Desaparecidos, the recently reunited post-hardcore act fronted by Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, have a new protest song out titled "MariKKKopa," which calls out controversial Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. The track will be available to purchase August 2nd and will be accompanied by another song, "Backsell."
"Joe Arpaio needs no help from me getting attention," Oberst told the Huffington Post. "For years he has been a beacon of bigotry and intolerance for all the world to see. The list of human and civil rights abuses he's committed in Maricopa County is long and well-documented. His many 'crime suppression sweeps' are some of the most egregious affronts to American values and human dignity perpetrated in this century."
In the chorus of "MariKKKopa" Oberst wails, "We got to round 'em up/ Door to door tonight we're ready/ Knock knock knock/ Drag them from their beds /They've got some nerve to say they were here first."
Later he calls out Arpaio by name while viciously parodying his supporters: "They're sweating in Sun City 'cause they just got off the course/ Saying, 'Sheriff Joe it's awful and it's only getting worse.'" The track ends with a soundbite from an interview in which Arpaio welcomes a comparison to the KKK because "it means we're doing something."
Oberst also spoke about immigration reform, saying: "I think we should be pushing for amnesty and a path to citizenship for every undocumented person residing in the United States who has not committed a violent crime, with a special emphasis on keeping families together. This isn't just the only practical solution – it's also the only moral one."
Be sure to check out our new profile on Arpaio for an up-close look at America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" and his exploits of questionable legality, which you can read online or in the new issue of Rolling Stone. Listen to Desaparecidos' "MariKKKopa" below.
