Human Rights

Phoenix newspaper’s tweetstorm on Joe Arpaio drives home the evil of Trump’s pardon

Posted on

In the wake of President Trump’s pardoning of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a weekly news publication out of Phoenix is taking an opportunity to remind people the kind of person Arpaio is.

In the wake of President Trump’s pardoning of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a weekly news publication out of Phoenix took an opportunity to remind people the kind of person Arpaio is.

This July, Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt after he continued to racially profile Maricop County residents when a court had ordered him not to. After sending mixed signals on what his ultimate decision would be, Trump pardoned Arpaio of the conviction this Friday.

Arpaio’s tactics were known to be brutal, racist, and many agree that he regularly violated people’s civil rights. As the Phoenix New Times pointed out in a viral tweetstorm posted the day of Arpaio’s pardon, the man some referred to as “America’s toughest sheriff” was under the close eye of the paper for 20 years, and his history of disturbing and downright criminal behavior makes Trump’s pardon all the more unsettling.

Since Arpaio was elected sheriff in 1993, “county taxpayers have shelled out more than $140 million to litigate — and ultimately settle — claims of brutality by the sheriff’s deputies. Lawsuits charge that the sheriff has cultivated a ‘culture of cruelty” motivated by Arpaio’s incessant trumpeting that he is America’s toughest lawman.'”

“They ignored his pleas that such treatment of a paraplegic would cause serious injuries. In fact, the lower, paralyzed portions of his body were severely damaged, and Post would spend four months in bed, convalescing.

But Post’s protestations fell on deaf ears. Jailers intended to teach Post a lesson he would never forget. So they strapped him down roughly into the metal contraption, and tightened its leather straps with all their might.”

“Dreckmeier was dying. It was obvious to Dreckmeier. And it was obvious to his roommates.
Yet none of them was able to get him medical attention.”

“Inmates in Arpaio’s jails aren’t usually allowed to see their babies after birth. Despite protests from the jail guard, hospital employees brought baby Ambria to Spencer, so she could see her daughter before the funeral.”

Arpaio tortured inmates by keeping them confined in 109-degree heat.

Arpaio also targeted journalists.

“Victims of sex crimes — mostly children — in the town and throughout the county still are paying for Arpaio’s misguided policies. Rapists and child molesters got away with their crimes.”

Here is one of the more bizarre stories to come out of the Arpaio legacy:

Arpaio allegedly attempted to destroy evidence related to his trial for violating a court order:

The paper’s tweetstorm is getting a lot of attention. As of this writing, the initial tweet as been retweeted well over 100,000 times.

Featured image via Gage Skidmore

Related Items:, , , ,

Recommended for you

To Top