Latina voices silenced by “classless” move
Latina women employed in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have had their voices silenced by the leadership of the Hispanic Women’s Conference.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that it has been informed by the Hispanic Women’s Corporation, a group which hosts an annual Hispanic Women’s conference in Phoenix, that its $800.00 fee for an exhibitor’s booth at this year’s conference is being returned because a decision has been made by the HWC leadership to not have a booth sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office present at the event. The conference is scheduled for September 26-27, 2013, at the Phoenix Convention Center.
In an early evening September 10, 2013 phone call to James Estrada, the Director of Community Outreach for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the HWC’s president, Linda Mazon Gutierrez, explained that the Sheriff’s Office would not be welcomed this year. The group had previously accepted the $800.00 fee on August 29, 2013. It was returned to the Sheriff on September 11, 2013. Mazon Guiterrez had previously served on the National Council of La Raza General Board of Directors, according to published reports.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said, “This decision appears to be entirely political and that’s a judgment based on the background of the president of this group. The shame is that we could have interacted with future employees of the Sheriff’s Office. At a time when jobs are scarce, that’s not something to play politics with.”
“If they will give the time, I’m willing to attend the conference and address the attendees,” Arpaio continued. “My policy is that I will speak to any group, any time.”
In June of this year, Arpaio addressed the opening session of the 107th National Baptist Congress, which was held at the Phoenix Convention Center. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has been involved in past conferences by primarily operating an employment recruiting booth. The conference attracts thousands of professional Latina women and corporate sponsors to this annual event.
This year, the booth that the Sheriff’s Office had purchased was to be staffed with women of various ranks within the office, including a deputy chief and a number of lieutenants and sergeants, as well as command level administrative assistants, to foster the message that “MCSO Empowers Women.” Many Latina officers had volunteered to be part of the effort, so the rejection by the HWC hits greatly upon the Hispanic women in the Sheriff’s Office.
“We are saddened by the decision reached by the corporate officers of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation,” said Estrada. “Our intention in attending was to promote a new culture within the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office that has as its root the core belief that law enforcement and the community it serves should have a strong bond of trust that makes for safer common areas and neighborhoods. The HWC decision, unfortunately, can be viewed as a lost opportunity to build that trust.”
Hispanics employed in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office represents 23% of the 3,200 strong overall workforce, or greater than 700 individuals, who hold ranks and positions that permeate all levels of command and administration. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office also employ as officers over 100 non-U.S. citizens who hold green cards from 28 countries, a program started by Sheriff Arpaio.