Quartzsite, Arizona: blueprint for a police state takeover?

Quartzsite, AZ mayor Ed Foster

Madison Ruppert, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

First the town Mayor is forced out of office, then a state of emergency is declared in secret.  And, if matters couldn’t get any worse for the unfortunate townspeople of Quartzsite, the majority of the police force is now being forced to stay in their own homes during working hours.

Nine out of a total of fourteen Quartzsite, Arizona police officers have been suspended, all of who just happened to be whistle blowers who exposed their corrupt police chief.

The Mayor, Ed Foster, was elected on the platform of investigating the corrupt goings-on in the Quartzsite city council. Therefore, it is not quite surprising that they would force out the man who intends to prove them to be criminals.

The city has now become an authoritarian police state with the criminal police chief Jeff Gilbert at the helm.

Gilbert has been accused of violating federal medical privacy laws, intimidation of officers and members of the community with whom he disagrees, using police resources to find “dirt” on political candidates and citizens with whom he disagrees, favoritism to the point of not arresting friends who have warrants, targeting certain citizens for traffic stops and arrests due to their beliefs or political ideas, disciplining officers not on merit but “loyalty” to Gilbert and his illegal activity, publicly humiliating officers he decides are “unfit,” and last but not least selectively promotes his friends in direct violation of police department regulations.

A detailed letter explaining the chief’s illicit activities issued by the Quartzsite Police Officers Association can be read here.

The Quartzsite Police Officers Association’s conclusion is that Gilbert must be placed on administrative leave until a thorough investigation is conducted and that town policy is followed accordingly.

The astoundingly corrupt city council declared a state of emergency in the small Arizona town during a secret meeting.  This arbitrarily declared state of emergency allows the council to continue to meet in secret and refuses to allow the public to comment until the council decides the state of emergency has ceased.

The scary part is: there is no emergency other than the one this council has created. A corrupt group of bureaucrats are holding an entire town hostage and Arizona’s governor refuses to step in.

The state of martial law declared by the criminals in the council began after the video of a woman was removed for legally speaking when recognized during a public meeting.

When the city council attempts to impede on Jennifer Jade Jones’ First Amendment rights, Mayor Foster points out that the police are in fact “in violation of [his] rules of order.”

Mayor Foster did not recognize the officers; Jones was recognized at the time and had every right to speak her mind for the entirety of her time allotted.

The police attempt to rip the microphone from her grasp and at first Mayor Foster is able to call off the goons, but eventually the police illegally removed her from the meeting anyway.

The brave Mayor Foster discovered that during every pay period 8-10 checks were sent to non-existent personnel, totaling $250,000 each year.

This practice has been going on since 1991 and Mayor Foster has been denied access to the financial records showing where this money goes.

This is, on its face, a blatant violation of the law and a not-so-subtle attempt to cover up a decade of corruption.

Mayor Foster has gone to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s office along with the Attorney General and the FBI with this information — all gave him the cold shoulder.

This was explained by Governor Brewer’s office, claiming they referred Foster to the Attorney General who in turn claimed that no formal complaint was lodged, while the FBI would not confirm anything.

Foster has already been harassed and unlawfully investigated by the police chief who now is at the center of this authoritarian regime that is occupying Quartzsite, Arizona.

When Foster attempted to stop the police from unlawfully arresting Jones for the third time he was slapped with a “disorderly conduct and interference” citation.

In response to a July 13th email sent, Governor Brewer’s Office of Constituent Services said, “the Governor does not have the authority to intervene in local law enforcement matters. Nor does this office have the authority to investigate misconduct by the police, county jails, federal prisons, and/or judges.”

This sets a pretty disturbing precedent. Where does it end? Does this mean that every town in America could declare a state of emergency and erect a naked police state with Governors not doing anything to stop it?

In an uncharacteristically accurate Fox News segment of the show Freedom Watch, it is pointed out that it is “martial law in their town.”

Fox News got the run-around from authorities as well. The Arizona Department of Public Safety claimed they do not even have a timeline for the multimillion dollar corruption investigation.

Furthermore, when questioned about the police chief forcing honorable officers to stay in their homes, the DPS said, “we are not in charge of Quartzsite.” The Attorney General’s office claimed a statement would be issued soon but no such statement has been issued as of yet.

Not only have the nine officers been forced to stay in their homes from 8 AM to 12 PM and 1 PM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, they have been threatened with dismissal if they refuse to do so.

If this isn’t a wakeup call for America, what will be?

RELATED ACTIVIST POST ARTICLE:
9 Out of Quartzsite’s 14 Cops Suspended After Blowing Whistle on Chief; Governor Ignores