Pablo Robles ignominious separation and arrest of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018. Conditions at these border detention facilities led some in Congress to come up with the “kids in cages” label. Trump introduced himself to Arpaio in 2015 and asked if he’d emcee a campaign rally in Phoenix for his budding presiden- tial bid. Arpaio obliged. “I looked him in the eye and I said, ‘You’re going to be our next president,’” Arpaio recalled. “I just had a gut feeling.” Arpaio said he was the “honorary chairman” for three presidents: George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and Rick Perry. Only Bush actually got to the White House, but Arpaio did run the campaigns for all three in the Grand Canyon State. Trump was different, though, Arpaio said. That’s not just because he’s the only man from whom Arpaio would accept a “golden shower” and “amazing blowjob,” as he admitted during a 2018 episode of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America? Some of Arpaio’s memorabilia. him of guilt. “It was probably going down in history as one of the big [sic] hit jobs there is,” he said. “What they did to me, they could do against anyone. Sometimes, criminal justice isn’t really justice.” Poetic, isn’t it? More echoes of his hero. The American Civil Liberties Union spearheaded numerous civil lawsuits against Arpaio, the longest-serving sheriff in American history. The ACLU blamed Arpaio for what its lawyers called some of the most egregious violations of civil and human rights in the history of Arizona — from racial profiling to horrific jail condi- tions and violating the First Amendment rights of journalists. “The Trump pardon will never erase “THE TRUMP PARDON WILL NEVER ERASE THE DECADES OF ABUSE AND CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF MARICOPA COUNTY.” — VICTORIA LOPEZ, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM AND STRATEGY AT THE ACLU OF ARIZONA In 2019, an 87-year-old Arpaio said he decided for the first time in his life who his hero was: Trump. It took Trump’s pardon in federal court for Arpaio to reach that conclusion. Arpaio didn’t ask for the pardon or even know it was coming, he said. Veteran Arizona Republic reporter Michael Kiefer, who covered Arpaio extensively while he was sheriff, remembered that Arpaio “thought it was a joke. He thought some- body was pranking him.” Arpaio still welcomed the pardon warmly, adding that he thought it absolved the decades of abuse and constitutional violations against the people of Maricopa County,” Victoria Lopez, director of program and strategy at the ACLU of Arizona, told New Times. “Arpaio’s align- ment with Trump further shows how out of touch he is with the needs of most Arizonans.” Indeed, it’s doubtful the average Fountain Hills voter prioritizes handing the mayor more power. But that’s exactly what Arpaio has in mind as his first order of business. With a little help from his friend, Trump. “I want to elevate the role of the mayor,” Arpaio said. “My friend, the presi- dent, the former president, talks about governors, talks about congressmen, you name it. We’ve got to start talking more about mayors.” Arpaio’s grasps at various local, state, and federal offices are best explained by his intentions to grab power, not serve constit- uents, activists agree. “Time and time again, Joe Arpaio has shown that he is not interested in serving the people, but his own political >> p 20 19 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES AUG 11TH–AUG 17TH, 2022
