Arizona Shock Jock's Dangerous Call for 'Bloodshed' in Polling Places

By Rory O'Connor, RoryOConnor.org. Posted August 21, 2008.

Last month, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona's Maricopa County visited nearby Pima County for a book signing ("Joe’s Law: America's Toughest Sheriff Takes on Illegal Immigration, Drugs and Everything Else that Threatens America") at a Tucson Barnes & Noble. The event drew protests against the controversial and reactionary lawman, who has been running immigration sweeps in heavily Hispanic sections of the Phoenix area. Several immigrant and human rights groups, including the Coalición de Derechos Humanos, or The Human Rights Coalition, wanted to send a clear message that "Arpaio’s racist and divisive policies are not welcome in Pima County."

The demonstration, which turned out about 100 protesters, was energetic but peaceful, highlighted by teenagers whacking a piñata effigy of Arpaio - a calm and fairly common protest practice in Southwest. Afterward, local attorney and Derechos Humanos co-chair Isabel Garcia told the press that Arpaio's trip to Tucson "to promote a book filled with lies, fear and ignorant perspectives about immigrants was especially appalling to us." Garcia, who is employed as Pima County's Legal Defender (akin to a public defender), was also videotaped picking up the decapitated piñata head and carrying it around.

Local talk radio host “Jon Justice” was also present at the piñata protest. He took the footage of Garcia holding the head and used it to launch a campaign calling for her head, intent on getting Garcia fired — and even disbarred. Justice plies his talk trade at KQTH 104.1 FM, which calls itself “The Truth” and boasts a daily lineup that features several of "America's 10 worst hate talkers" including Laura Ingraham, Neal Boortz and Michael Savage.

Justice, who reportedly lost a previous on-air slot in Michigan when he pretended to drown a dog on-air, posted the Garcia videotape online and followed it with two YouTube videos (video 1, video 2) that showed him caressing a life-sized doll of Isabel Garcia. Saying, “I want to take her home” while pawing the model, Justice joked about how Garcia’s form was really light because “Chorizo’s not that fattening.”

Blogger D.J. Waletzky supplies more detail:

"As Justice canoodles with his Garcia doll, he voices her responses in a shrill faux-Chicano accent. Justice has his effigy saying things like, ‘No, you did not fondle me at all. As a matter of fact, when you held me, it felt so warm. So nice. Having you hold me in your arms made me feel warm like the inside of a freshly cooked chimichanga. And I thank you for that. And I would really love to go home with you.’ He then proceeded to make out with the Isabel Garcia ‘mascot’ as his cameraman protested that the whole thing is ‘totally creeping me out right now.’"

Although Justice has taken down the videos of him feeling up the Garcia doll, the controversy continues to rage. A recent blog post revealed his dismay at the blowback against him:

“Welcome to the hypocrisy as Isabels Garcias [sic] group DERECHOS HUMANOS has launched a campaign against me! Do I work for the government? Does the taxpayer pay my salary? What what [sic] about my 1st Amendment rights? No one ever said that Isabel and Derechos never had the “right” to protest. It was and is still about a lawyer and public servant acting inappropriate per the AZ State Bar Rules and Pima County Policy.”

Derechos Humanos has responded by calling on sponsors to pull their ads from KQTH — part of the Journal Broadcast Group, which operates three other Tucson radio stations, along with television outlet KGUN. The group invited supporters "to contact these businesses to let them know that you are concerned about their support of hate radio, and encourage them to promote their businesses with media outlets that stand behind the principles of dignity and respect.” But the effect of the boycott call is unclear - in part because Journal executives are holding to a no-comment-to-the-media stance.

See more stories tagged with: arizona, joe arpaio, derechos humanos, maricopa county, jon justice

Filmmaker and journalist Rory O'Connor is the author of "Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio" (AlterNet Books, 2008). O'Connor also writes the Media Is A Plural blog.

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