Thread: {SOB}Leaders fear Arpaio sweep disrupting Palomino

Leaders fear Arpaio sweep disrupting Palomino
214 commentsby Michael Clancy - Apr. 6, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
For more than 10 years, Phoenix police, neighborhood residents and area businesses have been working together to turn around north Phoenix's Palomino neighborhood.

The neighborhood for years was known for its gangs, drug dealers, blighted buildings and crowded conditions. It was home to illegal immigrants and became known as a place to find cheap day labor.

But through cooperative efforts, neighborhood leaders felt they had made improvements in the area.

Now they fear much of that work could come undone as a result of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's recent immigration sweep of the neighborhood - a square mile bounded by Cave Creek, Bell and Greenway roads and 32nd Street.

Neighborhood leaders say the sweep resulted in thousands of dollars in lost business, hundreds of schoolchildren staying home and not enough arrests of illegal immigrants to justify the disruption.

"His efforts have taken away from all of the positives that we have created," said Vice Mayor Peggy Neely, who represents the Palomino area. "I'm afraid that if he keeps this up, someone is going to get hurt."

The crackdown resulted in 53 arrests, according to the Sheriff's Office. Of those, 27 were illegal immigrants.

Arpaio said the arrests resulted from traffic violations, outstanding warrants, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

It also resulted in huge turmoil for the area as hundreds of protesters on both sides of the issue faced off.

Pro-immigration protesters, he claimed, caused what little disruption accompanied his sweep.

But neighborhood leaders blame Arpaio. They say the situation was under control before protesters started showing up in January and Arpaio's forces came last weekend.

One piece of their efforts was the creation of the day-labor center.

Labor center working

The Macehualli Day Labor Center opened in 2003 after a coalition of business leaders, residents, city officials and police developed plans for a place where workers could find jobs with a guaranteed minimum wage.

The center has been controversial since before its creation, with funding woes and an unsuccessful recall effort against Neely.

But it has accomplished what it was supposed to accomplish, many local business owners say.

One of them, Eliot Fuller of the Wagon Yard Steakhouse, said the center has gone a long way toward keeping the streets and area businesses free of obstruction.

Another business owner, Keenan Strand, said a separate arrangement with the Police Department has also helped. It has resulted in more than 700 trespassing arrests in the past 14 months.

"Our plan created no disruption to local commerce, it generated no complaints, and it did not affect school attendance," he said.

But last weekend's crackdown by Arpaio, his deputies and volunteers resulted in a serious loss of income for numerous people, said Strand, president of the Northeast Phoenix Neighborhood Action Alliance.

"Business was off by two-thirds with the sheriff in the area," he said, arguing that customers avoided the area for fear of being pulled over for minor violations.

Strand also said that more than 500 children skipped school on one of the protest days out of parents' fear of Arpaio's crackdown.

"It is very aggravating," Strand said.

Arpaio says he came to the neighborhood because of a letter signed by several business owners and numerous calls from the public.

One of the eight whose names appear on the letter said he regrets signing it.

Randy Gerber, manager of Purcell Western States Tire, on the northwestern corner of Cave Creek and Bell roads, said he did not anticipate the mayhem when he signed.

Another, Slade Grove of Wicked Bakery, said he supports as much law enforcement as possible. But Grove's business is outside the Palomino area.

Frank Feeney of Feeney Automotive, another signer, said he was "generally happy" with how the sweep went.

Bill MacMaster of State to State Transmissions said he would not comment on the day-labor problem, and said he did not notice any impact on his business during the crackdown.

Arpaio said businesses have lost revenue for two reasons: the economy is down, and illegal immigrants who once supported them have scattered.

Arpaio said affected businesses should thank him instead of criticizing him.

Susan Hope, a neighborhood resident, says she has mixed feelings about the crackdown. She said she knows illegal immigrants are trying to support their families, but at the same time, she said she was recently laid off and has no labor center to help her find work.


Moving forward

Strand says the crackdown made him and other local leaders more determined to build on the successes the neighborhood has enjoyed, from new homes and sidewalks to less crime.

Those results came about through a coalition of police, city officials, business leaders, church leaders, the schools and neighborhood residents, said the Rev. Jose Diaz-Rodriguez, pastor of La Sagrada Familias, a Lutheran church that serves the area.

Gangs have been cleared out, blight has been reversed, and new houses and apartments have been built. School attendance has soared.

Businesses have remained stable, zoning violations have been curbed, and the day-labor center kept the labor issue under control.

Diaz-Rodriguez, Strand and others point to a tangible result of the cooperation: a new Boys and Girls Club that will open by the end of the year.

"It is a tight community," Strand said. "Everyone comes together to improve the neighborhood."

But not those who have shown up to protest the labor center.

"If you don't support them, they come after you," said Fuller of the Wagon Yard.

But Arpaio said any disruption in the Palomino area and a subsequent crackdown in Guadalupe came from pro-immigrant protesters.

He insisted the situation has not yet spiraled out of control but said he is traveling with security for the first time in his career.

Meanwhile, Neely continued to praise the efforts of Palomino residents.

"They have done an outstanding job with crime, blight and revitalizing the area," she said. "What is happening now just brings chaos to the neighborhood, creating fear for miles around."

Reporter Casey Newton contributed to this article.

More on this topic

Arpaio and immigration
March 2006: Deputies make first arrests under controversial interpretation of state human-smuggling law.

July 14, 2006: Hundreds protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio's efforts to arrest illegal immigrants and charge them under state law.

Jan. 2007: Arpaio announces agreement with Department of Homeland Security giving deputies broad powers to enforce immigration laws. Alonzo Pena of Immigration and Customs Enforcement says agreement should be used to go after violent criminals.

Sept. 27: Deputies arrest nine people near a Cave Creek church that serves as a gathering place for day laborers.

October: Off-duty deputies are hired by M.D. Pruitt's Home Furnishings to patrol the area for day laborers. Advocates for the laborers begin picketing in protest, which in turn draws counterprotesters. A tense standoff follows.

Dec. 16: Arpaio reports arresting 29 people in a crackdown in the Aguila area. Of those, 26 are illegal, he says.

Jan. 1: With protesters still picketing Pruitt's, anti-illegal immigration counterprotesters move to the Macehualli Work Center. The work center is run by Salvador Reza, who organized the Pruitt's protests.

Jan. 5: Protesters at Pruitt's agree to leave. Arpaio orders deputies to continue patrolling the area around 34th Street and Thomas Road.

Jan. 18: Arpaio's posse patrols 16th to 40th streets between Indian School and McDowell roads, saying he had been contacted by business owners there. Four days later, he reports arresting 25 people, five of whom were said to be illegal immigrants.

March 21: Arpaio moves to 32nd Street and Thomas Road, saying unspecified business owners had written to him asking for help addressing crimes caused by illegal immigrants and day laborers. The sheriff reports arresting 55 people in 10 hours, two-thirds of whom are said to be illegal immigrants.

March 27: Arpaio "migrates north" to Bell Road and 25th Street, according to a news from his office. He says the community surrounding the Macehualli Work Center was "crying out" for him to come, although businesses in the area have a mixed reaction to his presence.

March 28: Arpaio's "migrating north" remark prompts Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon to denounce the sheriff's actions as racial profiling.

March 29: Arpaio announces the end of his Bell Road operation, having arrested 53 people. Just over half were in the country illegally, he said.

Thursday: Arpaio takes his posse into Guadalupe, saying he had been invited by several town leaders. Mayor Rebecca Jimenez says that Arpaio came under "false pretenses" and that Guadalupe does not support his tactics.

Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Republic research
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... o0406.html

10 years of wasted effort . Still Gang Banger's and Drugs . Joe will have it right in NO Time . Thank You Joe

"His efforts have taken away from all of the positives that we have created," said Vice Mayor Peggy Neely, who represents the Palomino area. "I'm afraid that if he keeps this up, someone is going to get hurt."

Uhhh, someone already HAS been hurt....America!