President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio amounts to an endorsement of the idea of concentration camps, says a journalist who has reported on the global history of the deadly facilities. Arpaio referred to his own county jail as a ”concentration camp.” For over two decades, he operated “Tent City,” where detainees were kept in brutal conditions, including temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees Farenheit. They were also forced to work on chain gangs and to wear pink undergarments as a form of humiliation. “And even for those who had been convicted of crimes, it was a harrowing, often deadly experience.”Pitzer said Trump pardoning Arpaio legitimized the 85-year-old former sheriff’s operation. Trump has faced widespread criticism for his decision to pardon Arpaio, including from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Source: Huffington Post August 26, 2017 16:31 UTC