BUT I THOUGHT HE WAS A RACIST?: Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to send armed volunteers to protect black churches.
Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio will send armed volunteers into 60 predominantly black churches Sunday in response to the shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church.
Arpaio said he was responding to a request from Rev. Jarrett Maupin, who USA Today reported is a progressive Baptist preacher and civil-rights advocate, to provide the volunteers.
Arpaio said Maupin told him he was worried about racist white supremacists in the area, according to USA Today. “I am the elected sheriff of this county. He asked me to help, and I’m going to help,” Arpaio said.
Arpaio is of course the well-known sheriff who has been an outspoken proponent of cracking down on illegal immigration. His efforts in this regard have earned him a DOJ lawsuit for “racial profiling,” and charges of racism against Hispanics. He also launched an investigation into President Obama’s birth certificate, so he was labeled as a racist for that, too. This latest move–to protect black churches–just goes to show that Republican haters gonna hate.