Quartzsite, Arizona
La Paz County
04-58010
Quartzsite is a town in western Arizona. It is located in 33 km from the Colorado River and has 3650 inhabitants ( 2006). The city is affected by the Interstate 10. Furthermore, we start the U.S. Highway 95 and ends the Arizona State Route 95 Quartzsite was established in 1856 by the settler Charles Tyson in the form of a fort to secure the local water resources.
The city is famous for its gem exchanges that attract during the months of January and February, up to one million visitors. In the winter months, thousands of campers from the northern states of the U.S. and Canada come. They overwinter there with their partly large motorhomes.
Controversy
In July 2011, a video on the YouTube platform has been released. It shows how Quartzsite - resident Jennifer Jones at the behest of individual city council members - and against the declared will of the mayor - is attacked and arrested by local police after she accused the Council of the corruption and law break during a city council meeting as part of the inhabitants Question Time. Jones suffered in the attack on the police they serious injuries and was transported to the nearest hospital.
After the video to a broad public and the incident was also taken up by the traditional media, the City Council met in a secret meeting behind closed doors and decided both the dismissal of the mayor as well as the declaration of an emergency. The mayor, Ed Foster, accused the local authorities and the city council of corruption and embezzlement and misappropriation of municipal control means. City Council members rejected the allegations.