Right-wing sheriff accused of racial profiling

I'm all for going after individuals who break laws. That's why they're called laws. But racial profiling goes against everything America is supposed to stand for.

Now a coalition of labor groups and Hispanic organizations in Arizona says longtime Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (pictured here) has been using racial profiling. Arpaio, a Republican, has been long known in his Phoenix-based bailiwick for his egotistical stunts and his insistence on feeding jail inmates spoiled bologna. But now he's the target of a federal racial profiling lawsuit.

The plaintiffs also note that Bush's so-called Justice Department has failed to stem civil rights abuses in Maricopa County.

Racial profiling has long plagued America. In the Arizona case, plaintiffs allege that Arpaio's deputies were stopping local residents based solely on their ethnicity. One man - who is a U.S. citizen - claims he was handcuffed in front of customers of his family's car repair shop solely because police heard him listening to music with Spanish lyrics. (Last I checked, listening to Spanish-language music was not a crime.)

There have been similar lawsuits in recent years against sheriffs in Texas and New Mexico. But Arpaio has also come under fire from Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who supports a federal civil rights probe of Arpaio over racial profiling and improper searches. However, Bush's Attorney General Michael Mukasey has arrogantly refused to respond to Gordon's request. (Kind of like how my first high school refused to reply to my letter demanding that it pay back the $400 it stole.)

If nothing else, maybe this lawsuit will help bring more attention to racial profiling elsewhere.

(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602636.html)