FEELINGS RUN HIGH ON DUPNIK
About 350 people rallied outside the Pima County Sheriff'sDepartment headquarters on Friday in a show of just how stronglySheriff Clarence Dupnik's supporters and opponents feel about him.
Crowd estimates split the number of people about evenly betweenthose who support the sheriff and those who want him out of officefollowing comments he made linking the Jan. 8 Tucson shootingrampage to vitriol in politics.
The Pima County Tea Party Patriots first announced they wereholding the rally to "Dump Dupnik" last week. The group has calledfor the sheriff to resign because it says he politicized theshootings without evidence and embarrassed the community to anational audience.
That rally prompted those who support the sheriff to show up aswell, despite the Pima County Democratic Party chairman's requestthey avoid a counterdemonstration.
Both sides talked about free speech as they practiced it withsigns and chants on the shoulder of Benson Highway just west ofSouth Kino Parkway.
"We're here to send a message to Sheriff Dupnik that he's notgoing to silence us and we believe that's what he attempted to dowith his comments," said Allyson Miller, a Pima County Tea PartyPatriots organizer.
One of those who disagrees with Dupnik is Walt Setzer, who filedpaperwork this week to run against Dupnik in 2012.
Setzer, who filed to run as a Republican, said he thought someoneshould run against Dupnik when the sheriff announced last summerthat he would not support Arizona's new immigration-enforcement law.Then Dupnik expressed his opinion during the shooting investigation,Setzer, a former U.S marshal and former Border Patrol agent, said hedecided to run for office.
"Law enforcement officers don't do that," he said of Dupnik'scomments on both issues.
Kathy Armbruster said she didn't like the way Dupnik painted thecommunity to a national audience.
"It makes it sound like we're such a horrible state with suchawful people. We need someone who likes Arizona" in office, shesaid.
On the other side, supporters also talked about what Dupnik saidJan. 8.
"He was exercising his freedom and I completely agree with whathe said," said Priscilla Benbrook. "It's fine to disagree, it's fineto argue. But in terms of rhetoric ... once it gets to hatredthere's no need for it."
James Panico said he was out of town the day of the shootings,and saw Dupnik's remarks on television.
"I think he said something in public that needed to be said,"Panico said. While he said he doesn't think the vitriolic politicaldiscourse is the sole reason for the gunman's actions, "it seepsinto the culture and affects people," Panico said.
Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is facing federal charges in the attack.
Supporter Cheryl Bechtle said she came to the rally to supportDupnik because she didn't want to just stand by.
"He called it like he saw it. The truth is that vitriol isinfecting the whole country, not just Arizona, and it's dangerous,"Bechtle said.
The two groups were divided by police officers standing betweentwo lines of police tape, spaced about 15 feet apart. Occasionallythe two sides would shout across to one another, but the rallieswere peaceful.
Tucson police officers supervised the event, which was insidecity limits, and Dupnik did not make an appearance.
A group working to recall the sheriff was also at the rally.Though not associated with the Pima County Tea Party Patriots, DanBaltes kicked off his recall campaign Friday afternoon and gatheredsignatures for the recall outside the sheriff's headquarters.
Baltes is executive director of Americans Against ImmigrationAmnesty and hosts an Internet talk-radio show in Salt Lake City.He's heading up the Dupnik recall because many of his organization'smembers contacted him wondering what they could do after they heardDupnik's comments, he said.
He said Friday that the move is not political, but is insteadbecause Dupnik shouldn't have linked the shooting to politicalmotives when he didn't have evidence and the investigation was stillunder way.
Among the quotes that have gained attention, Dupnik said Arizona"has become the mecca of bigotry and hatred."
"If this was a Republican that made the same statements, I wouldbe doing the same thing," Baltes said Friday.
Dupnik is up for re-election next year.
The sheriff has declined to comment on the recall effort and therallies. A spokesman for the department did not say whether Dupnikwas at the office during the rallies.
Contact reporter Andrea Kelly at akelly@azstarnet.com or 807-7790.
On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/video for a video of SheriffDupnik making comments on prejudice and bigotry in Southern Arizona.
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