When the team at Presente.org reached out to me about the emergency in Arizona with SB 1070, a bill awaiting action from the Gov., I knew you needed to hear about it. The reality in Maricopa County — Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s cowboy mentaility of midnight raids, forced family separation and chain gangs — is about to go statewide. The most troubling aspect of this bill is its sanctioning of racial profiling — stopping someone based on the color of their skin. It reminds me of the old days in America when your skin color determined where you lived, ate, sat, and went to school. Undocumented immigration is a challenge, but racial profiling will not solve it. It puts us on a path back to a dark time in our history. It’s simply not right, and you can stop it. We can tell Gov. Brewer that SB 1070 is unAmerican and not the way to take on the undocumented immigration challenge. I hope you’ll read the email from Presente.org and take action today! — Bertha Imagine driving through the neighborhood you grew up in and being pulled over for no apparent reason. Your crime? Being brown in Arizona. This might seem unimaginable in the 21st-century United States, but the Arizona State Legislature is on the verge of passing a law that would authorize officers to pull over, question, and detain anyone they have a “reasonable suspicion” doesn’t have proper documentation. The legislation would essentially legalize racial profiling, creating a police state for immigrants. The bill will be on the Governor’s desk as soon as today.1 This is a moment for all of us to stand with the people of Arizona against this injustice. Please join us in telling Governor Jan Brewer to do the right thing and veto this bill, and ask your friends and family to do the same: http://presente.org/ref/ad/31/campaigns/arizona According to the LA Times, “The bill, known as SB 1070, makes it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration paperwork in Arizona. It also requires police officers, if they form a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that someone is an illegal immigrant, to determine the person’s immigration status… Immigrant rights groups say it amounts to a police state.” 2 If this bill passes, Arizona is declaring itself an apartheid state, where people who “look” undocumented are treated differently than the rest of the population. Leading police chiefs and sheriffs have even come out against the bill, saying that it will cause immigrants to avoid reporting crimes, and divert officers’ attention from going after violent offenders.3 The future of Arizona is now in the Governor’s hands. Please join us in telling Governor Jan Brewer to veto this bill. http://presente.org/ref/ad/31/campaigns/arizona Thank you and ¡Adelante! Laurie, Favianna, Roberto and the rest of the Presente.org team |
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