A mere $400,000 in taxpayer dollars will pacify ACLU lawyer

Daniel Pochoda, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of AZ (ACLU) has named Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas,  Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other employees of the agencies in his notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit.

Last November, Pochoda was arrested for trespassing in the parking lot of M.D. Pruitt’s Furniture store as supporters of illegal immigration were demonstrating in front of the store, in an ongoing effort to block customer access to the business. Sheriff’s deputies were working security at the scene.

A sheriff’s report indicates that prior to his arrest, Pochoda engaged in a verbal confrontation with deputies about his right to be in the parking lot. He refused repeated opportunities to leave the premises on his own, according to a report in the daily.

Thomas released a statement tying Pochoda’s legal claim to the ACLU’s opposition to a state law denying bail to illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes. The ACLU and Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) brought a class-action lawsuit in federal court challenging Proposition 100 last month.

“We will not be deterred from enforcing Proposition 100, nor will we be intimidated into giving preferential treatment to ACLU defendants,” Thomas’s statement read.

Pochoda has offered to settle the case for $400,000.