Sheriff Joe Arpaio Interview Interrupted By Bohemian Rhapsody

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by Colby Hall | 3:47 pm, December 1st, 2009

» 13 comments

sherrif_joe_interrupted Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication invited Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to speak Monday night, but his appearance was cut short when a group of protestors broke into their own version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Arpaio who promotes himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” has become controversial for his approach to illegal immigration.

Christine Lee reports for AZ Central:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio waited two-and-a-half-minutes while protesters interrupted and sang during his live interview at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism. Then, he stood up and left, cutting short the hour-long special event.

After Arpaio’s departure, Dean Christopher Callahan said while he understood the public’s passion for the issue, he felt it was misdirected. “These are people who are very much against the Sheriff’s policies, and what they succeeded in doing is stopping focused, intense questioning of his policies,” he said.

Callahan said had the protesters begun singing earlier, he could have relocated the Sheriff’s interview. But with 12 minutes until the end of the event, he said he felt there wasn’t enough time to do so. When asked what he learned from the sheriff’s walking out, Callahan responded, “When you have a public outcry like that, it works, and you get on the 10 o’clock news.”

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http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Here’s more detail about the actual forum content.

This newspaper report focuses mostly on his relationship with the media. He’s not exactly forthcoming with the answers and there were a couple of questions specifically about his relationship with the local alternative weekly and the time he arrested two of their reporters.

The Phoenix New Times have been very rough on Sheriff Joe and I remember reading about their arrest, but I don’t have a link at my fingertips and simply punching his (unimproved) name into their search engine brings up a 100 pages of hits.
RazorsEdge

To add more to this:

Arpaio was being interviewed by 3 journalists. When protesters began singing “‘Immigration Rhapsody’ song (lyrics here http://www.statepress.com/node/9659 ) all of the journalists AND Arpaio began walking out. In fact, before Arapio left, one of the journalists went up to the Cronkite Dean of journalism (event host) and asked to stop the event.

Arpaio left after ALL of the journalists on stage interviewing him had already left the stage. Only the Cronkite School Dean remained on stage chastising the protesters.

Here’s the video: Protesters begin at minute 46. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2683457
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Sorry about not closing that first link, but both still appear to work.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

One more and I’ll shut-up, but before someone wants to throw stones… I guess he was being forthcoming and had only given it a cursory read. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he wasn’t backing down and the gist of some of his answers were along the lines of “I’m a famous Sheriff”.
RazorsEdge

To add more to this:

Arpaio was being interviewed by 3 journalists. When protesters began singing “‘Immigration Rhapsody’ song (lyrics here – bit.ly/692lTI ) all of the journalists AND Arpaio began walking out. In fact, before Arapio left, one of the journalists went up to the Cronkite Dean of journalism (event host) and asked to stop the event.

Arpaio left after ALL of the journalists on stage interviewing him had already left the stage. Only the Cronkite School Dean remained on stage chastising the protesters.

Here’s the video: Protesters begin at minute 46. Video – bit.ly/8Z5ptL
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@RazorsEdge: I know that I personally appreciate the link to the lyrics and the full event. It’ll give me something to run in the background later.

Though, if there’s any voyeurs out there looking for just the protest and nothing else, South Carolina’s The State has a link to the AP video Fox used under their report attached to their brief.
ImNotBlue

Ah… free speech at the journalism school. Well, I guess “free speech” for some… but not for all. If you can’t win with facts, disrupt and annoy.

How, unsurprising… but always disappointing.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Joe Arpaio is nothing more than a present day Bull Connor.
ImNotBlue

Bill Adkins says:
December 1, 2009 at 9:05 pm

And where does that put YOU on the list?
bcnulater

Bill Adkins, glad to know you are well read, know all about Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County, undocumented immigrants, coyotes, kidnapping, murder etc.
It is a known fact, Sheriff Joe has an enormous ego, never met a microphone or camera he did not like but he does enforce the laws that are on the books.
He was in a forum of journalists that had the opportunity to ask the hard questions, but others felt it was necessary to voice their opposition that caused the interview to be cut short. Similar to the Town Hall meetings that were held this summer which some thought of the protester as ignorant.
The biggest lost was not hearing the final questions and answers.
BTW – Since Janet Napolitano has gone to DC, we now have a Christmas tree and a menorah at the State capital instead of a holiday tree and candle holder.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

I noted the Town Hall similarities and the hypocrisy of those who criticized these college kids who shouthed down Arpaio but approve of adults, even senior citizens, shouting down congressmen at Town Halls. I would assert the biggest loss then, too, was not hearing the final questions and answers. Does the circumstance in your state capital meet the political correctness demanded by O’Reilly?
bcnulater

BOR never entered my thoughts, since you brought it up; you could say that Gov. Brewer now has a ‘No Spin Zone’ at the state capital.
The incident is now soooo yesterday, not a word in the AZ Republic this AM. The Hot news is Tiger Woods, Obama/Afghanistan and the Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Arpaio have filed suit against county administrators, elected officials, judges and attorneys for violating federal racketeering laws by hindering criminal investigations and depriving their offices of resources. Sounds like Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio should be assigned to investigate the CRU and IPCC with TMZ as the lead media group – Might actually uncover the rest of the dirt.
jackwilson

Liberals are incapable of distinguishing between immigration and illegal immigration.