Justin's Political Corner

As a “Joe’s Got to Go” citizens movement ramps up its campaign and a groundswell of support grows daily for Maricopa County sheriff candidate Paul Penzone, notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio is facing the most serious challenge to his 20-year career from several different fronts.

A searing new ad by longtime Phoenix activist Devon Fleenor seeks to broaden the outrage over Arpaio’s “widespread” reign of racial profiling and civil rights violations, and draw attention to the 80-year-old Sheriff’s bungling of hundreds of sex crimes investigations, including child molestation and rape.

As opposed to Arpaio’s huge war chest of out-of-state donors, Fleenor has launched an online campaign to raise funds to place the ad on Maricopa County area TV stations.

In his new book, If There Were Any Victims, former assistant Phoenix police chief Bill Louis explores how Sheriff Arpaio “failed” these victims. “At this point there is little that can be done to undo the harm they have endured.”

For a galvanized new civil rights movement and their allies in Maricopa County — and across Arizona — bringing down Sheriff Arpaio in this fall’s election will be the first step in the right direction.

H/T: Jeff Biggers at HuffPo