Slain Cop?s Widow Accuses Arizona Law Proponents Of Invoking Her Husband?s Memory For Political Gain
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on May 6th, 2010 4:40 am by HL
Slain Cop?s Widow Accuses Arizona Law Proponents Of Invoking Her Husband?s Memory For Political Gain
Julie Erfle, the widow of a police officer who was killed by an undocumented immigrant and whose name has often been invoked by supporters of Arizona’s new immigration law, is accusing the bill’s supporters of “using her husband’s name to benefit politically and financially.” Erfle is asking lawmakers to cut through the “rhetoric” and “fear-mongering.” […]
Julie Erfle, the widow of a police officer who was killed by an undocumented immigrant and whose name has often been invoked by supporters of Arizona’s new immigration law, is accusing the bill’s supporters of “using her husband’s name to benefit politically and financially.” Erfle is asking lawmakers to cut through the “rhetoric” and “fear-mongering.” The Arizona Republic reports:
The new law established by Senate Bill 1070 would have done nothing, she [Erfle] said, to prevent 22-year-old Erik Jovani Martinez – a Mexican national and gang member with a history of drug abuse, who had been deported from the U.S. before the incident – from shooting her husband in the face during an altercation on 24th Street near Pinchot Drive.
“I really don’t think it would have,” Erfle said. “I don’t think it presents a solution to the problem. I think it’s a Band-Aid approach.
“My concern with this bill, though, is what it does to law enforcement,” she said. “This bill puts them under a microscope. I feel it’s a no-win situation for an officer. I don’t think it keeps officers safe.” […] “My opinion on it is that this isn’t the solution, that we need something on the federal level,” she said.
Several Arizona police officers themselves appear to agree with Erfle. Last week, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who has been a cop for 52 years, told local TV station KGUN9 that the law is “racist,” “digusting,” and “unnecessary,” and he won’t enforce it. The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police and the president of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police have come out strongly against the law. The first lawsuit against SB-1070 was filed last week by a 15-year veteran of the Tucson police force, Martin Escobar.
Erfle has repeatedly stated that her husband would be “infuriated” to hear his name being used by politicians promoting Arizona’s immigration law if he were still alive. Erfle began speaking out against the Arizona bill as early as March of this year when she told the Arizona Republic that it “would be nice to bring the rhetoric down. It would be nice to see a solution.” Watch it:
