Quartzcite AZ update - Feb 2012 (Town that declared "Martial Law")

For those who aren't familiar with this topic some back story. The town of Quartzcite Arizona has had a tumultuous last few years. With allegations of corruption against city officials, to the targeting of political opponents by members of the towns police department, to the discovery of "anonymous" people receiving paychecks to challenging the authority of a circuit court judge as well as the PA and AG for violation of open record / sunshine law...

Its been some time since we have heard anything, so here is an update. For those who want the entire back story scroll to the bottom of this post to find the ATS links.

When we last left Quartzcite, the Mayor had been stripped of his authority and removed from office, the City Council tried to get one of their cronies into the position. That person did win the election however it was discovered he was not qualified due to residency status. A court appearance was scheduled to challenge the newly elected Mayor and his eligibility status. The judge ruled in against the Mayor, agreeing he was not qualified to hold the office of Mayor and told the city they would have to wait until the next regular election cycle to resolve the open position.

That left the City without a Mayor, allowing it to be run by just the city council members with no checks / balances. The city continued their actions while ignoring warnings from the PA and AG for violating several State and Federal laws. For the most part this incident has been a small blip on the radar a few times now, with most of the actions taking place at just the local level.

That has now changed -

Here is the update -
Power struggle in Quartzsite spills into court, Internet

A power struggle at Quartzsite Town Hall has now moved into the courts, with allegations that the municipal attorney is criminally prosecuting political enemies while smearing them on the Internet with spoof websites.

In recent weeks, two defense lawyers have filed motions in Quartzsite Magistrate Court accusing Martin Brannan, the town's lawyer, of conflicts and unethical conduct.

At the same time, La Paz County Attorney Sam Vederman has asked the FBI to investigate "potential systemic corruption" involving municipal leaders. In a Jan. 3 letter obtained by The Arizona Republic via a public-records request, Vederman said he believes residents of the town are being "targeted for arrest and prosecution simply because they are in political opposition" to town officials.

"I have a lot of concerns about what's going on in Quartzsite right now," Vederman said. "But to have any semblance of fairness, it (an investigation) can't be done by local officials."

An FBI spokesman declined to comment.

The legal contretemps involve opposing factions locked in a years-long struggle for control of a desert community that has a full-time population of about 3,500 and an estimated 2 million visitors annually.

The western Arizona town, which has been through a series of recall elections and courtroom battles over the past few years, made national news last year when a YouTube video showed an activist being dragged away in handcuffs after trying to discuss freedom of speech at a public meeting.

Click link for remainder of article -

It apparently is coming to a head now, and the FBI has been officially requested to investigate the City Council.

This is one of those classic "it could never happen here" examples. A city council goes bonkers, seizes power, targets their critics / political rivals using the police, refusing to acknowledge the authority of the circuit court, ignoring warnings of the county PA and the State AG for violation of sunshine laws as well as a few city council members going on record with the media to state they don't care if they are breaking the law.

This is an interesting story for all sides of the political / conspiracy / trust-distrust of the government positions.

Back story links -
ATS - Quartzcite AZ suspends bulk of its Police force
State of Emergency continues
Quartzcite AZ - Blueprint for a Police State
Recall election removes Mayor trying to stamp out corruption
Quartzcite AZ Madness
Quartzsite puts most of its police officers on house arrest
Defying mayor, police arrest citizen at city council meeting claiming corruption
Quartzite Arizona Updates and background (town where "Martial Law" was declared

"We've got a wild West town here," former Mayor Foster added. "I'm concerned somebody's going to get pushed too hard and get a gun and come out shooting."

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Apparently, this all started when some of the council members were accused of embezzling money from the town treasury. Said members decided to take control of the town to avoid being exposed. Looks to me like the chief of police and city attorney are involved, too.

reply to post by N3k9Ni


I completely agree..

This entire fiasco, at some point, is going to be one of those 2 hour made for TV mini dramas.

On the flip side this is a perfect example to turn into an educational tool for students. It has just about everything one would learn from political science / government / civic classes.

The corruption goes to the core of the system.....
Its prevalent everywhere, not just AZ.
The good ole boys network still runs the world at every level......and those good ole boys are criminals and traitors who prey on everyone.

The corruption goes to the core of the system.....
Its prevalent everywhere, not just AZ.
The good ole boys network still runs the world at every level......and those good ole boys are criminals and traitors who prey on everyone.

Chief Gilbert makes over $88,000.00 / year. When he is arrested on state and federal charges I will gladly put my application in for the position.