SB1070 protesters, police face off in PHX
by Jim Cross/KTAR; Kevin Tripp/KTAR and Bob McClay/KTAR (July 29th, 2010 @ 1:15pm)

PHOENIX -- Police in riot gear confronted protesters to Arizona's immigration law who took to downtown Phoenix streets Thursday and tried to block the entrance to a county jail.

At least 45 people were arrested as the protesters flooded Washington Street between the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Phoenix City Hall.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- who has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration -- said the protesters tried to block the sally port to his Fourth Avenue Jail. he vowed they would not be allowed to disrupt jail operations.

After arresting several people, deputies closed the doors to the vehicle entrance to the jail.

Protesters also blocked light rail tracks in the downtown area, forcing Valley metro to set up a shuttle train between Central Station and 12th Street.

Valley Metro's Howard Steer said passengers would deboard their trains at 12th street "and then we'll get them on a single train, whether they're continuing from 12th to the downtown core or vice versa headed eastbound."

Authorities said some of those arrested were professional demonstrators who wanted to be arrested. One man tried to hop on top of a police cruiser, and police pulled him down.

The protests came hours after a watered down SB1070 took effect. A federal injunction issued Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of the law.

Among those arrested in the early hours of Thursday's demonstrations, before the street confrontation began, was former state lawmaker Alfredo Gutierrez.

Gutierrez, a one-time state senator turned immigrants rights activist, was busted by federal agents for trespassing when he walked onto the plaza outside the federal courthouse.

Police flooded the downtown area at daylight, anticipating possibly thousands of demonstrators, although a federal injunction blocked the most controversial parts of the law from taking effect.

Fourth Avenue was blocked off north of Washington Street and Third Avenue was lined with patrol units.

Officers were stationed around federal, county and city buildings in the area.

Police expected as many as 3,000 -- both supporters and opponents of SB1070 -- to gather in the area during the day. They include 11 busloads of protesters that left Los Angeles Thursday morning.

Several hundred people, waving U.S. and Mexican flags, gathered outside the sheriff's headquarters.

The Sheriff's office said had been told about a "Day of Non-compliance -- Jailhouse Rock" to disrupt jail operations and bookings.

"Not going to happen," said Arpaio. "These irresponsible individuals who plan to create so much congestion around the jail that we cannot accept prisoners will end up being prisoners themselves. My deputies will arrest them and put them in pink underwear, count on it."

As a security measure, Arpaio put the 1,400 inmates at the Fourth Avenue Jail under 24-hour lockdown and cancelled public visitation. Only legal visits were permitted.

The Sheriff's Office also said that extra security was ordered for Arpaio after federal investigators told him he again is the target of a million-dollar assassination contract by a Mexican drug cartel.

SB1070 took effect at midnight Wednesday although it was stripped of several provisions by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton, ruling on a challenge filed by the U.S. Justice Department. She agreed that some parts of SB1070 unconstitutionally usurped the federal government's authority over immigration enforcement.

About 100 people gathered at the state Capitol in the pre-dawn hours Thursday and marched to the Trinity Cathedral in downtown Phoenix.

Marchers wore shirts that said, "I ain't running any more," and "We will remember in November."

Carlos Velez from Tucson said, although a federal judge blocked the key pieces from taking effect, the issue is far from settled.

If it goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, "I think people better realize that court's going to vote 5-4 for it -- not for the stay, but for supporting 1070," Velez said.

Raymond Rodiguez said he is relieved that the judge put a hold on key parts that anger the Latino community.

"I think a lot of people hopefully will be able to stay around as opposed to picking up and uprooting their children out of schools and moving out of state," Rodriguez said. "It will give them breathing room in being able to see what is the next step."

Both opponents and supporters of the law had planned demonstrations Thursday before Bolton issued the injunction against provisions which included requiring police to determine the immigration status of a person they stopped if there was reasonable suspicion that person was in the United States illegally. The state of Arizona planned to appeal Bolton's decision to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday.