Phoenix, AZ - Over 500 activists and community members gathered here on the morning of July 29 to protest SB1070 on the day the law was going into effect. The law has lost some of its teeth due to pressure from the immigrant rights movement, which resulted in the long overdue federal injunction. On July 28, a judge struck down the part of the law that required all Arizonans to carry their proof of legal status constantly, as well as the part that legalized and mandated racial profiling, declaring these parts unconstitutional. However, most of the law remains intact, including the parts that criminalize day laborers and target families with mixed immigration status.
Chis Newman, an immigrant rights lawyer, rallied the activists July 28, in a meeting just before the protest saying, “This struggle did not begin with SB1070 and it will not end with it. SB1070 is a manifestation of the racist cancer that is affecting our Latino communities.” This means that the struggle for Chicanos and immigrants in this country is far from over.
Protesters rallied in front of the office of Sheriff Arpaio, one of the main figureheads of the racist, anti-immigrant movement. Not only does Arpaio wrench thousands of families apart with his excessive raids and deportations, he also commits human rights violations with his humiliating treatment of undocumented prisoners. An estimated 20 activists were arrested in the street, including members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), heroic local community organizers from Puente Arizona and others, as supporters chanted, “Arrest Arpaio” and “Down with 1070! We will not comply!”
Later, protesters blockaded the county jail, forcing sheriff department deputies to remain inside for over an hour. As a result of this blockade, Sheriff Arpaio was forced to cancel his raids and deportations for today. The July 29 demonstrations were a victory for the oppressed peoples of Phoenix and the rallies will continue across Arizona and the nation.
Grace Kelley is a member of University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
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Thanks for the article. I
Thanks for the article. I wonder if the situation was similar in Phoenix? At the height, we had around 500 gathered at one time at the state building, 400 to 500 or thereabouts. However, given that we had a more than 24 hour protest, it was impossible to get an accurate count of the participants, because people were coming and going throughout that entire time, so we certainly had more people involved than were gathered at any one time. I'm wondering if it was similar in Phoenix?
We also had at least a couple of incidents of direct actions, including a blockade with tires and tar of the main interstate (19) to and from the border and the demonstration taking over the street in front of the state building.
For those following the struggle in Arizona, it should be noted that also still standing is the outlawing of ethnic studies classes, and that there are some very bad bills coming up about the school system and undocumented students.
Also, the deaths in the desert because of border militarization are way up, even though the number of immigrants entering is down. In Arizona, we already have passed the 200 mark for recovered remains this year. I read yesterday that there are already 2,900 National Guard troops on the border just in Arizona. I saw that in a report in the Tucson Citizen. The Obama Administration is sending another 1,200 troops to the border, with more than 500 coming to Arizona. It's truly an occupation and a military zone down there, and the poorest of the poor and workers displaced in a forced migration are suffering the most from it.
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