Joe Arpaio Reportedly Is Now ‘Distressed’ by Being Called a Racist. Twitter Offers the Perfect Response.
‘Please Please Whatever You Do Don’t Suggest Arpaio Is a Racist Thug. It Hurts Him. It Really Hurts’
Joe Arpaio, some might say, has gotten away with a lot. For 23 years he was the sheriff of Arizona’s Maricopa County, and became famous for his horrific treatment of prisoners, and targeting of Hispanics. His infamous “tent city,” an outdoor jail for prisoners, subjected them to temperatures at times over 140 degrees. This Twitter account, active since 2009, appears to be Arpaio’s:
The media has been giving me a lot of heat lately but nothing compared to tent city! You think you’re hot? It’s 128 degrees there today!
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) June 23, 2011
Countless prisoners died during his tenure, and the suicide rate was astronomical. Conditions in his jail were deemed unconstitutional. The cruelty he and his officers displayed over the decades is unconscionable.Â
Sadly, he never faced criminal prosecution for all of his actions (the list is long). The Arizona Republic reports “Arpaio was convicted of disobeying a judge’s order to stop enforcing immigration, which was never a job mandated by state statutes for a county sheriff.”Â
Friday night, President Trump pardoned Arpaio for that conviction, leading to massive nation-wide outrage. On Monday, Trump told reporters he made the announcement during Hurricane Harvey because he “assumed the ratings would be far higher.”
Hours later, a reporter for The Arizona Republic took to Twitter to report that Arpaio is growing “distressed” that he’s being called a “racist”:
NEW Arpaio’s team will put out statement asking media to stop saying he is racist; he’s been distressed by mischaracterization of reports
— YvonneWingettSanchez (@yvonnewingett) August 28, 2017
On Twitter, Yes, You’re Racist, which worked to identify the names of white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville and expose them, had this suggestion:
It would be simply awful if the hashtag #RacistJoe started trending
— Yes, You’re Racist (@YesYoureRacist) August 29, 2017
Given Arpaio’s decades of racist actions, Twitter knew exactly what to do:
#RacistJoe lets make it official and create a hashtag… Justice will be served: “Social Media Justice”
— .•oO{(((Dash)))}Oo•. (@dashfromwhere) August 28, 2017
Please please whatever you do don’t suggest Arpaio is a racist thug. It hurts him. It really hurts him.https://t.co/PEHBs0TVJC
— VeryFinePopehat (@Popehat) August 28, 2017
motion to only ever refer to joe arpaio as “the racist†from now on https://t.co/sDYjXz7Fm8
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) August 28, 2017
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist
Arpaio is Racist https://t.co/H10QBhqoH9— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) August 28, 2017
Can we please get #RacistJoe trending as a simple reminder to @RealSherriffJoe that he dug his own hole by being a racist?
— Gramma AF (@IAmTheCrew) August 28, 2017
I couldn’t even imagine how it would feel if #RacistJoe started trending.
— Michael Ratliff (@mwmike11) August 29, 2017
I thought Arizona would be too hot for snowflakes. #RacistJoe https://t.co/58R4EOLgtH
— Andrew Tumilty (@AndrewTumilty) August 28, 2017
@RealSheriffJoe how do you like your new nickname? Racist Joe #RacistJoe
— Bradley John (@banningbradleyj) August 28, 2017
I don’t think Trump would like it much if #RacistJoe started trending on Twitter. What a shame that would be. https://t.co/JFsB0BbzjN
— Pat120 (@Pat120) August 29, 2017
Racist Joe Arpaio doesn’t like being called a racist. Stop calling him a racist. Don’t RT things about Racist Joe being racist. #RacistJoe https://t.co/RYcLKuXWsq
— Andy Rattinger (@Rattinger) August 28, 2017
Almost NO ONE self-identifies as a racist. Even Racist Joe. #racistjoe https://t.co/z1FDNXiNJX
— Tananarive Due (@TananariveDue) August 29, 2017
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