Pitchforks and Torches, U.S.
The Turning Worm NewsFiled under: Uncategorized | Tags: alta california, arizona, illegal immigrants from the USA, mexican-american war, racism
Many immigrants that come to the United States from Latin America are victims of SOA graduates
Arizona’s governor just signed SB 1070 into law, effectively making it legal to racially profile in the state . The bill requires local law enforcement to question anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” of being undocumented. Translation: you could be pulled over for no other reason than that you are brown-skinned or speak Spanish.
That Gov. Jan Brewer could sign such a discriminatory law – one of the worst in the nation – is a moral outrage. We need to send a clear message that Arizona does not deserve economic support from the rest of the country. Tourism is a huge industry in the state – bringing in $18 billion last year. With the passage of SB 1070, it’s time to say shame on Arizona and pledge not spend our dollars in a place where racial profiling is legal. Our friends at Presente.org have set up an online action through which you can send a message to the governor of Arizona, state and local tourism and commerce officials:
http://presente.org/campaigns/shame/org/soaw
SOA Watch supports the struggle for Justice for Immigrants. We understand that many immigrants to the United States are victims of U.S.-sponsored military training and atrocities in Latin America. In our fight to close the SOA, we continue to work towards a world that is free of suffering and violence. We recognize the SOA/ WHINSEC and the unjust immigration policies like SB 1070 as being parts of the same racist system of violence and domination. We ally ourselves with those most affected by SOA violence and their families in our effort to create a better world.
Many immigrants that come to the United States from Latin America are victims of SOA graduates who carry out violence against civilian populations in their own countries. Right now in Colombia, paramilitary groups are terrorizing villages, which causes displacement and migration. But this is hardly a new phenomenon. In the 1980s, during the civil wars in Central America, military and paramilitary groups uprooted people from their homes, and many fled to the United States.
The anti-immigrant politicians who passed SB 1070 may not care about justice and human rights, but they definitely care about the tourism industry that brings in billions of dollars to the state. We need to show them that their decisions have consequences. Will you join us in saying shame on Arizona and pledging to stay away from the state? It only takes a moment:
http://presente.org/campaigns/shame/org/soaw
Thank you and ¡Adelante!
SOA Watch
original post
Sanctuary cities bill brings protestors to Arizona Capitol
by Stephanie Snyder
Dolan Media Newswires
PHOENIX, AZ — Nearly 100 people demonstrated in front of the Executive Tower today to advocate both for and against a bill that would alter laws related to illegal immigration.
Bill S1070, which has passed the Senate and is ready for debate in the House, would prohibit state and local governments from enacting policies that would conflict with federal immigration laws. It also would mandate that all government employees make a “reasonable attempt” to determine a person’s immigration status if there is suspicion that he or she is an illegal immigrant.
Liz Hourican, 40, of Phoenix, said she opposes the bill because it would put a lot of added pressure on local law enforcement, and it would fail to accomplish the real issue of dealing with comprehensive immigration reform.
“There’s a human way to deal with this and it’s through leadership and good governance and making hard decisions,” she said.
Hourican said she has protested at the Capitol several times because Sen. Russell Pearce, a Mesa Republican and sponsor of S1070, has been trying to pass laws that will cost taxpayers money without accomplishing anything.
“Russell Pearce is making a lot of bad laws, and he works in tandem with Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas,” she said while holding a sign that said “Stop Racist Russell. It’s a waste of money.”
The bill also would permit illegal immigrants to be charged with trespassing, make it illegal for people to enter a vehicle that is stopped in the street while seeking work and punish drivers that disrupt traffic to hire a day worker.
Martha Payan, 57, of Phoenix, said she supports the bill because the laws in place now don’t go far enough to restrict illegal immigration.
“It’s reached a point where our legislators need to start doing their jobs,” she said. “They need to start voting these bills in. These bills are nothing but the straight-out truth of what needs to be done. It’s been going on too long.”
Payan said she is not an advocate for amnesty or immigration reform because she said the state’s problems with kidnapping, home invasions and drug trafficking can all be attributed to illegal immigrants.
“We need to send ‘em all back and start with a clean slate,” she said.
White House Protest Corps 