Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyPHOENIX -- Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton arrived in the Valley Friday morning to meet one-on-one with Sheriff Joe Arpaio hoping to stop what many call civil rights violations in Maricopa County.
"We didn't come to start trouble, we came to stop trouble," said Sharpton as he addressed a crowd, of mostly supporters, at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix.
Sharpton spoke to the crowd after meeting with alleged victims of racial profiling.
"Let me make this clear -- we are not here about Sheriff Joe as much as we're here about citizen Jose," Sharpton said. "I would not fly all the way across country to engage in the personality of Sheriff Joe but I would fly anywhere to protect the rights of citizen Jose."
While talking to the crowd at Pilgrim Rest, Sharpton criticized Arpaio's immigration tactics.
"You cannot have a back of the bus immigration policy where those of a certain color is automatically put in the back of a police van and have to prove themselves innocent," he said. "You're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty."
A crowd of Arpaio supporters gathered outside the church holding signs showing their support of the sheriff's actions.
"This man [Arpaio] is enforcing the laws of this country," said Anna Gaines, an Arpaio supporter.
"We're not against immigrants. Immigrants come through the front door legally, as I did," said Gaines, who said she immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1960.
After the closed door meeting Friday afternoon, both sides agreed to disagree.
"I did emphasize I'm not changing and he understands that I'm not going to change the way I operate," said Arpaio, after the meeting.
Despite a war of words leading up to the meeting, Arpaio called the meeting cordial and said it went well.
"At least I could get my side out with all these demonstrators and local politicians finding fault with me ... I really appreciated him talking with me whether he agrees with me or not," added Arpaio.
"My meeting with the sheriff was very blunt and I knew coming in how we felt about each others politics. I thought it was civil but I thought it was very frank," said Sharpton. "I don't think he's moved on his positions and I certainly haven't moved on mine."
While at the church, Sharpton also told the audience he plans to start monitoring and videotaping the actions of sheriff's deputies.
"We're gonna start some freedom rides in this county to show how people of a certain skin color is treated different," promised Sharpton.
Sharpton has been highly critical of Sheriff Arpaio's controversial suppression crime sweeps and has demanded the sheriff either resign or be removed from office because of alleged civil rights abuses.
Arpaio has taken a strong stance against undocumented immigration conducting over a half dozen crime sweeps in predominately Hispanic communities across the Valley. The immigration raids have led to more than 1,000 arrests.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also looking into allegations of unconstitutional immigration enforcement tactics by the sheriff.
During a June 3 interview with ABC15, Sheriff Arpaio blasted Sharpton's visit.
"I've been elected five times by the people of Maricopa County," argues Arpaio. "We don't need him to come down here and tell me that I have to resign because he doesn't like the way I enforce the illegal immigration laws."
Sheriff Arpaio said he's not at all optimistic about changing Sharpton's mind, saying he expects to agree to disagree about how to properly proceed with immigration enforcement.
