SB1070 - Arizona's March to Extremism

The Republican Party controls both chambers of Arizona's state legislature as well as the Governorship of Jan Brewer. This week, SB1070, authored by extremist state Senator Russell Pearce, passed through the Capitol and now awaits the Governor's signature. The bill has become toxic due to what many believe is an opening for local law enforcement to racially profile anyone in the state they suspect of being an undocumented worker:

E. A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, WITHOUT A WARRANT, MAY ARREST A PERSON IF THE OFFICER HAS PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON HAS COMMITTED ANY PUBLIC OFFENSE THAT MAKES THE PERSON REMOVABLE FROM THE UNITED STATES.

full text of bill - .pdf warning

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County is under several investigations at the moment due to racial profiling by personnel under his direction. SB1070 will expand this type of behavior to the entire state of Arizona. Due to the proximity of Arizona to Mexico, the Latino community is constantly having their constitutional rights violated by a system that uses skin color, accents and arcane vehicle profiles to stop motorists. If Governor Brewer signs SB1070, all of this will become legal.

Additionally, the bill takes a page out of the infamous HR4437 that sparked hundreds of thousands to protest in 2006 across the country with respect to criminalizing undocumented status and the relationship they have to families, friends, religious communities, etc.

A. IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PERSON WHO IS IN VIOLATION OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO:

1. TRANSPORT OR MOVE OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPORT OR MOVE AN ALIEN IN THIS STATE IN A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IF THE PERSON KNOWS OR RECKLESSLY DISREGARDS THE FACT THAT THE ALIEN HAS COME TO, HAS ENTERED OR REMAINS IN THE UNITED STATES IN VIOLATION OF LAW.

2. CONCEAL, HARBOR OR SHIELD OR ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL, HARBOR OR SHIELD AN ALIEN FROM DETECTION IN ANY PLACE IN THIS STATE, INCLUDING ANY BUILDING OR ANY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION, IF THE PERSON KNOWS OR RECKLESSLY DISREGARDS THE FACT THAT THE ALIEN HAS COME TO, HAS ENTERED OR REMAINS IN THE UNITED STATES IN VIOLATION OF LAW.

3. A. ENCOURAGE OR INDUCE AN ALIEN TO COME TO OR RESIDE IN THIS STATE IF THE PERSON KNOWS OR RECKLESSLY DISREGARDS THE FACT THAT SUCH COMING TO, ENTERING OR RESIDING IN THIS STATE IS OR WILL BE IN VIOLATION OF LAW.

B. A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION THAT IS USED IN THE COMMISSION OF A
VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION IS SUBJECT TO MANDATORY VEHICLE IMMOBILIZATION OR IMPOUNDMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 28-3511.

C. A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUILTY OF A CLASS 1 MISDEMEANOR AND IS SUBJECT TO A FINE OF AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, EXCEPT THAT A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION THAT INVOLVES TEN OR MORE ILLEGAL ALIENS IS A CLASS 6 FELONY AND THE PERSON IS SUBJECT TO A FINE OF AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR EACH ALIEN WHO IS INVOLVED.

In response to this effort to create a police state in Arizona, countless groups have mobilized against SB1070, including ¡Alto Arizona! sponsored by the National Day Labor Organizing Network, NCLR, America's Voice, MALDEF, Presente.org, MoveOn.org, Coalición de Derechos Humanos, Border Action Network, United Farm Workers, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Catholic Conference, whose bishops signed a letter with 12 other prominent religious leaders in the state, issuing the following statement (excerpted):

Our concern is that this bill could make felons, not only out of dangerous criminals (as is warranted), but also the many undocumented immigrants who have come to this country at a very young age and have no familiarity with any other country but the United States. We are concerned for these children and for families that may have a mother and a father, one of whom is a citizen and the other of whom would now be considered a criminal.

full text of letter - .pdf warning

The situation in Arizona is a direct result of inaction in Washington, D.C. to fix the broken immigration system. The Obama Administration has continued and escalated the enforcement-only policies of the Bush Administration that does nothing to unclog the backlog of applications for both temporary and permanent residency/work opportunities in this country.

The truth is, most undocumented workers are members of a family with various status of citizenship between its members. As long as the U.S. government ignores this fact, along with the effects of its economic and trade policies on sender nations, mass migration of humanity will continue and this whole window-dressing charade will continue until violence breaks out.

Russell Pearce has been salivating at the opportunity to pass something like SB1070 ever since Janet Napolitano ditched Arizona for her position as head of the Department of Homeland Security. This is no surprise to activists; the Latino community deserves to hear something beyond silence from the Secretary and President Obama. We are literally chaining ourselves to the seats of power in this state to demand justice for our communities.

¡Ya Basta! Enough is Enough!

Quotes from a White Supremacist

The Arizona Daily Star has an article published today outlining the latest efforts by Russell "National Alliance" Pearce to force local law enforcement and officials to enact Operation Wetback throughout the state in the form of SB1070.

In the article, a white supremacist posing as a credible source is given the opportunity to spread his bigotry:

Glenn Spencer, president and founder of American Border Patrol, a nonprofit group that aerially monitors the border, favors stricter illegal-immigration policies.

He said he generally was in favor of Pearce's bill, provided it includes sufficient limits on interagency information-sharing.

"It's time we have to stretch the envelope" (on immigration enforcement), he said. "It's time we have to take some firm action." Loose immigration policies, he said, would be tantamount to "importing poverty" and would "destroy Arizona."

Here's a refresher, courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center on some of Mr. Spencer's previous rants:

“Americans, especially white Americans, should get out of California — now, before it is too late to salvage the equity they have in their homes and the value of their businesses.”
— Glenn Spencer, “White Fight or Flight,” American Patrol website, 2003

And the Anti-Defamation League has this to say about him:

Spencer’s rhetoric departed sharply from that of legitimate immigration reform groups; Spencer did not target immigration so much as he targeted Hispanics, particularly those of Mexican origin, regardless of whether they were immigrants or not. Many of his writings and comments were simply thinly veiled diatribes against “Mexicans” (like many anti-Hispanic activists, Spencer rarely differentiated between Mexicans and Americans of Mexican descent). In a 1996 letter to the Los Angles Times, for example, Spencer said that “the Mexican culture is based on deceit.” Spencer denied the letter was racist. “It has nothing to do with race,” he said. “It has to do with culture…there’s no way to pass enough laws to protect yourself from a deceitful culture.”

linkage - .pdf warning

The Star should teach its apprentices the importance of researching who they're using as quotable sources before allowing them free reign on its pages to escalate the already dangerous situation for Latinos in Arizona.

Minutemen Disband

Here's a little ray of sunshine to help usher in the Spring. One of the biggest vigilante groups in Arizona has disbanded after realizing that their violent calls for revolution along the border with Mexico would, you know, actually cause violent revolution.

The group's president, Carmen Mercer, of Tombstone, said she and the board's two other directors voted to end the group's five-year run because they were worried her recent "call to action" would attract the wrong people to the border.

On March 16, Mercer sent out an e-mail urging members to come to the border "locked, loaded and ready" and urged people to bring "long arms." She proposed changing the group's rules to allow members to track illegal immigrants and drug smugglers instead of just reporting the activity to the Border Patrol.

After receiving a big slew of responses with people taking them on their word, the group flinched and folded. Of course, there's also that pesky money issue that has undermined their efforts. Under the leadership of recent Senate-hopeful Chris Simcox, they bilked their ignorant donors out of nearly two million dollars:

But while the Minuteman PAC spent $1.7 million during the last election cycle (as of Nov. 24), less than 9 cents of every dollar went to help candidates -- either directly through contributions or indirectly through advertisements and mailings supporting or opposing specific candidates. By contrast, nine similar PACs spent, on average, nearly four times as much --about 34 cents of every dollar -- on contributions to federal campaigns and on materials calling for the election or defeat of particular candidates.

2009 SPLC Intelligence Report Intelligence Report

With the recent escalation of political intimidation in the aftermath of the passage of health insurance reform, this is one less opportunity for the gun nuts to practice their shooting. It's amazing that the Minutemen have more sense than the GOP leadership to provide an opening for gun violence; because we all know that if something isn't done to lower the heat, bullets will eventually fly. This country's history almost ensures it.

The Magic Words

Nearly three years ago at this blog, I recounted this incident at a Mexican food restaurant in Tempe, Arizona:

On Sunday I was eating breakfast with one of my closest amigas at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Tempe. As we were chatting, a raised voice gonged its way through the room from the front register area. It was an older Anglo gentleman with a camouflaged baseball hat adorned upon his salt and peppered hairy head.

He was berating the woman at the register because he claimed she was overcharging him for four pints of frijoles. Berate is one word for it, the other would be humiliate and denigrate. He cussed her out as if she had just spit on the grave of his mother.

The woman was visibly shaking, but in as forceful a tone as she could muster, told him that he needed to not be disrespectful to her nor the rest of the customers. He continued on his tirade, and at that point the entire dining room had stopped their conversations and tuned into the show.

My blood was at a rolling boil at that point. I wanted to intervene but the line hadn't been crossed yet - she was handling it fine on her own.

Until.

First, he demeaned the way she spoke English. It was flawless, but apparently her accent was too much for him to handle. Second, he uttered the words that got me out of my booth and in his face, "Go back to where you came from!"

As I walked up and stared him down, he was standing at the exit and continued to yell offensive mierda. I told him that if he didn't leave, I would be the one to call the cops. After telling me to go Cheney myself and that I wouldn't dare do any of that, he ended his temper tantrum and left.

Those magic words: "Go back to where you came from!" are a perfect example of the garbage that is still prevalent in this so-called post-racial society. I've had that incantation of hate called down upon my head a few times over the years and can only respond with a hearty laugh as I recall the many times I've visited my great-great-great-great grandmother's grave that is within a ten minute drive of my parents' casa aquí en Arizona.

Even if I was from a family with a recent immigration story, the phrase says more about the person who sharted it out than the target. It reeks of ignorance, bigotry, and desperation as the world changes despite the failed efforts of teabagger thuggery. Not only failed, but unoriginal:

Looks like black and gay lawmakers aren’t the only ones being pelted with vicious slurs by folks who oppose the health reform proposal. Add a Hispanic lawmaker to the list. Trifecta!

Rep Ciro Rodriguez of Texas has confided to colleages that he was hammered by ethnic slurs by people opposed to reform passing, one of those colleagues tells me.

[snip]

Rodriguez’s spokesperson, Rebeca Chapa, gets in touch to say that he was slammed as a “wetback” by an anti-reform protestor at a town meeting this week.

And another opponent called Rodriguez’ home and told the family member who answered to “go back to Mexico.”

linkage

How does that Gandhi quote go? Ah yes:

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

Rest in Peace, Jon Swift

I'm very saddened to read that blogger Jon Swift has passed away.

He ran a parody blog for several years and was very supportive of elevating voices that were often ignored by the so-called A List Blogs. He and skippy the bush kangaroo were instrumental in organizing the Blogroll Amnesty Day events.

Rest in Peace, Al. Gracias por su apoyo y amistad.

Tom Horne Slanders Dolores Huerta's Legacy

Tom, Tom, Tom. When are you going to learn to keep your mouth shut?

Labor activist Dolores Huerta is many things, but Cesar Chavez's ex-girlfriend isn't one of them.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne learned that lesson the hard way last week when an outcry erupted over his description of Huerta before a state House of Representatives committee.

Horne referred to Huerta as Chavez's "former girlfriend."

In fact, Huerta is Chavez's sister-in-law, having married Chavez's brother Richard. She worked with Chavez to found the National Farm Workers Association, which later became United Farm Workers.

Jennifer Johnson, spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party, called Horne's remark "either ignorance or sexism."

AZCentral.com

Either? How about both ignorant and sexist.

Tom Horne, you're not worthy to massage the feet of Dolores Huerta; even after she's thoroughly kicked your ass in the realm of public service. What an embarrassment you are to Arizona.

There will be dancing in the streets on the day that your bigotry is no longer in charge of our school system. This is precisely why it's a failure:

[UPDATE] Blog for Arizona has the video where he makes the sexist comments.

Corazón de Justicia Awards

Tonight, the Coalición de Derechos Humanos hosted their 7th Annual Corazón de Justicia Awards Dinner in Tucson. It was a showcase of grassroots activism in southern Arizona across a number of communities with a clear message: Education is the answer - real political education that gives a voice to those who often remain voiceless in policy debates at all levels.

The recipients and categories for the 2010 honorees are:

African-American
Francis Miller, for her work with the NAACP

Community Empowerment
Joe Bernick, who invited everyone to next week's Peace Fair

Environmental
Dan Millis, for his work with the Sierra Club and No More Deaths

Faith-Based
Leah Sandwell-Weiss, for her work with the Pima County Interfaith Council

Human Rights
Dr. Bruce Perkins, for his assistance in upholding humanity within the
Pima County Medical Examiner's Office

Immigrant Rights
Salvador Reza, for his leadership in Phoenix with TONATIERRA

Indigenous
Jay McKenzie, for his leadership with the Tucson Indian Center's
Employment Training arena

Labor
Mary Lou Gonzales, for her organizing work with Tucson Jobs With Justice

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender
Cynthia Garcia, for her leadership as Board President of Wingspan,
Tucson's LGBT Community Center

Women's Issues
Ashira Pace +, for her decades-long work with many battered women shelters
across southern Arizona

Youth
Mixelle Rascon, for her commitment and advocacy of TUSD's Raza Studies Department

The keynote speaker for tonight's program was Roberto Lovato, representing his life work that has recently included Presente.Org's Basta Dobbs campaign, Trail of Dreams 2010 and his soon-to-be-revamped blog Of América. Roberto spoke of the importance of continuing to Dream, especially as the climate toward immigrant and Latino communities gets worse.

During the BastaDobbs campaign, Lou Dobbs referred to him as "a flea" on his radio program and Roberto's comment tonight was, "We got a bunch of fleas, and pushed an elephant into the abyss." He remarked that it will become expensive to Dream in the future, that the monied interests flowing from corporations and D.C. conventional wisdom will be funneled toward a so-called "Rational Center" that allows the immigration debate to become more militarized and destructive to our communities. He continued that it is why there's importance in supporting advocates like Derechos Humanos and other groups represented in the room.

"After the 2006 marches, the moneyed interests polled-away the humanity and morality of the immigrant. We have to continue to dream and demand that it be central."

Using powerpoint images of his parents and telling stories of their struggles in El Salvador prior to immigrating to the United States, Roberto spoke passionately against the corporate influencers who are pouring endless amounts of money into reinforcing the idea of sovereignty and citizenship while they reap the fiscal benefits of exploiting various parts of the world. It was a powerful message and tied in perfectly with the work that is being done by the honorees and the grassroot groups they represent.

VotoLatino Launches "Be Counted" Census Campaign

Every ten years, the U.S. Census is conducted from sea to shining sea (and beyond; sorry Hawaii). Its mission statement reads:

The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. We honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly. We are guided on this mission by our strong and capable workforce, our readiness to innovate, and our abiding commitment to our customers.

The mission statement is less important than how the data is used. The counts determine congressional House seat apportionment and the way federal dollars are doled out in support of programs administered by local, state and tribal governments. Unfortunately, an ongoing problem is that minority communities are undercounted; therefore reinforcing disproportionate access to resources for services such as education, public health and other community infrastructure needs.

April 1st, 2010, Census Day, is approaching fast. That's why groups like Voto Latino are ramping up efforts to explain the importance of participation among the Latino community. Here's VL's Executive Director, Maria Teresa, explaining the Be Counted. Represent. Campaign:

As part of the campaign, Voto Latino is offering a free 25-song download from Apple's iTunes after Taking the Pledge to participate in the 2010 Census. The incentive is nice, but more importantly, the information they provide at the Be Counted website teaches us why it's crucial to be represented in "perhaps the most important piece of civic action this year."

I encourage you all to check it out, take the pledge, spread the word to your friends and familia about the importance of the Census, and the enjoy this great playlist:

Pitbull “Across the Waters”
Morrissey “When Last I Spoke to Carol (Toy Selectah mix)”
Aventura “Su Veneno”
Mos Def “No Hay Nada Mas”
Los Tigres del Norte “El Emigrante”
Jaguares “Visible”
Rodrigo y Gabriela “Hanuman”
Juan Luis Guerra “La Travesia”
Ozomatli “Believe”
Los Tucanes de Tijuana “Los Illegales”
Paulina Aguirre “Esperando Tu Voz”
Ruben Blades “Las Calles”
Kinto Sol “Voy a Sacudirme”
Os Mutantes “Querida, Querida”
Nortec Collective “Tengo La Voz”
Antibalas “Che Che Cole (Makossa Mix)”
Los Amigos Invisibles “Mentiras”
Ceú “Grains de Beaute”
Maleco Collective “Yo Soy La Voz”
Panda “Solo a Terceros”
Pacha Massive “If You Want It”
Brownout “Ayer y Hoy”
Hip Hop Hoodíos “Agua Pa’ La Gente”
Alvaro Torres “Te Sueno Grande”
Reyes del Bajo Mundo “Cuanto Cuesta”
Mishka “3rd Eye Vision”

Bloggers: here's a resource page with links to Pledge widgets for your site.

¡Adelante!

[Crossposted at Booman Tribune]

The Importance of Marching Against Arpaio

I was one of the thousands of human rights marchers on Saturday, January 16th in Phoenix, Arizona, united to protest the heinous actions of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Unfortunately, I left my phone in the vehicle so wasn't able to tweet updates or photos throughout the event, but as I think about it a couple of days later, those things don't matter as much as what I've been seeing in the aftermath of the event. Arpaio's abuses are finally getting enough media attention to make his actions a political liability. Call it a gut feeling, but that's what I'm observing.

Sheriff Joe is a notorious media-hound. He is the first to admit that he relishes in the attention given to his anti-migrant, and by extension of his racism, anti-latino policies. His delusions of grandeur, however, are misplaced as media sources from all parts of the country show images from the march and include in their stories the various investigations that are exposing the violations of his law enforcement agency.

Sheriff under investigation
Critics have alleged racial profiling by deputies working in Arpaio's immigration efforts, which the sheriff denies. He says his deputies approach people when they have probable cause to believe they had committed crimes.

Ten months ago, Arpaio learned he was under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for alleged discrimination and unconstitutional searches. He says the investigation was prompted by his immigration efforts, although federal authorities haven't provided details.

Since early 2008, Arpaio has run 13 immigration and crimes sweeps involving officers who flood a section of a city — in some cases heavily Latino areas — to seek out traffic violators and arrest other violators.

Arpaio's power to make federal immigration arrests was stripped away three months ago by officials in Washington, but he continues his immigration efforts through the enforcement of two state laws.

MSNBC.com

One of those "heavily Latino areas" is the Phoenix suburb of Guadalupe that was founded by Yaquis in the early 20th century. From the town's website:

Although Guadalupe didn't incorporate until 1975, our history dates back to 1907. Guadalupe is home to three cultures – with one of those cultures being the Yaqui Indians. The Yaqui Indians have endured many turbulent times beginning with wars fought against the Spanish and Mexicans. The Yaquis were trying to protect the land that they lived on near the Yaqui River in Sonora, Mexico. When Porforio Diaz defeated them, the Yaquis were sent down to the jungles of Yucatan. But during the Mexican Revolution, the Yaquis joined up with Pancho Villa. When Villa's army was defeated, the Yaquis headed to the United States for safety. Many of the Yaquis came up to the Salt River Valley to work on the construction of canals in the area. A community sprung up here – where we became Guadalupe.

In 2008, the mayor and council of Guadalupe had a public confrontation with Sheriff Joe after an immigration raid at the local Family Dollar convenience store. It was a high profile example of what the latino community in Maricopa County have long-believed: brown skin raises your likelihood of harassment from Arpaio's immigration witch hunt. He'd rather direct resources to targeting workers than apprehending violent criminals. Even the conservative Goldwater Institute understand this.

Immigration enforcement is important. But in its decision to add to its law-enforcement duties those of a “full-fl edged anti-illegal immigration agency,” MCSO has accomplished neither task well. By diverting precious law-enforcement resources on high-profile, extremely expensive, yet low-yielding immigration sweeps, MCSO has undermined its eff ectiveness in its core mission of protecting the lives and property of the people who look to it for protection. And by failing to
coordinate its raids with local police authorities, MCSO places law-enforcement officers and citizens at great risk.

Goldwater Institute Policy Report (.pdf file)

In response to Saturday's march, the sheriff retorted, "They are zeroing in on the wrong guy," Arpaio said. "They ought to be zeroing in on the president."

Which is a big lie, of course.

I've heard a few times from national immigration organizers that in order to reign in Arpaio, the laws must be changed, but he has proven before that he'll operate in any manner he chooses by finding loopholes and cherry-picking laws that allow him to continue targeting migrant workers. Here was his response after DHS amended their 287g agreement with Maricopa County.

"I'm going to tell you something, Jay," he said to Lawrence. "I don't need the feds to do my crime suppression to opt to arrest illegals. I can do it without the federal authority, and I'm going to continue to do it. It makes no difference. It helps us. Because I don't have to do all the paperwork for the feds, number one. And number two, I won't be under their umbrella, their guidance. So I will operate the same way, nothing is going to change."

Phoenix New Times

Those of us who marched understand this.

That's why it's important to come together in public like we did - to signal to other political leaders (and hopefully, Department of Justice officials) that Arpaio's actions are unacceptable.

As I wrote to an online colleague on Saturday night, each time the march is covered with commentary on the investigations and continue blowing the lid off the sheriff's abuses, the more politically toxic he becomes and the feds are forced to act. It is the only way he will be stopped, because it'll be a cold summer day in Phoenix before Sheriff Joe has a change of heart.

For latino families who live in Arpaio's jurisdication, that day of reckoning can't come too soon.

Nat'l Day of Action - Saturday, Jan 16th

Join thousands of human rights activists as we gather in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, January 16th at 9AM. There will be a march from Falcon Park to the downtown complex that serves as headquarters for the notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Full information on the event can be found at the Puente AZ website. There is also a Facebook page devoted to the event.

Leading the march will be UFW matron Dolores Huerta, Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha, and internationally-famed singer Linda Ronstadt. There will also be a concert at the end of the march featuring Little Joe y La Familia.

This will be the second march I've attended to protest the human rights abuses of Sheriff Joe, who is under several federal investigations for racial profiling and harassment of political foes in Maricopa County.

Federal investigators are apparently looking into Arpaio's actions stemming from his anger over budget cuts handed down by county officials. The budget cuts were part of a long-running feud between Arpaio and county leaders.

In one instance, Arpaio is accused of investigating a $340 million project for a new courts building in downtown Phoenix because he thought that the money should instead be spent on plugging holes in his office's budget. In other cases, he sent deputies to workers' homes on nights and weekends.

"Their way of showing their displeasure was to investigate, using the criminal justice process on people who were simply doing their jobs," Smith said.

ABC15

If you can't attend the march, please consider donating toward water bottles for the participants via the National Day Laborer Organizing Network