How Latino activists brought down powerful Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio
Driving While Brown is a saga and a warning. Two investigative journalists spent several years chronicling the human consequences of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's relentless immigration enforcement in Maricopa County, Arizona. They tell the tale of two dueling movements-Arizona's restrictionist cause embraced by Joe Arpaio and the Latino resistance that rose up against him. This inside story of the wrenching battles that embittered and divided Arizonans offers a fresh perspective on the roots of the Trump administration's national crusade against immigrants.
The narrative follows activist Lydia Guzman, who paid a steep personal price for gathering evidence in a landmark racial-profiling lawsuit that took surprising twists and stunned the nation. The daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Guzman was one voice in the Latino-led resistance-a coalition of men and women of different generations united in their unfaltering resolve to stop Arpaio, reform unconstitutional law enforcement, and fight for their civil rights. Driving While Brown documents Arpaio's transformation from "America's Toughest Sheriff," who forced jail inmates to wear pink underwear, into the nation's most notorious immigration enforcer. A polarizing figure in recent American history, the sheriff was celebrated by a national fan base even as he became a symbol of white supremacy to his foes. After being found guilty of a crime tied to disobeying a federal judge, Arpaio was pardoned by his friend, Donald Trump.
In Driving While Brown, Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block immerse readers in the lives of people on both sides of this tense narrative. The result of tireless investigative reporting, their book provides critical insights into effective resistance to entrenched, institutionalized racism in law enforcement.
- ISBN10 0520294084
- ISBN13 9780520294080
- Publish Date 18 May 2021 (first published 20 April 2021)
- Publish Status Forthcoming
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of California Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 416
- Language English