective cabal of conservative lawmakers, corporations and businesses belonging to ALEC and funded by the Koch-Dealers. Lawmakers are like any other addict person; when it comes to money, power and influence and they're hooked and high on Koch.

In conclusion we know where the money comes from to fund these conservative pursuits for profits and attacks upon labor, unions, wages and now debtors. We know what organization is being used - ALEC - and who their corporate and legislative members are (Debbie Lesko is the rep from Arizona). We also know they frequently use our government agencies, courts and judges in pursuit of their goals...the same governments they want to butt out of corporate business.

ALEC and those such as Charles and David Koch have been able to argue for smaller government while they continue to use it to fulfill their needs. Maybe what they really want is for the government to serve their needs alone and forgo serving America's citizens...Oh, wait...isn't that the battle that's taking place now, all across our Midwest?

The fight's upon us, folks. They have prison labor, foreign labor and now they want our labor at wages they're willing to pay foreigners and prisoners. We join with Unions and fight now or work for less later...

Originally posted by Bob Sloan on Sat Mar 19, 2011 at 10:18 AM EDT.

How anti-immigrant laws harm law enforcement efforts.

Not that I agree with the report - but then, I'm from the "No Borders" and "Abolish the Police" camp. It's worth looking at for those of you really concerned about law enforcement's concerns with SB1070 and all the other nasty legislation Russ Pearce is trying to push through this session, though. Here they are, in fact.

2011 Anti-Immigrant Bills in the Arizona Legislature

Click on each bill for a description

1. SB 1309/HB 2561: Arizona Citizenship
2. SB 1308/HB 2562: Interstate Compact; Birth Certificates
3. SB 1406: Interstate Compact; Border Fence
4.  SB 1405: Immigration Status; Hospital Admissions
5.  SB 1611: Immigration Omnibus
6.  SB 1465: Valid Identification; Consular Cards; Prohibition
7. SB 1490: Illegal Alien; Food Service Workers
8. SB 1342: Arizona Rangers; Border Security Activities
9. SB1117/HB 2537: Immigration Legislation Challenges
10. SCR 1006: Border Security Plan
11. SB 1222: Public Benefits; Eligibility; Required Proof
12. HB 2505 – School Pupils; Lawful Status; State Aid
13. SB 1225: Forgery; Human Smuggling; classification
14. HB 2179: Schools; Students; Data Collection
15. SB 1407: Schools; Data; Noncitizen students
16. SB 1368: Human Smuggling Organization; Offense; Penalty
17. SB 1495/HB 2070: Arizona State Guard; Establishment
18. HB 2181: National Guard Mobilization; Border
19. HB 2405: Human Smuggling Organization; Offense; Penalty
20. SB 1046 – Juvenile corrections; discharge; ICE detainers
21. HB 2439 – Driver license requirements; violation; misdemeanor
22. SB 1607/SB 1141: Schools; Residency Requirements
23. SB 1012: Tech Correction; Technical Registration Bd.  Striker: Fingerprint Clearance Cards; Citizenship Status
24. HB 2624: Public benefits; reporting fraud
25. HB 2677:  International Money Wire Transfer Assessment
26. Striker Amendment – HB 2191:  Actions By Illegal Aliens Prohibited
27. HB 2718: Public Safety Equipment Fund

 The following were defeated this week, but could still be resurrected:

SB 1308

SB 1309

SB 1405

SB 1407

SB 1611

------------------------------

Deportation Nation Police Chiefs Frustrated over Local Immigration Enforcement

Posted by Deport Nation on Thursday, March 17, 2011

Immigration enforcement by local police is having a chilling effect on how residents interact with them, warns a report from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

“The last thing we need is for laws to undermine the trust that police departments have built up with the community,” said Jerry Murphy, PERF’s Director of Homeland Security and Development, during a conference call with reporters.

Police and Immigration: How Chiefs are Leading their Communities through the Challenges explores six case-studies conducted between December 2008 and September 2009 in New Haven, CT; Prince William County,VA; Montgomery County, MD; Phoenix, AZ; Mesa, AZ; and Minneapolis, MN.

It finds these local law enforcement agencies are struggling with a political atmosphere that limits the “discretion of police to deal with immigration enforcement in ways they consider best. Officers are concerned about the reluctance among immigrants to contact police to report crimes even if they are victims or witnesses.

“In many places, police chiefs and police departments have become the public face of the immigration debate,” Murphy added. “There are a significant number of police departments that have been pulled into the debate and ask the question ‘what is our designated role in enforcing immigration law?’”

While the report provides immigration reform recommendations to Congress, it also offers suggestions to local police where federal and state education, oversight, and outreach regarding enforcement fall short:

   * Officers should be prohibited from arresting or detaining persons for the sole purpose of investigating their immigration status.

   * Officers should monitor indicators of racial profiling, investigate violations, and sanctions offenders.

   * Local police agencies should become knowledgeable about programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities, and state or local initiatives to ensure that the programs meet the agency’s specified goals for participation.

   * Local police should develop comprehensive written policies and procedure regarding handling of undocumented immigrants.

   * Local police agencies should educate their communities about their role in immigration enforcement, especially the legal authorities and responsibilities of local police and federal law enforcement and engage immigrant communities in dialogue about department policies.

Back in August, Deportation Nation reported on a conference convened by the Consortium for Police Leadership in Equality (CPLE), where police chiefs from 27 major cities expressed concerns about the extra burdens created by federal programs like Secure Communities and 287(g) as well as Arizona copycat bills pending in dozens of states.

A June 2010 by the CPLE pointed to the negative effects created when police officers doubled as immigrant agents. It found that 1 in 3 Salt Lake City, Utah, residents are unwilling to report drug-related crimes when law enforcement can detain someone based on their immigration status. Undocumented immigrants, as well as Latino and White citizens, were more likely to leave drug crimes unreported.

Meanwhile, at the July 2009 Summit on Immigration Enforcement of more than 100 police chiefs and other local stakeholders, participants expressed frustration with the lack of response from ICE to police concerns.

During Wednesday’s call, Chief Christopher Moore of the San Jose Police Department in California said it was “troubling” that crimes went unreported in his community because people were afraid of police, who now play a role in immigration enforcement.

“We’re looking to strengthen our relationship [with the community],” said Moore, who in his first big policy move last month as police chief, announced plans to broaden the definition of racial profiling and investigate more claims of biased behavior by officers.

Chief Victor Rodriguez of the McAllen Police Department in Texas, echoed Moore’s concerns. Earlier this month, Rodriguez was one of several police chiefs and sheriffs that met at the Texas Capitol to denounce proposals that would give local police more immigration enforcement responsibilities.

“It’s my position that if we continue to go down this path, we’ll make our communities more dangerous,” Rodriguez said.

We’d like to know your thoughts on the PERF’s findings. Click this link to mark up the report with your comments.

---------------------------

Consortium for Police Leadership In Equality

Stop the HATE! Spring Break at AZ State Capitol!

Phoenix student walk-out, Arizona State Legislature. March 4, 2011.

Spring Break at the Arizona State Capitol begins Monday

MARCH 14, 2011

11:30am AZ State Capitol
1700 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Tucson Citizen
by Three Sonorans
on Mar. 10, 2011

As college students prepare for Spring Break next week, and as colleges face 20% budget cuts next year, Arizonans from around the state will be at the State Capitol from Monday to Friday of next week.

The state legislators have not done their most important job, and that is to balance the budget.

Instead they have been distracting the citizens of this great state with all these bogus and unconstitutional bills, everything from having guns in public buildings and universities, to forming the Arizona Rangers, a secret police force for Jan Brewer, a state border wall to be built with detained immigrants, huge 9 digit corporate tax cuts, anti-union bills, and of course the regular slew of anti-immigrant bills.

Arizona have had enough and say YA BASTA!

Caravans will be converging on the state capitol at noon on Monday.

In Tucson we will be meeting at Rudy Garcia Park, on Irvington and 6th Ave, at 8:30am and leaving promptly at 9pm. On Sunday evening from 5-7pm we will be having a sign-making party for our vehicles and person once we get to the capitol at Fortin de las Flores, on the Southeast corner of 31st and 6th Ave.

Russell Pearce first banned Latino activists, then the public, then the media from the senate building. He also took out the concrete/stone benches at the state senate building to tell Arizonans “you are not welcome here, you do not have a voice in your democracy.”

As a special bonus, former President George W. Bush will be visiting the area on Wednesday.

Come join the rest of the people that have had enough, and let your voice be heard!

Many people in Phoenix are opening up their homes for those who need a place to sleep or shower as protesters keep a 24 hour presence to tell Russell Pearce and the nation to stop the hate, fix the state, and BALANCE THE BUDGET!

Our jobs, schools, healthcare, and future depend on it!

For the latest info you can join the Facebook event page in English here, or in Spanish here. Anyone Tweeting from the Capitol will be using the hashtag #AZM14 and #AltoArizona for the Spring Break at the Capitol weeklong event.

----------------------




posted by activistausa

---------------------

Photos below are from the March 4, 2011 Phoenix student walk-out, where several hundred youth converged on the Capitol protesting the recent anti-immigration laws...

Stay tuned for a week long demonstration at the legislature now. :)

If you can't get to the capitol for any of the demonstrations there this week, try a little anarchy and autonomous action- it only takes one person to make resistance visible, and you can orchestrate something from wherever you are: put a sign on your car, or street corner, or chalk the sidewalks in choice places in your own town (or all of the above, so they think there's more than just one of you out nuts there). It's the conversations with ordinary people walking by that you have and generate about politics in the grocery store parking lot that will in time make a difference.



Better yet, find a place where you're likely to be seen by undocumented youth, and make sure they see your signs of solidarity. Your message will inspire and encourage them at a time when the state is legislating hate in their direction. I run into one of the McCain DREAM Fasters, Carlos, at these demonstrations and still get a big hug every time.

I kind of like the"Phoenix Point of Pride" signs with the image of the Arizona flag on it, like this one at Wes Bolin up at the Capitol. Just make sure to stay on the public sidewalks, keep it relatively clean for the kids there (their teachers will use your action as a chance to discuss the 1st Amendment, if they're any good), and don't deface any memorials, or you'll make us all pay for it.