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| Sheriff Joe Arpaio shakes down Tent City |
| By ABC 15 News |
| Published: 05/04/2009 |
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28 arrested as MCSO sweeps tent city looking for contraband Reported by: Christina Boomer Officials say 28 people were arrested in a sweep of Maricopa County jails in the southwest Valley Friday. According to MCSO spokesman Doug Matteson, 300 vehicles were searched and four of those arrested were said to be undocumented immigrants. Matteson said six arrest warrants were cleared, and drugs seized included meth, marijuana and heroine. He also said a weapon was seized during the searches. Inside the jail deputies searched above florescent lights and below slabs of concrete. After asking inmates to strip down to just pink slippers and boxer shorts deputies peeked, pried and sorted through everything. They were looking for things that could be dangerous and in just the first hour deputies found a razor blade, rusty nails and locks. The most prolific violation seemed to be cigarettes. A deputy told ABC15 how in jail a $7 pack of Marlborough Reds will run about $40 to $50. They say inmates yearning for a smoke often find themselves in debt to the dealer which in turn can cause a nasty yard fight. And so they searched through blankets, even the folds of the tents, making sure there is no way an angry inmate could hurt a deputy and hoping Saturday will be calm and quiet. The sheriff's concern was simple. Thousands of anticipated demonstrators outside Tent City and Durango Complex Jails near 35th Avenue and Durango could rile up inmates leading to a riot. Democracy Now reported that large groups of people who are critical of Sheriff Joe Arpaio plan to protest near Tent City on Saturday. In anticipation, the Sheriff said he dispatched about 200 posse members to sweep through the jails looking for contraband. According to an MCSO news release, “Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his aim in this shakedown is to thwart any potential problems by inmates inside the jails tomorrow as the march against Arpaio and his illegal immigration policies is expected to bring thousands of protestors in and around the jail complex, including Tent City.” The Sheriff said they are expecting about 2,000 to 3,000 protestors and they are basing that on what is being said on Spanish language radio programs. Their news release said the protest “has been advertised by anti-Arpaio activists on Spanish media for the past few weeks.”Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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