This is how ethnic cleansing gets started. It comes disguised as law enforcement, as a firm hand protecting social order during chaotic times. Ethnic cleansing is founded upon fear. It requires turning an ethnic or racial group into "the other." "They" are taking over. "They" are different and will destroy our way of life. The process ends, always, in violence. Below is a brief portrait of the early stages of ethnic cleansing in Arizona. And, make no mistake, we are all Arizona.
On July 29, I engaged in civil disobedience in Phoenix as part of the Day of Non-Compliance protest against SB 1070, Arizona's harsh anti-immigrant law. I was called to bear witness to my faith's ideals of compassion and the inherent worth and dignity of all people.
Let me share with you pieces of my brief experience as an inmate in Arizona's infamous Maricopa County Jail. My 14 hours in custody constituted a profoundly disturbing experience -- but not in the ways I had anticipated. I wish I could share visual images of my time in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail, but, of course, they took my camera first thing. Here, then, are some verbal snapshots, followed by some disturbing reflections.
Snapshot 1: The Arrest
Around noon on Thursday, after more than an hour of blocking the entrance to the Maricopa County Jail, the inevitable happened. The big metal door behind us opened, revealing scores of battle-clad deputies. I wondered what had taken them so long. Now it was clear. They needed time to put on all their riot equipment in order to arrest a bunch of peaceful protesters.
"You are under arrest," he said. Because I was standing behind the protesters who had linked themselves together, I was the first one arrested. One of the protesters tied together as part of a human chain was the Rev. Susan Frederick Gray, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix. I had been standing directly behind Susan and beside Salvador Reza, a local human rights activist.
As I walked meekly beside the deputy, he grabbed my upper arm and raised it to where my shoulder hurt. There was no reason. I am a portly 63-year-old who, alas, is no longer a physical threat to anyone. After handcuffing me and taking everything out of my pockets, they told me to sit on the concrete sidewalk inside the small indoor parking area.
The handcuffs were the first indication of the difference between the Phoenix city police and the county sheriff's force. Those arrested by the Phoenix police had handcuffs that were like a flat belt. The handcuffs used by the sheriff's deputies had sharp edges designed to gouge into our wrists. A small matter, but telling.
Shortly after I was handcuffed three deputies came by shoving a young Latino who had been one of the group blocking the entrance. The young man shouted over and over, "I am not resisting arrest." I saw him later when we were in the same holding cell. His face had scrapes and his back had numerous ugly bruises. He said they took him to a room, threw him on the floor and kicked him. Except for a few tokens, this is an overwhelmingly white anglo sheriff's department.
It must have been 100 degrees. We sat there for more than two hours. A gentle member of the staff brought water from time to time. About 50 deputies (many of them portlier than I!) stood around. The administrator in me was appalled at the inefficiency and waste.
Snapshot 2: Charges, Fingerprints, Mug Shots and Using the Toilet
It took the sheriff's department more than five hours to get from the arrest to actually doing intake. Imagine your worst experience at a DMV office. Multiply it by your worst experience at a post office. This, amazingly enough, is the bureaucracy of the sheriff's department.
In an odd way, the staff seem as much prisoners of this system as those in custody. They work in a windowless space. They stare at computers, though they rarely actually enter anything. They seem numb, cold, and hardened. What must it do to the human soul to be part of such an abusive system?
When my name was finally called to be photographed, I asked to use the toilet. A deputy pointed me to it. I asked that my handcuffs be removed. They refused. I leave the rest to your imagination. At least I was allowed to relieve myself. Later I heard from women prisoners that they were not allowed to use the toilet.
Snapshot 3: Toilet-Paper Pillows
One never stops learning. It never occurred to me to use a roll of toilet paper as a pillow. It was one of the ways you could tell those who had been here before from us first timers. You lie on your side on the concrete and use the roll of toilet paper as a pillow. I was too alert to sleep. Others snored through much of the evening.
As few as three and up to 20 of us at a time were put into a holding cell. They kept moving us around for no apparent reason. And they kept losing track of us. A guard, always surly, would open the cell door and ask for "Juan Garcia" or "Jim Jones," only to discover that he was not in our cell. This must have happened 15 or 20 times.
We protesters were mixed with guys picked up on drug charges, parole violations, and such. All of these guys had been inside a number of times before. One poor chap had been arrested for parole violation but had no idea what he was alleged to have done. Another went on about how orange peel, carefully cut and dried, made an excellent marijuana substitute in a pinch. He was high on something, though I suspect it was not thick-skinned oranges.
Snapshot 4: Tic-tac-toe, Hangman, a Bar of Soap and Jesus
Just as toilet paper became a pillow, soap became chalk. One of the young prisoners pocketed a motel-sized bar of soap and struck up a game of tic-tac-toe on the cell floor. When interest in that waned, he started a game of "hangman" (the elementary school game of guessing a word by guessing letters).
The words were obscure and the hangman had additional gender specific body parts. I was invited to play. The word I had to guess had five letters. I was running out of body parts and had "_ E S _ S". Tension mounted. Divine intervention saved the day. It hit me: the word was J E S U S. Imagine a head of a religious association not getting Jesus! My honor was saved.
Eventually, around 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning, I was released. At every step of the way the process appeared to be delayed as much as possible.
Snapshot 5: A Second Arrest for Sal
Late that afternoon we get word that Salvador Reza, the local organizer and head of the organization called Puente ("Bridge"), was arrested again. Sal was arrested as he was observing from across the street an act of civil disobedience at Joe Arpaio's infamous "Tent City."
After a night going through the same process again, Sal was released. Even the prosecutor admitted that there was no probable cause for his arrest. It was harassment, pure and simple.
Reflections
I was a journalist before entering seminary to become a Unitarian Universalist minister. I like to think of myself as less naïve than many of my colleagues. I have lived in Peru and in Spain under Fascism. Yet I found the situation in Arizona appalling and deeply disturbing in ways I did not anticipate.
I am honestly surprised that such systematic denial of basic civil rights (the beating, the arrest for no cause, the denial of use of toilet facilities, the targeting of Latinos) can go on openly in a major American city. This is not a nutty sheriff and a handful of deputies in a small town. This is a law enforcement body in a major urban area.
And I wonder at the absence of forces that are supposed to defend the rights of the helpless. Why in the world has our federal Justice Department not taken action? How much evidence do they need? Where, for that matter, are the usual champions of civil liberties like the ACLU?
Other states are considering copycat legislation based on Arizona's SB 1070. Republicans are advocating a constitutional change that would deny citizenship to children born in the U. S. if their parents are not citizens.
We are witnessing the early stages of ethnic cleansing. Todos somos Arizona.
Philip Wolgin: The (Un)Sexy Side of Immigration Reform
I am amazed at how much of the current immigration debate still centers around only two things: border security, and earned legalization. We are missing one of the most important facet of reform: fixing the visa system.
Judge Blocks Parts of Arizona's Immigration Law - NYTimes.com
Federal judge blocks key parts of Arizona immigration law - Los ...
Arizona immigration law appeal set for November | Reuters
FOXNews.com - Justice Department Files Suit Against Arizona ...
Arizona lashes out at illegal immigration
On my last visit to see my grandparents, in Scottsdale, their neighbor ( a very pleasant guy from Ghana, who is a leagl immigrant) jokingly commented that his elderly parents won't have to worry they will be found to have overstayed their visas (for like 5 years!) since no one will be looking for them.
The second time around, the Articles of Confederation having not worked out, The United States of America was formed as a Federal Constitutional Presidential Republic.
Now, different states within the US have different forms of democratic government. I grew up in Pennsylvania. It is one of the 4 states which are Commonwealths. It used to mean something legally and legislatively speaking; but doesn't any more., except perhaps in civil court cases..
Most states have bicameral legislatures. However, Nebraska is unicameral. And, Minnesota, I think is talking about going that route it.
Most states are representative democracies as is the Federal government. California, like some other states, has a direct legislation feature which was widely heralded a few decades ago; but, is in fact responsible for the huge crisis in which it finds itself. Fiscally speaking, it is ungovernable. In addition, as with Prop. 8, mob rule via the ballot box, would still be mob rule were it not for the judicial review inherit in a constitutional republic
In a constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated into distinct branches.
The fact that a constitution exists that limits the government's power makes the state constitutional. That the head(s) of state and other officials are chosen by election, rather than inheriting their positions, and that their decisions are subject to judicial review makes a state republican.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_(U.S._state)
first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets
will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow
our lead into the future!" Adolph Hitler, 15 April 1935, in address to
the Reichstag”
Long Live the 2nd Tell mom not to worry.
It wasn't appalling to you when you and others barred the sally port of the jail so that law enforcement could not bring in or take out prisoners and others. By the way, that was against the law - and against the law in more states than just Arizona.
I guess it was not appalling to you to see the protestors waving the Mexican flag and also one with Chavez' picture on it when they blocked the sally port of the jail. They waved "their" flags, but desecrated those of the United States and Arizona.
You want to help the illegals? Then take them into your home - pay for their social services, their food, their medical care, their education, and pay the fees for them to become legal citizens of our country. And while you are at it - teach them English!
Reverend, your credentials are impressive, but rhetoric like this makes me dismiss them all. One Latino alleges he was beaten by the cops, and it's ethnic cleansing?
I'm tired of the race-baiting coming from the left on this issue. The people of Arizona want to do something about ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS in their state, and most Americans want to do the same nationwide. That's not racist, that's just respect for the law and its purpose. Your argument seems to be that it's wrong to enforce laws against Hispanics, which is truly racist.
Worse, by conflating the issues of border control and race, you're creating a vibrant, new racial stereotype: that Hispanics care only about their own race, and will band together to protect millions of lawbreakers simply because they're Hispanic. If anything moves America toward ethnic cleansing it will be the idea that an entire race is working to undermine the nation. That's what turned passive antisemitism into Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.
You're snip of his sentence is disingenuous as is your analysis. I'll clarify:
"Your argument seems to be that it's wrong to enforce laws upon Hispanics, which is truly racist."
You're reading of the sentence had "against Hispanics" modifying "laws", thus:
...enforcing "laws against Hispanics"....
You basically added those quotes in your head when you read it to make your point.
As he correctly interprets, I'm not saying there are "laws against Hispanics" which should be enforced. I'm saying there are laws about immigration which ought to be enforced, and that some people don't want them enforced if the violator is Hispanic.
But thanks for providing another example of how anyone who speaks in favor of enforcing our immigration laws is immediately accused of racism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKUxWbGQj4
I don't really care who wrote SB1070, any more than I care that the Constitution was written by a bunch of racists - which nearly all of them were. We amended the racist language out of the Constitution and it would be silly to argue that the remainder of the document is still tainted by the framers' racism. Likewise with SB1070: if the bill entails racism, let's talk about the specific language.
- Alfredo Gutierrez
1. You were there because of prop. 1070 which is about illegal, not legal, immigration.
2. You describe the actions of law enforcement personnel in arresting people.
The methods used have nothing to do with immigration. It has to do with standard enforcement practices against all citizens. And, that is a big problem that should be addressed by all citizens in the USA
Illegal immigration brought down the Roman empire, and other nations.
I think Dt. 28:43-44 explains what is happening right now to this nation. It is typical of what happens when nations try to be everything to everybody. It doesn't work in the long run for anybody. I suspect we are just now approaching the halfway point where no one yet sees the danger involved. After the "no return" point is hit, as in flying the ocean, it will be way too late to turn back.
When a nation, a family, a person, uses up all its resources so that there is no future possibility of helping others, well, then.....
Ethnic cleansing does not arise out of immigration control. That dishonest fear mongering drivel, if I've ever read any.
"Ethnic cleansing is founded upon fear. It requires turning an ethnic or racial group into "the other".
There's one problem with your supposition as it applies to the United States. The number of people that oppose immigration based on ethnicity are in the minority. I for one welcome our legal immigrants with open arms regardless of what color or creed they might be. In fact, I think those naturalized citizens will save our country from the malaise of Marxism. Those legal immigrants already know what Marxism leads to, it's the reason they left their homeland in the first place, and that it should be staunchly resisted in all cases. However, I staunchly oppose illegal immigrants regardless of creed or color.
My only mention of majority opinion regarding this topic involved the fact that those who "...oppose immigration based on ethnicity are in the minority".
If you take issue with that feature of majority opinion, you are a racist.
"Marxism hardly applies here. Illegals are here to work, nothing more."
The fact that you don't see a connection between Marxism and illegals coming to the states for work tells me all I need to know about you.
There is one problem with your supposition: none of the immigrants I know from Mexico, for example, or Colombia, or Spain - nor from anywhere else of which I am aware (Bahamas, Brazil, Germany, etc.) - came here because Marxism was present in their homeland. This applies equally to legal and undocumented immigrants alike.
Actually they probably did.
http://leapingloon.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/snapshots/#more-36
I am very thankful you and the vast majority of others came through this ordeal unscathed physically, yet I am certain the experience has profoundly altered you all on a much deeper level.
I was proud as well to see all the Stand on the Side of Love t-shirts on the video coverage of the protests.
When did this happen. Last I checked we still had national boarders, different languages, different traditions, different cultures.
Wishing for a homogenized "world culture" doesn't make it so.