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ACLU arrest marks latest run-in with MCSO
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The arrest of the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona by Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies last weekend was the latest run-in between two high-profile organizations that have had a bitter relationship in recent years.
Daniel Pochoda was arrested on Saturday afternoon after he arrived at a protest rally at a furniture store in east Phoenix, where he was asked to observe the interaction between the protestors and sheriff’s deputies.
The demonstrators were opposed to a decision by Pruitt’s Furniture to hire sheriff’s deputies to keep day-laborers from gathering on the property.
Pochoda, 65, would not speak about specific details leading to the arrest but said it was unwarranted and only happened after he identified himself as a high-ranking member of the civil rights group.
“There have been times in my life where my mouth has gotten me in to a lot of trouble. But this was not one of those times,” Pochoda said Monday.
He was arrested about 12:15 p.m. and posted bail later that day. He said it was his first arrest and said he plans to hire a criminal attorney.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Monday that his arrest had nothing to do with the fact that Pochoda works for the ACLU.
“I had no idea that he worked for them until he was brought to jail. It would have made no difference because I wouldn’t have treated him any differently,” he said.
Arpaio’s past dealings with the national civil rights groups date back to the early 1990s after he was first elected. The ACLU first sued Arpaio’s office after when he banned all pornographic materials from the jails. The ACLU lost the suit.
In 2002, Eleanor Eisenberg, then the executive director of the ACLU, was arrested by sheriff’s deputies during a protest rally during a visit by President Bush.
Recently, Arpaio’s office has battled in court with the ACLU, including a case claiming the sheriff’s office violated a woman’s rights when they refused to transport her to get an abortion. The ACLU won the case.
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