Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes of its Own Success
By J. James Estrada (08/02/07)
Phoenix, Arizona is a growing metropolis unlike any other in the country. In one Friday to Sunday period (July 27-29), it had the dubious distinction of bringing to the nation a tragic mid-air helicopter collision and crash which cost the lives of four news gathering professionals (two pilot-reporters and two cameramen), the shooting and killing in cold blood of a Phoenix police officer by a soulless thug in a check cashing store, and a bizarre story of an exorcism that left the "exerciser" dead.
News like this may be commonplace in New York, Chicago, Boston or Los Angeles, but little old Phoenix? How many people east of the Hudson River, or, the Mississippi, for that matter, still view Arizona as the Old West? With visions of cowboys and saloons and rattlesnakes dancing in their heads, the Northeast, Midwest and South have very little evidence to suggest that things have changed out here. In fact, they say, isn't the Grand Canyon in New Mexico? Or is it Nevada? Arizona is not even remembered for its most treasured natural attraction.
But, that's "up North" anyway. In Phoenix and its surrounding sister cities, collectively known as the Valley of the Sun, change has come fast and hard. Traffic gives an immediate clue to this notion. Valley freeways are full and in need of many hundred additional miles to accommodate all the growth. Crime is another indicator of a city reaching "adolescence" in its lifespan. Sure, most of the country is familiar with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America's toughest sheriff. But does the country know that crime in this area ranks number 1 or 2 in a variety of categories from car theft to identity theft?
While Governor Janet Napolitano presides over the state from her downtown Phoenix office, it is another office here that is effectively rolling up its sleeves and dealing with crime stemming from the drug trade, illegal immigration and the like. That would be the County Attorney's office. Elected in 2004, Andrew Thomas is the top prosecutor in the nation's third largest county, Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, Chandler, Gilbert and other thriving communities that draw residents from states far and near.
Thomas campaigned on ending illegal immigration. He was asked in the months prior to his election, "How can a county attorney end illegal immigration?" The answers are coming faster than the next wave of California U-Haul trucks crossing the states western border. First, Thomas called for a new law called "Conspiracy to Commit Human Smuggling." He and Sheriff Joe have been working to put those who pay coyotes to bring them across the state's southern border illegally into jail. Now, the County Attorney is gearing up to handle the nation's first Employer Sanction Law, which takes effect January 1, 2008. This law calls for the prosecution of employers knowingly hiring illegal aliens. Thomas says he understands the concerns of the business community, but "the law is the law and it will be enforced."
Tough town. Tough laws. Tough lawmen. It comes with the territory. Too bad the tragedies and the crime rate are an indication of growth for a metropolis, but, the company of great men, like Arpaio and Thomas, are also an indication of a city on the move.
J. James Estrada
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