One of the big problems with recentcoverage of immigration was the portrayal of the state of Arizona as a remarkably violent place due to the flood of unauthorized immigrants.It was a stew of misinformation, and one of the most prevalent claims was that Phoenix was The Kidnapping Capital of the Country (and No. 2 inthe entire world).
That story always looked a little shaky, as this ThinkProgress review pointed out (7/9/10). Now it looks like there could be more problems. A brief item in the New York Times today (3/4/11) reported that Phoenix’s public safety managerwas suspended
while an audit is being conducted to determine whether he inflated kidnapping statistics to win federal grant money, officials said on Thursday. The police reported more than 350 kidnappings in 2008 and said that almost all of them were linked to border violence, prompting some to label Phoenix the kidnapping capital of the United States. The actual number might have been closer to 250, officials said.
ABC News led the way on this story–you can still see Brian Ross‘ 2009 report, “Kidnapping Capital of the USA,” here. Will he be doing an update?
More than updating a news story is required. Doctoring data to increase eligibility for federal funding is a criminal fraud. Although few details were presented here, the suspension would be only step one.
But is that all? Has this data changing been encouraged by others as part of a campaign of smearing immigrants and winning elections?
Was the kidnapping hyperbole used, along with the “beheadings in the desert”, as part of a campaign against immigrants and to promote the election of radical Republicans? During the campaign Jan Brewer looked extremely shaken up every time she refused to discuss her false claims about beheadings. Was this simply not wanting to admit a mistake, or did she know more about the origins of these claims?
Capitalizing on fear seems to serve both politicians and private sector.
Several new stories make Arizona politics look like a murky swamp. This is the state where a mayor claims to have been approached by a private prison representative to build a prison for “long term incarceration of women and children”. The prison industry then went on to help write the anti-immigration legislation that might make huge profits for its sector. The panicky spirit of AZ immigration law itself quickly spread to other states’ legislatures where other bills impinging on human rights is being considered. The swamp expands.
Should someone be sewing together the disparate stories that over time show complex partisanship issues and allegations of corruption being played out in the courts?
Bush/Gonzales fired U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton who was going after at least one official for alleged corruption in 2007. There are claims Charlton was asked to slow down investigations during election season.
More recently, Thomas & Aubuchon are in trouble for allegedly inappropriate investigations into alleged official corruption. The news reports themselves are so convoluted as to be unintelligible.
An investigative journalism team could have a field day in lovely, sunny Arizona.
Brewer’s a reactionary numbskull, KatyB, and I think she just couldn’t get over the fact that she was actually challenged on her preposterous claims. The badness of a State rises in direct proportion to the amount of reactionaries in public office, and Arizona is trying to out-do Texas in that regard.
I feel so much better it is only 250 kidnappings down from 350.Im trying to see how many kidnappings are occurring on our Canadian boarder.Funny i cant find any.Oh and lets not forget that many of the kidnappings/rapes/murders that go unreported due to fear.So lets blame the minutemen,the sheriffs,the mayors on up /and down.The immigration officers,and the area press.Never blame the president who refuses to CLOSE THE FRIGGIN BOARDERS! Reactionaries????Want to know the definition of those reactionaries in Texas?Men who CAN see he forrest for the trees
i suspect that contra the nyt’s “border violence,” that it’s better described as “drug trade violence.”