The Voice - Student Newspaper

Walk for Respect protests hateful acts

By Rogelio Macias
Reporter, The VOICE

On May 2nd, in downtown phoenix many gathered in from of the Wells Fargo Tower, located at Central Avenue and Washington, and marched to Tent City, near 35th Avenue and Durango Street.

The demonstration was entitled Walk for Respect, and served as another reminder and reality check to the sheriff regarding his hateful and discriminatory acts towards the undocumented and Hispanic community.

This action was planned after the County Sheriff Joe Arpaio marched 220 chained illegal immigrants from the Durango Jail to tent city, in February. The Sheriffs tactics have gained the country's attention and the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Arpaio's immigration enforcement policies.

Many County officials and civil rights groups such as Puente and the National Day Laborer Organization Network (NDLON) saw this act as a complete violation of human rights, sparking the fire that grew to be this protest.

People from many different backgrounds attended to rally against a common enemy. Individuals don't have to be of Hispanic origins to understand the wrong that has terrorized a faction of society. Many faces of every color, and every background joined in the march and united under the idea of equality and fair treatment.

Sheriff Arpaio will soon have to snap out of his crazed attempt to gain media fame and come back down to earth and realize that if his circus games don't come to an end he's going to find himself in an irreversible mess.

Please send comments to rmacias@gccvoice.com