Nat'l Day of Action - Saturday, Jan 16th

Join thousands of human rights activists as we gather in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, January 16th at 9AM. There will be a march from Falcon Park to the downtown complex that serves as headquarters for the notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Full information on the event can be found at the Puente AZ website. There is also a Facebook page devoted to the event.

Leading the march will be UFW matron Dolores Huerta, Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha, and internationally-famed singer Linda Ronstadt. There will also be a concert at the end of the march featuring Little Joe y La Familia.

This will be the second march I've attended to protest the human rights abuses of Sheriff Joe, who is under several federal investigations for racial profiling and harassment of political foes in Maricopa County.

Federal investigators are apparently looking into Arpaio's actions stemming from his anger over budget cuts handed down by county officials. The budget cuts were part of a long-running feud between Arpaio and county leaders.

In one instance, Arpaio is accused of investigating a $340 million project for a new courts building in downtown Phoenix because he thought that the money should instead be spent on plugging holes in his office's budget. In other cases, he sent deputies to workers' homes on nights and weekends.

"Their way of showing their displeasure was to investigate, using the criminal justice process on people who were simply doing their jobs," Smith said.

ABC15

If you can't attend the march, please consider donating toward water bottles for the participants via the National Day Laborer Organizing Network