Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin have been targeted once again by law enforcement. After a 2007 altercation with Joe Arpaio, now, the FBI is invading the lives of the two journalists.

Michael Lacey was planning his marriage celebrations at the time of the arrest. Instead of spending the weekend with his new bride, Michael Lacey spent his time in federal detention. Learn more about Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/lacey-larkin-speak-out-on-trump-pardon-of-arpaio-9879938 and http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/potmsearch/detail/submission/6427818/Michael_Lacey

Jim Larkin was also arrested at the same time, mirroring their arrest by Joe Arpaio back in 2007. Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey have been business partners since the 1970s when they started the Phoenix New Times and grew their company to house nearly 20 publications.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin had one of their domains seized. Backpage.com, which was previously a personal adds site like Craigslist. Now, instead of offering a place for for people to sell items and provide services, the front page of Backpage.com has five government agency logos.

Since the arrest, Jim Larkin has had his pre-trial hearings. Larkin and two others were charged with money laundering. Larkin was also charged with conspiracy and facilitating prostitution.

While Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin face a trial in the next few months, the creators of similar websites, like Craigslist, remain free.

More About Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey

Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey are no longer with the Phoenix New Times, where their struggles with Joe Arpaio are well documented.

They do have a couple new ventures to occupy their time. Front Page Confidential and The Frontera Fund are where Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin focus their attention now. Front Page Confidential is a liberal leaning alternative newspaper, and The Frontera Fund is a charitable organization.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin are continuing the fight against Joe Arpaio, who used to be the Sheriff of Maricopa County.

When Joe Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court, everyone believed his days of terror were over. Donald Trump pardoned him though, opening up a path for Arpaio to seek a more important position of power – congressman.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin attribute the pardoning to politics. It is not secret that Donald Trump and Joe Arpaio get along, but they also share a very similar belief system when it comes to immigration. Donald Trump knows that Joe Arpaio would be friend on Capital Hill.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin successfully educated citizens of Arizona about Joe Arpaio. Now, with Front Page Confidential, they have spread their efforts to a national audience.

Presidential Pardons have always been a matter of concern because of the nature of the pardon and the event in which it was given. In the past, Presidents have granted pardon to people who are seen as contributory Americans and who have done a considerable amount of good to society and the people living in it.

Presidents in the past have granted this pardon to those who have committed minor crimes and who are going to go through prison sentences, not too hardened criminals who have caused devastation to the lives of thousands of people all over America.

Joe Arpaio was no ordinary Sheriff. During his tenure as the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arpaio was involved with a number of acts which otherwise would warrant the legal system to take prompt action.

He believed in white supremacy and saw to it that members of the Hispanic community were made to live in adverse conditions and fear of deportation. He would try his best to inflict injustices on people belonging to this community so as to fulfill this goal that he held and the notions that he lived by. Read more: Phoenix New Times | Wikipedia and Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund

Arpaio was allowed to carry on his post for more than twenty-five years in spite of people knowing about the deeds that he had committed and the injustices that he had inflicted on members of this community. His injustices gave rise to several organizations that worked tirelessly to get the man put behind bars.

One of the organizations that worked in this manner was the Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund which was formed as a direct consequence of the injustices that Arpaio was engaging in. The organization was founded by Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, who both got to witness these atrocities first hand and without anyone coming in the way of his deeds.

The organizations that wanted him to be arrested worked tirelessly for ten long years to see their goals to fruition. In October 2017, those goals would be realized and people would finally see the result that they have been longing for for such a long time.

But alas, the happiness was short lived as just a month after the sentence was given, Arpaio received a presidential pardon, thereby relieving him of his sentence. Learn more about Michael Lacey: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/potmsearch/detail/submission/6427818/Michael_Lacey and  http://www.laceyandlarkinfronterafund.org/about-lacey-larkin-frontera-fund/michael-lacey/

Even though Arpaio was such a well-known criminal who affected countless people, the only reason why he was granted Presidential Pardon was that of his affiliation with Trump and the Republican Party.

Arpaio and Trump have known each other for an incredibly extended period, and getting Arpaio free was one of the things on Trump’s agenda during the 2016 elections. Moreover, the two share the same viewpoints on a lot of subjects, which further sheds light on the reasoning for the pardon.

It is evident that the pardon was granted for Trump’s selfish reasons and not for the benefit of the people at large.

The reason people who have committed crimes in the past have been sentenced is so that they can refrain from committing these acts once again, but with Arpaio, it seems like the system is overlooking that fact, allowing him to go on as he pleases.

In the Melendres v. Arpaio class-action suit, the citizens of Maricopa county sought retribution. The County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, had ordered Latinos to be round up so that he could determine the state of their U.S. citizenship. But was this the first time there had been injustice executed at the hands of Arpaio? Far from it.

In the course of his 24-year appointment as the Sherriff of Maricopa County, Arpaio had racked up a long laundry list of unconstitutional practices. And quite often, the Pheonix New Times would publish them. The publication would expose his practices of deputizing and arming citizens so that he could from his own plain clothes posse.

It discussed the heinous physical, mental and sexual abuse that took place in the jail. And it also blew the whistle on the slew of wrongful deaths that occurred under Arpaio’s watch. But even still, the Sheriff’s reign persisted. And anyone who attempted to stop or discredit him was treated to a smear campaign.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin know this all too well. They were the co-owners of Village Voice Media and the Pheonix New Times was one of its 17 publications. The New Times reporters were often banned from press conferences and threatened with arrests. But even still the publication insisted on uncovering the Sheriff’s misdeed. However, one article would put the publication and its owners front row center of Arpaio’s targeting.

John Dougherty, an investigative reporter for the New Times felt that the County needed to know that their Sheriff, who reportedly made $78,000, per year was concealing $700,000 in commercial property.

This information was ground-breaking and hinted that the Sheriff was misappropriating jail funds. The Sheriff was outraged. Not only had they prodded into his business affairs, but the reporter had also published his personal address online. Learn more about Jim Larkin and Micheal Lacey: http://www.laceyandlarkinfronterafund.org/about-lacey-larkin-frontera-fund/ and http://www.laceyandlarkinfronterafund.org/about-lacey-larkin-frontera-fund/relevant-links/

The Sheriff then went on a 3-year journey to have the reporter prosecuted, for an action that he found to be a felony. A law officer’s name and address had been published online and it put his safety in danger.

However, Larkin and Lacey were far from remorseful. In fact, on the day of the trial, they wrote an article which detailed the contents of the subpoena as well as how unconstitutional this treatment was. Arpaio responded to the article by having the two arresting, stating that the article had revealed grand jury secrets.

When the news became public knowledge, major publications such as the New York Times and USA Today picked it up. And the public outcry couldn’t have been more dramatic. They wanted the two men freed. And with that, the County attorney closed the case and Larkin and Lacey were given $3.75 million settlements. Read more:

Arpaio never served a day in jail. Even in the case of Melendres v. Arpaio, the citizens of Maricopa county received a settlement of $70 million settlement, but Arpaio would only be charged with contempt of court. However, he was later pardoned by Donald Trump–someone who lobbied for during his talks of presidential candidacy.

Larkin and Lacey no longer own Village Voice Media. They sold it, and it now goes by the name Voice Media. However, they do own a website, Front Page Confidential, which focuses on free speech. Also, they used their settlement to start a fund for migrant-rights organizations throughout Arizona.

James Larkin, also called Jim Larkin, was an Irish labor organizer who was born in Liverpool, England on January 21, 1876.

James Larkin is credited with forming the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union in the early 1900s after he’d become dissatisfied by the way he and the other workers were treated at the docks in Liverpool, where he worked as a foreman. While there, he joined the National Union of Dock Laborers, or the NUDL, and that was when he went into organizing trade unions full-time.

He organized strikes, or walk outs, while he was a member of the NUDL, but the organization became concerned when his strike methods turned militant, so he was transferred to Dublin, Ireland, where he started the ITGWU. His goal was to bring all Irish industrial workers, whether skilled or unskilled, into the union. Read more: Jim Larkin | Wikipedia

The group’s biggest strike happened in 1913 when over 100,000 workers went on strike for about 8 months. It was called the Dublin Lockout, and it helped the workers gain the right to have fair employment.

Jim Larkin traveled to the United States in 1914 to continue his trade union organizing, and later to raise money to fight the British, but he ended up getting deported. And at the start of World War 1, he staged massive anti-war protests in Dublin. He was recognized by the Communist International organization in 1924 after he had organized another labor union group called the Worker’s Union of Ireland.

While he was in the U.S. in 1920, he was convicted of communism and criminal anarchy, but he was pardoned 3 years later, then deported back to Dublin. Jim Larkin had very little formal education, and he worked many jobs when he was in his youth to help supplement his family’s income.

This early experience with having to work hard for little pay is most likely one of the factors that led him to become a labor union activist when he got older.

James, aka Jim, Larkin continued his labor organizing until the 1940s. He died in Dublin in 1947. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had 4 sons.

Human rights groups in the United States play a very important role. They are the custodians of the human rights. They check the powerful, in the society to ensure that they do not misuse their powers to oppress the poor and the weak.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

Protection of human rights in the United States is one of the most important initiatives. It is in the best interests of the people to have human rights protected at costs. CHIRLA (The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) is one organization that has positioned itself as a leader in protecting the rights of the people especially the immigrants in the state of California.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) recognized that there should be no restrictions on human movements. Every human being has a right to stay and live at a place of their choice.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) advocate for a culture of inclusivity in the society including the immigrants. They are against actions of immigrants’ discrimination. According to the group, there should be no special laws for immigrants.

For the longest time, United States has been trying to battle the problem of immigration by putting up laws that are discriminatory to the immigrants, hoping that they would desist from moving into the country. Such measures seem not be working as per their needs. However, to make it worst, most of these measures are discriminatory and have little respect for the universal human rights.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) has been engaging in activities of educating the masses on the importance of respecting everyone else even if that person is an immigrant. Read more: Michael Lacey | Facebook and Jim Larkin | Crunchbase

They recognize that there is an urgent need for the public to change their opinion about immigration and see it as a normal thing that should promote social integration. The organization has also been keen to advocate for better policies that guide immigration such that human and civil rights of the immigrants can be maintained.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) was formed after enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. This is an act that prohibited employment of undocumented workers in the state.

The act had created a loophole for unscrupulous employers to subject undocumented workers to inhumane working conditions since they knew the works could not like to be exposed. It was creating a culture of employers taking undocumented workers as slaves.

Lacey & Larkin Frontera Fund

Michael and Jim are two individuals whose role in fighting against human rights violation cannot go unmentioned. They are two great philanthropists who have contributed a hefty amount of money towards the realization of equal rights for everyone in the state of Arizona.

Through a $3.75 million settlement award they received from the court of appeals, the two have been leading the fight in ensuring that the rights are immigrants in the United States are protected.

The two work closely with the migrants’ rights ‘groups in the state to ensure the rights of all immigrants are protected. Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin are themselves victims of human rights violations.

Vijay Eswaran has built a very successful MLM (multi-level marketing) business. Using core values and principles he learned over the years, he has gone on to help not only himself, but many others, as well. Learn more about Vijay Eswaran: http://interview.net/vijay-eswaran/

He found he had to break out of the traditional mind set of being successful and financial security only came from holding down a stable 9 to 5 job of some type. He concentrated on getting a good education so he would not have to a cab driver all his life. His goal was to transform his education into a job in the corporate world.

According to Sky Scrapers Sport, Vijay Eswaran discovered the world of MLM while studying for his Master’s degree. He kept his MLM business as a sideline to make a few extra dollars while he was jumpstarting his career. He discovered his MLM side line was making him more money than his supposedly real job.

It took Eswaran a bit of time to break the mindset that was controlling his life, but he broke free from that mindset and made the necessary changes to achieve the goals he really wanted to achieve.

Vijay Eswaran’s first MLM team was built under an entity that became unreliable. Eswaran told his team their enterprise would not be able to continue and Eswaran was told by his members that he should start his own MLM enterprise.

His team told Vijay that they believed in him. He took on the challenge and worked to build a company that would help improve the lives of others.

He believes it is important to give back to others and if he is to find success he has to help his team be successful, as well. He also found one of the keys to his success is his practice of one hour of silence each and every day. He uses the time to formulate strategy, write up plans and sometimes he even meditates. Read more: Vijay Eswaran | Professional Profile – LinkedIn

To be successful, Eswaran found he has to be proactive about his schedule. He tries to identify needs and challenges and prepare for them rather than allow such events to dictate his schedule. He found it is important to be transparent and authentic and to always stay true to your vision.

As many would say, it is the different cultures that make a society stand unique. In other words, it is the group unity that influences success. For example, the United States of America hold stories of ancestors who had different originalities.

However, despite their differences, the great heroes did a lot in building the great America that we know of today.

However, despite celebrating the good things that living in foreign countries have brought to the host, we cannot ignore the dark side of the story.

Recently, with the rising cases of immigration, we’ve heard many stories of victims of human rights violations. But thanks to civilization, with the non-profit groups in play, cases of human rights violation have been maintained to minimal. Read more; Village Voice Media | Wikipedia and Jim Larkin | Crunchbase

The United Nations is among the few universal bodies that have been working day and night to ensure that every individual gets to enjoy his or her rights at peace.

1948 is the year that the organization came up with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a unique system that protects the modern human rights. Subsequently, significant countries such as the US have been leading in the global fights for human rights.

Today, many Americans get to enjoy the fruits of their great grandfather’s hard work who had moved to the US to search greener pastures. Learn more about Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey:  http://james-larkin.com/about/

Distinguished individuals such as President Donald Trump had his forefathers come to the US in 1885, setting a baseline for the great person he is today. Therefore, the need for organizations that fight for migrant rights is critical as they play the core role in changing the world’s history.

Over the past few decades, many non-profit groups have emerged. It is the many organizations that ensure that every individual gets to enjoy his or her life to the fullest. As many would say, these non-profit groups define the rule of coexistence in every set society by ensuring that the marginalized individuals enjoy their rights.

At times we all understand how tiring pursuing justice can be complicated for the migrant families and therefore many non-profit organizations have made it their core duty to ensure that even migrants get a taste of justice.

The Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund are among the few notable groups that take the lead in the fights against human, migrant neglecting.

About the Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund

The Lacey and Larkin fund is a non-profit organization that was founded by two renowned journalists, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin. The two fellows established a platform that would work on making the lives of the minority better, and since then it has helped hundreds of individuals in the US lead a bright life.

Since inception, the Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund has been working in close collaboration with numerous organizations across the US. The non-profit supports the groups that advocate for human rights financially.

Michael and Jim’s advocacy group uses the $37.5 million that they had received as settlement for being arrested wrongly.