Posted on
December 12, 2009 in
For millennia people have beaten drums, rung bells, and lit bonfires on the Winter Solstice to frighten away the darkness. Maricopa County, Arizona has been suffering from a darkness in which the evil of tyranny thrives; in a 21st Century revisitation of ancient traditions, The Lawyers Of Maricopa County Announce A December 21st Rally against Maricopa County Attorney Andy Thomas (Miami criminal-defense lawyer Brian Tannebaum):
On December 21, 1946, the United States Supreme Court reversed the conviction of Irene Morgan for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in violation of Virginia’s segregation law. This is just one example of the courage of one person standing up against power wielded with evil, unjust, and self-serving intent. I personally do not plan on sitting down any more in the face of this incompetent, thin thinking, petty little tyrant. On Monday, December 21, 2009, at 12:15 p.m., I would like to rally as many people as we can to the patio in front of the Central Court Building to protest the illegitimate, despicable, and cowardly actions of Andy Thomas and to demand that he be suspended from the State Bar of Arizona. Please circulate this email to as many people as you see fit.
(I am not the author of the e-mail but I am passing this on and I will be there. I wanted to let those of you who have written to me about your sympathies for our troubles here in Maricopa County that we are not sitting around anymore.)
Denise M. Quinterri
What recourse does the Maricopa County defense bar (or any other citizens of the county, for that matter) have? They can drum up negative publicity, which Sheriff Joe seems to feed upon, particularly since his hard-core supporters don’t find it “negative” at all. They can file a grievance/complaint on Thomas with the state bar. But beyond that, honestly, what can they do to these two duly-elected officials? The question is not rhetorical. Could they file some kind of federal action…civil rights, due process, equal protection?
The one thing that seems clear is that people are scared of Sheriff Joe, in both county and state government. They are not going to lift a finger to stop him unless compelled to by law. The allusion to the civil rights movement is apropo, since then, as now the federal government had to step in because the local authorities refused to act. Unfortunately, unlike in the civil rights era, when the majority of the public at large could see the injustice of the situation plainly, in this instance, the problem is not obvious to those outside the legal community. And thus it falls to the lawyers to fight the battle. While I suppose it is easy to criticize from a safe distance, so far their efforts seem far from determined and assertive.
God bless ’em! Joe Arpaio and his ilk are a blight on the American system of justice and an embarrassment to the State of Arizona.
I have been following this story on your site, Simple Justice, etc. It is hard to believe what is going on. I admire the people who are staging this protest, and would like to think that if I were in that area I would be joining them. The reality seems to be that anyone who joins that protest group will be a ‘marked man” or woman, and every entry to the courthouse will probably involve harassment if not a strip search. Look at how docile the attorney whose papers were searched was about the whole thing!
I concur with those who have wondered where is the US Attorney in all of this? It does sound more like some third world backwater than a large American city.