On Friday, President Donald Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff and notorious racist Joe Arpaio’s conviction of criminal contempt of court. The former Sheriff is known for his blatant racial profiling of Latinx residents, torture of pre-trial detainees, and emphatic support of Trump.
NLG President Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan stated:
“Trump’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Joe Arpaio is yet another example of how Trump rewards and promotes white supremacy, including in the form of rogue sheriffs who act unlawfully and abuse their authority to target, abuse and terrorize people of color, particularly immigrants. He admitted to creating “concentration camps” that created the conditions in which people died. This act of pardon is not one of mercy, but an act of aggression, signaling to all that his policies of terrorizing and condoning violence against Latinxs and immigrants will not only be tolerated, but encouraged. As an anti-racist organization that fights state oppression under the color of law, we condemn any sanctioning of state-sponsored violence, especially when committed by openly racist public officials like Arpaio. While Trump attempts to rewrite history by white-washing Arpaio’s generalized violence against immigrants and Latinxs, we will not forget.”
Read more about Arpaio and Trump’s pardon at this piece by former NLG President Marjorie Cohn, Trump’s Arpaio Pardon Signals to White Supremacists, ‘I’ve Got Your Back.
Photo: Arpaio speaking at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore)
