# Ongoing coup d'etat in smalltown Arizona **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 26, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374 "2011-07-26T12:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/1 "2011-07-26T12:08:06Z")
Not really anything that I can debate, I just thought this was interesting. Apparently there’s some sort of [ongoing coup d’etat](http://www.azfamily.com/news/State-of-emergency-declared-in-Quartzsite-AZ-125394083.html) in Quartzsite, a small town in Arizona. The Mayor, elected to clean up corruption, has been ousted after the allegedly corrupt rump council met in secret. [Half of the police force have been placed under virtual house arrest](http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/town-of-quartzsite-puts-more-than-half-of-its-police-department-on-leave), the police department have declared a state of emergency and now the police chief is running the show. This, incidentally, is the same town from which [the recently viral video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihHd9uZKaJg) of a woman being arrested, over the protestations of the Mayor, for speaking in front of the council on the subject of corruption was from. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/2 "2011-07-26T13:11:45Z")
I suspect that the state will step in shortly… I can’t imagine that it isn’t against state law in some fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/3 "2011-07-27T11:20:49Z")
Is Arizona the new Florida? It must be the heat. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/4 "2011-07-27T16:02:48Z")
:sigh: Sorry about that, I’m traveling so I couldn’t keep an eye there… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/5 "2011-07-27T17:30:32Z")
What ever happened in that Arkansas town? Small town America is the real America. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/6 "2011-07-27T19:24:07Z")
The town manager, Alex Taft, now says that the problem is that the Mayor is encouraging people to be disruptive in meetings, and that Miss Jones is a known public menace. :rolleyes: [ > [@Alex Taft](#): > > The prior history is that this woman has been cited between 10 and 12 times for disruption for failing to obey rules. ]([http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/war-of-words-continues-in-quartzsite](http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/war-of-words-continues-in-quartzsite)) It’s 244 miles from Bell, CA to Quartzsite, AZ but somehow it seems like they are closer. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/7 "2011-07-27T19:41:54Z")
Okay, I’ve been doing some looking around in the intarwebz and there’s quite a bit of video of meetings and interviews, and a few photos of allegedly “questionable” situations involving police and council members. Jennifer Jones, the lady who got arrested and escorted out of the meeting, maintains a blog called [The Desert Freedom Press](http://thedesertfreedompress.blogspot.com/) On her blog, I found [this video of council member Joe Winslow alleging that the mayor is part of an anarchist conspiracy to overthrow the city government and calling for his resignation](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9RBh_2NjxY). Note that he makes the allegations during a city council meeting. This city appears to be very fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/8 "2011-07-27T19:55:44Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I found this video of council member Joe Winslow … In Arizona? Such a fine sight to see. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/9 "2011-07-27T20:59:07Z")
Jericho AK The local cops started handing out tickets for everything and everyone and the money collected vanished and a Judge seemed to be in on it. The fire chief got shot, in court, while fighting his ticket. The judge stepped down and exempted all the tickets and the police disbanded but I can’t find anything on what has happened with the Federal investigation. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/10 "2011-07-27T21:22:20Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Jericho AK Alaska? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/11 "2011-07-27T21:31:26Z")
All this to-do in Quartzite? Hardly seems worth it. Except for the annual swap meet, the place is barely more than a pit stop. (there is the [Hi Jolly/Camel Corps monument](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HadjiAliMonument20080707.JPG) which is kind of neat…but that takes about 2 minutes to see) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/12 "2011-07-27T21:35:04Z")
This is small potatoes. Have you seen what the Feds are doing lately? A gang of teabaggers is holding the whole country hostage. I’m beginning to wish I’d bought more gold. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/13 "2011-07-27T21:38:06Z")
The mayor says there’s been about $250k that gone missing every year for like 20 years. That’s about US$5 million, so unless that’s money you’d throw in the street, I’d say it’s a fair characterization to say it’s a big deal. [ > [@](#): > > He said since being in office, he has discovered that every pay period, eight to 10 paychecks go to unnamed people and that he has been denied access to financial records to find out where the money actually goes. He said that’s been happening since 1991 and amounts to $250,000 every year. “That’s literally millions of dollars,” Foster said. ]([Political tyranny in Quartzsite, AZ | Seeing Red AZ](http://seeingredaz.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/political-tyranny-in-quartzsite-az/)) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/14 "2011-07-27T22:10:02Z")
This whole thing is fascinating to me, in the same way that the Wisconsin legislature’s actions in March were fascinating: it seems as if I’m able to see a subversion of democratic processes happen right before my eyes, and I’m not sure there’s any way to stop it. I continue to dig and read online, and came up with this article from last September, [DISPLAYS OF ANGER, OUTRAGE AT QUARTZSITE COUNCIL MEETING](http://www.quartzsitenews.tv/councilmen.htm), which offered the following information: > [@](#): > > Council members have openly refused to accept Foster as their elected Mayor and – in Tuesday’s meeting – attempted to replace Foster by appointing [already appointed as Vice Mayor] Barbara Cowell to officiate over meetings, despite the fact that Foster was elected to operate as Mayor by a majority vote of the people – **something the rest of the councilmen have not accomplished themselves**. Bolding mine. WTF? The city council members weren’t even elected? How the hell did they get there? Earlier, I made the comparison to Bell, CA. I’m not the only one who’s made that comparison: > [@](#): > > “This is similar,” Foster stated, “to what happened in Bell, California. No one was allowed to see anything if they weren’t a part of the group that was running things. Unfortunately for Bell, they were running the community broke. Later, it became apparent what they were hiding.” > > "In May, the General Fund Revenue was at 66% of budgeted revenue for the year. Using these figures, each independently concluded there there would be a 400,000 to 800,000.00 deficit if projected expenses were paid as delineated. > > “This was hardly a surprise: in fact, the town’s officials had repeatedly indicated to residents that the reason for exorbitant raises in the town’s water and sewer rates was necessary because of the deficit issues,” he stated. > > “Six weeks later, however, the town showed a surplus in the budget, with no explanation as to how this has occurred.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/15 "2011-07-27T22:54:15Z")
Another crazy-ass small town story is the situation in Gould, Arkansas, where the [city council banned the creation of new groups](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/us/20arkansas.html) in response to a dispute with the mayor. (This despite the specific mention in the First Amendment of “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/16 "2011-07-28T06:59:24Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Alaska? Whoops Arkansas ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/17 "2011-07-28T07:13:07Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Whoops Arkansas I’ve seen people get us mixed up with Arizona, but Alaska? That’s a new one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/18 "2011-07-28T10:37:55Z")
Whatever happened to the spirit of the old West? They wanted to run a town, they’d just shoot the mayor and face the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/19 "2011-07-28T10:45:30Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Whoops Arkansas Sister city to Embarass Wisconsin ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-coup-detat-in-smalltown-arizona/590374/20 "2011-07-28T12:07:39Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Whoops Arkansas That mistake can be a bitch when you order live plants by mail. 🙂