If you're going to be baking in the heat here in Salem next Saturday afternoon, why not do it for a good cause?
The Oregon Republican Party has brought anti-immigrant Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to town for a fund-raising rally on the Capitol steps. There will be a counter-rally across the street at the Capitol water fountain at 2:30 pm.
Check out the counter-rally Facebook page.
Courtney Garcia says in her post:
There are two ways for you to take action!
1. Join the counter-rally!
On Saturday, June 27th at 2:30PM, we will gather at the Oregon State Capitol Fountain (near 900 Court St. NE, Salem)!
Bring signs! Here are some ideas:
Arpaio Doesn't Speak for Oregon!
We support civil rights in Oregon!
We support our immigrant neighbors!
2. Write the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association (OSSA) asking them to publicly denounce Sheriff Arpaio and his racist tactics!
Email OSSA President Sheriff Jason Myers and Executive Director Ret. Sheriff John Bishop and ask them to publicly denounce Sheriff Arpaio's tactics, methods, and behavior! Sheriff Arpaio does not represent Oregon's values!
Get your group together and write a joint letter. Send it to your own county's sheriff and state representatives! Click here to download a sample letter!
OSSA Executive Director, Ret. Sheriff John Bishop: [email protected]
OSSA President, Sheriff Jason Myers: [email protected]
How will you take action? Send us an email at [email protected] and let us know!
See you in Salem!
Warmly,
Jessica
I'm thinking of going to the rally after spending some time at the World Beat Festival in Riverfront Park. The Festival opens at 10 am. I go every year no matter the weather.
Don't be heat-weenies, fellow Oregonians. Yeah, it'll be hot on Saturday.
But nowhere near as hot as it often is for people who risk crossing the desert border between the United States and Mexico in search of a better life -- the same reason my relatives came to this country.
What I find most amazing about the Oregon Republican Party's decision to bring Sheriff Arpaio to Salem is that they actually think this will help rebuild the GOP's tarnished image in this state. They said:
We bring Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Oregon to help rebuild Oregon Republican Party in order to take back Oregon in 2016.
A Republican hasn't won a statewide office in a long time. The GOP lost seats in both the state House and Senate in 2014. But somehow the R's think that bringing the country's most notorious anti-immigrant sheriff to town, who is viewed as a racist by many, will lead young people, Hispanics, and other voters into the Republican fold.
Good luck with that, Oregon GOP. Liberals like me want to thank you for another in a stunning series of politically-brain-dead strategic moves. Keep it up... please!
Brian, thanks so much for this post. I'll be there with my daughter Jane who is coming all the way from Prineville to attend.
I'm not really clear on the location of the counter-rally. There is a "fountain" across Court St. from the Capitol and another one in Willson Park on the west side of the Capitol. I kind of think the rally will be there. In any case it won't be hard for us to recognize our tribe! I wouldn't be surprised to see a few Confederate flags among the Republicans. I hope the Statesman Journal is there to take pictures.
Posted by: Jim Scheppke | June 25, 2015 at 03:12 PM
I'll be there, I'll be there!!!
I'll be the one with the sign that says, "All criminal illegal aliens take note: DENSE SUBDIVISION soon to be constructed off of Lake Drive! Easy, easy payments! Come one, come all!!"
I'll bring an extra sign for you, Brian.
Posted by: Harry Vanderpool | June 25, 2015 at 06:02 PM
I will try to be there. I will be on the opposite side of the street of you though. I welcome someone like him to try and make a difference for the better in this state. We need less criminals here,not welcome more. I'm not saying all Hispanics are criminals,but the ones that enter this country illegally,think that driving drunk is ok,think that being in a gang is ok,think that underage girls are ok for dating,and all the other stuff that is very common with a large amount of them,sorry,but I don't want them here. And that goes for any race including white people. Put all criminals in tents and and lock them up,and send the ones that broke into this country illegally back.
Posted by: rusty shackelford | June 26, 2015 at 03:25 PM
rusty shackleford- you actually CAN have a sheriff just like Joe Arpaio. MOVE TO ARIZONA!
here are also some of the excellent services good old Joe provides:
During a three-year period ending in 2007, more than 400 sex-crimes reported to Arpaio's office were inadequately investigated, or not investigated at all.
Arpaio failed to follow-through on at least 32 reported child molestations, even though the suspects were known in all but six cases. Many of the victims were children of undocumented immigrants.
Among the victims that were ignored by Arpaio and the MCSO (Maricopa Country Sheriff's Office is Sabrina Morrison, a teenage girl suffering from a mental disability. On March 7, 2007, when she was 13 years old, she was raped by her uncle, Patrick Morrison. She told her teacher the next day, and her teacher called the MCSO. A rape kit was taken. But, the detective assigned to the case told Sabrina and her family that there were no obvious signs of sexual assault, no semen, or signs of trauma.
Her uncle continued to repeatedly rape her, saying he would kill her if she told anyone. She became pregnant from him, and had an abortion. The family did not know that the rape kit had been tested at the state lab, and showed the presence of semen.
Between 2008 and 2010, Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas together undertook a number of government-corruption investigations targeting political opponents, including judges, county supervisors and administrators. Arpaio and Thomas lost every case, either by ruling of the courts, or by dropping the case.
An analysis by the Maricopa County Office of Management and Budget, completed in April 2011, found Arpaio had misspent almost $100 million over the previous 5 years.
The analysis also showed a number of inappropriate spending items, including a trip to Alaska where deputies stayed at a fishing resort, and trips to Disneyland.
Investigations by The Arizona Republic uncovered widespread abuse of public funds and county policies by Arpaio's office, including high-ranking employees routinely charging expensive meals and stays at luxury hotels on their county credit cards.
Plus there is all of the insane birther "OMG FAEK BIRTH CERTIFICATE OBAMA MUSLIM" shit he has rolled around in.
This is just some of the info I found spending about 30 seconds on google.
I guess if you hate crime but love child molestation and sex crimes and wasting taxpayer money, Sheriff Joe is your guy.
(ps I'm familiar with how dummies think and just for the record I'm a republican not one of those "OBUMMER SOCIALIST NAZI LIBERALS!!!11!1!," but I am also a decent human being and not an uninformed reactionary dingus.)
Posted by: Salemander | June 26, 2015 at 06:29 PM