Under Arpaio trailer from J.M. Aragón on Vimeo.

THE SERIES…
Under Arpaio is a multi-platform web series and website from and about people living in Arizona that brings into focus the human rights crisis in Maricopa County- which has now exploded into the rest of our state. The aim is to inform, engage, and encourage people to get active and help fight against the human rights abuses occurring in Arizona. Sheriff Arpaio has had a lasting impact on the recent wave of anti-immigrant legislation. It is imperative that people become educated on the Arpaio situation in Maricopa County because his reign of abuse is a template for many other agencies ready to mirror similar enforcement methods across the U.S.

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has captured national attention in the press as the “Toughest Sheriff in America” for his Wild West persona, tough on crime stance, unorthodox law enforcement methods and an anti-immigrant posture. He has become famous in the media partly through antics such as forcing inmates to wear pink underwear, work on chain gangs, and live in tents. However, the effects that Arpaio has had on Maricopa County residents are neglected in the national news reports and remain unknown to many. This web series explores what it is really like to live–and die–under Joe Arpaio by featuring documented accounts of immigration enforcement, inhumane jail conditions- including death, and his abuse of power.

The passage of the new Arizona immigration enforcement law SB1070 has created a dire situation for human rights in Arizona, but it is important to remember that Arpaio was 1070 before 1070 was written. His style of law enforcement is a microcosm for what is happening now at state and potentially national level. Lawsuits, racial profiling, corruption, wasted taxes, and civil rights investigations have become the norm for the Phoenix area due to Arpaio’s methods. Learning the story of people living in Maricopa County under Sheriff Joe Arpaio will give necessary insight to the dangerous precedent being implemented in America when it comes to immigration policy. Our goal is for people to learn and act on the information provided so that we may put an end to the abuse, an end to the criminalization of people, and an end to the threat of a police state in Arizona and beyond.