Boycott Arizona!

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law the most racist and anti-immigrant law in the country, SB1070. The Alliance for Global Justice (which has a Tucson, Arizona office) joins the call for a boycott of Arizona until the law is repealed. We further demand that the federal government not cooperate with the legislation.

How You Can Stop Racist Border Laws:

1) Contact the White House with this message by email, reach them at their comments line: 202-456-1111, their switchboard line: 202-456-1414 or by FAX: 202-456-2461.

I demand that the federal government not cooperate with Arizona’s racist and anti-immigrant law, SB1070. Immigration law is federal law, and it is not the duty of states to decide who has rights and who does not. The law gives police the authority to detain anyone they suspect of being an undocumented immigrant. In Arizona, this means anyone who is Latino and/or Spanish speaking is a potential suspect–and that is racial profiling. I demand that the Federal government not accept or process detainees arrested or cases carried out as a part of this law. I also demand an immediate halt to any more Memorandums of Understanding between the Department of Homeland Security and state law enforcement anywhere.

2) Boycott Arizona until SB1070 is repealed! There are three components to this boycott:

· Do not attend and do not hold any conventions or conferences in the state of Arizona;

· Do not take vacations in Arizona or support its tourist industry (The following are exempt: visits to family and close friends or to participate in immigrant rights solidarity activities. While visiting, AFGJ suggest you still not participate in official tourism);

· Do not patronize the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, a prominent symbol of Arizona and a major contributor to SB1070 supporters.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law on Friday, April 23rd the most racist and repressive anti-immigrant law in the nation, SB1070. SB1070 codifies the practice of racial profiling giving local and state police the authority investigate anyone they suspect of being in the US without documentation. In Arizona, this means anyone who is brown and/or speaks Spanish is “suspect”. To comply with the law, anyone, citizen or not, must have legal identification on their person at all times. The penalty just for not having identification with you is arrest and a fine of up to $500. Because of the similarities to the hated Passbook Laws of segregated South Africa, many are calling this a new system of Arizona Apartheid. SB1070 allows citizens to sue government institutions for not enforcing the law aggressively enough and prohibits churches from providing sanctuary or cities and towns from instructing their police to not enforce immigration law.

Arizona is leading the country down a dangerous and destructive path of racism. Already, several other states have expressed interest in passing copycat legislation.

Arizona Representative Raúl Grijalva has sent a letter to President Obama calling for him to use his “authority to limit [federal] cooperation with Arizona officials in their enforcement of SB1070.” Also included is a request that there be no more Memorandums of Understanding between the Department of Homeland Security and state law enforcement, adding that agreements like these “have been subject to serious concerns as local law enforcement agencies have used the new power to target communities of color, including a disproportionate number of Latinos for arrest.” At an April 24 rally at his Tucson office, Rep. Grijalva pointed out that immigration law is a federal, not a state matter, saying “This is a national embarrassment, a Pandora’s box. Jan Brewer has opened a Pandora’s Box that says the state has unilateral rights to say who his rights and who doesn’t. We have insisted on non-cooperation by the Federal government with this law.”

There have been varied calls for a boycott of Arizona, but most have to do with three basic components: 1. No conventions or conferences in Arizona (this is what Rep. Grijalva has called for); 2. No tourism-don’t come to Arizona unless you have specific friends and family to visit or immigrant rights solidarity projects to participate in; 3) Boycott the Arizona Diamondbacks, a very visible symbol of Arizona and a team that has contributed heavily to Arizona Republicans and supporters of SB1070. AFGJ asked prominent immigrant rights lawyer and founder of the Coalición de Derechos Humanos, Isabel Garcia, about which of the three components of the boycott should be honored. Her response: “Yes, all of that! Do not spend your money in Arizona!”

WE ARE ALL ARIZONANS!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ON THE DEMONSTRATIONS PUT OUT BY OUR FRIENDS AT THE PAN LEFT VIDEO COLLECTIVE ABOUT ACTIONS IN PHOENIX AND TUCSON BEFORE SB1070 WAS PASSED.

ALSO, VISIT OUR FRIENDS AT THE COALICIÓN DE DERECHOS HUMANOS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION IN ARIZONA.

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