Protesters Demand Immigrant Rights and Condemn the Arizona Law

Monday 02 August 2010

by: David Bacon, t r u t h o u t | Report

Protesters Demand Immigrant Rights and Condemn the Arizona Law
California immigrants and community activists protest Arizona's SB 1070. (Photo: David Bacon)

San Francisco and Oakland, California - In San Francisco and Oakland, immigrants and community activists protested Arizona's SB 1070, which would require police and local law enforcement to check the immigration status of people they suspect might be undocumented, on the day the law took effect. A day earlier, federal Judge Susan Bolton invalidated much of the law, but demonstrations involving thousands of people took place against the law around the country nevertheless.

In San Francisco, demonstrators also protested cooperation between police and immigration agents in arresting people for deportation, in front of the office of California Attorney General Jerry Brown. Brown, a candidate for governor, ruled that San Francisco could not opt out of the Secure Communities program, which mandates such cooperation and would invalidate San Francisco's sanctuary city ordinance. Protesters then went into Brown's office and told one of his assistants about their objections to his action.

Renee Saucedo, an attorney with La Raza Centro Legal and a leader of the protesters, said: "It's no coincidence that Arizona has this outrageous law, because all the proposals from Washington on immigration reform encourage the same criminalization, racial profiling and discrimination. Immigrant communities are demanding an end to these policies and laws, including 'Secure Communities' and 'E-Verify.' We deserve a new direction from Washington, with real change, including legalization and workers' rights."

In many other parts of the country, demonstrations connected the Arizona law to local anti-immigrant measures, and to an increase in enforcement actions by the federal government. In Mississippi, the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance held a protest inside the state capitol in Jackson, in front of a statue of former Sen. Theodore Bilbo. In the era in which African-Americans were beaten and even lynched for demanding voting and civil rights, Bilbo was a leader of the Dixiecrats in Congress. He was notorious for attacking African-Americans, Jews, immigrants, Catholics and all progressive people.

A church choir sang "Listen Mr. Bilbo," written by Bob and Adrienne Claiborne in 1946 and popularized by Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers. The song begins with the verse:

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history.
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great.

Bill Chandler, director of the Alliance, asked, "Is not trying to bring this xenophobic and racist Arizona law into Mississippi playing the Bilbo Card? Is it not their stated intent to intimidate and drive immigrants out of our state, just as their ancestors' intent was to intimidate, terrorize, and drive out African Americans in the last century? And to enforce inequality on those left behind?"

See also "Illegal People - How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants," (Beacon Press, 2008).
Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008.

See also the photo documentary on indigenous migration to the US, "Communities Without Borders," (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006).

See also "The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border," (University of California, 2004).

This work by Truthout is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Comments

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Those people Bilbo attacked,

Mon, 08/02/2010 - 18:18 — W.K. Morris (not verified)

Those people Bilbo attacked, African-Americans, Jews, immigrants, and Catholics were all U.S. citizens who were being treated as second-class citizens and even as less than human. The people targeted by SB 1070 in Arizona are present illegally in the United States, and that law does not threaten to beat them or abuse them, only to deny their continued illegal presence in this country. Big difference; let's keep it straight.

the people targeted are

Mon, 08/02/2010 - 18:55 — adelina ortiz de hill (not verified)

the people targeted are people who" look like aliens", legal or not, the issue is profiling what dont you get . all of the populations you mentioned where often subjected to physical abuse by law enforcement regardless of legal status. this has been documented and is history not the misleading hype and exaggeration to promote fear.

Senorita Ortiz de Hill, I

Mon, 08/02/2010 - 22:23 — W.K. Morris (not verified)

Senorita Ortiz de Hill, I grant you that people who look Latino (like my son, who has Mexican heritage but is a U.S. citizen) may be inconvenienced if similar laws flourish throughout the country. By then we may hope that all U.S. citizens will hold a Real I.D. card, conveniently carried, that satisfies a preliminary immigration check. If not, he will just have to carry a passport or birth certificate. I doubt he will need it though, as his English is perfect, unlike that of most illegal immigrants.

@03:23, Whoever you and

Mon, 08/02/2010 - 23:58 — Anonymous (not verified)

@03:23, Whoever you and your son are (if you even have a son -- because, as a parent, and an American citizen -- I can tell you that no parent in their right mind is willingly happy to have their son searched by the police. And for no good reason. Speaking as a parent who had this happen at an airport to their child *just because* some dumb Bilbo official didn't think I looked at them the right way.

Second of all, and why I don't believe who you are, is because no one with recent immigrant history in their family is so life ignorant that they imply that people with accents are illegal immigrants. Or that anyone with an accent should be stopped by the police to produce proof of their immigration status.

This is disgusting.

You know, I was supporting some form of identification for work purposes in an immigration reform bill, but then I read your revolting post.

Not to mention all the

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 00:10 — Anonymous (not verified)

Not to mention all the American citizens who have accents.

Bilbo was completely male hormonal surge when it came to immigration. Every verse in the song is about someone who came to America. Including Crispus Actus, who was NOT an American citizens when he fought and died in the American Revolution.

Another thing Sir Morris seems to be ignorant of in American history:

http://www.peteseeger.net/listenbilbo.htm

Don't know what we'd do

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 04:32 — Juan del Norte (not verified)

Don't know what we'd do without David Bacon. Thanks, man.

As a long-time friend of W.

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 07:29 — friendly Gringo (not verified)

As a long-time friend of W. K. Morris, who made the first and subsequent comments, I assure you his son has Mexican heritage. Mr. Morris's former wife was Mexican-American. He speaks Spanish and is familiar with Hispanic culture. He even loves, sings and plays Mexican songs on his guitar and I hereby swear that he loves Mexican food and supports local restaurants. Get used to the fact that many intelligent people, registered Democrats, get upset when non-citizens refuse to obey the laws of the land.

The Real I.D., for

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 08:58 — WILLARD MORRIS (not verified)

The Real I.D., for everybody's information, is a card (for example, a driver's license) recommended by the 9/11 Commission, and its purpose is security screening to prevent terrorists from gaining access to public buildings, airlines, etc, Legal presence in the U.S. is one requirement for being given this card, which makes it useful for quick immigration checks. So far, few if any states have implemented the card, which would be most useful to the Arizona police if the requirement to carry documents were ultimately upheld by the courts. As you know, it is customary for police to ask for a driver's license in every traffic incident. With a Real I.D. card, this could be a quick and painless procedure - if you have one in your wallet or purse. No more excuse for being undocumented, just as there is no excuse now for drivers not to carry their driver's license. Yes, I will carry it gladly, and so will my son, and we'll produce it on demand by any law officer. A small price to pay for better security and better enforcement of immigration law.

PAAPPERS

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 10:53 — Anonymous (not verified)

PAAPPERS PLEEEASE!!...
ARREST THIS MAN!!!!

How fascist do you want our country to be?

An apparently law abiding man going about his daily business should not be approached by ANY governmental law enforment agent demanding proof of his "innocence"!

I've lived in this country for almost 60 years now (within 10 miles of where I was born) and it's ridiculous to think that law enforcement agencies don't know who I am... or that some idiot would think that I need to carry a national ID card.

If they don't know who's illegal (and who isn't) then what's the sense of having all the redundant records and data bases they keep?

Besides... it doesn's matter WHAT document I give the police when I'm stopped - they ONLY go by what information (or orders to detain) come back off their computer screen.

Come to your senses... ALL POLICE EVERYWHERE already reserve the "right" to detain ANYONE whose identity they may question until they've had a chance to further check them out.

But Police check points (for whatever reasons) are FASCIST, prone to abuse, and not fit for a "free" society. It's nothing more than simply throwing out a fishing net and seeing what you come up with!

If a man sneaks into your

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 11:29 — ratbstard (not verified)

If a man sneaks into your home he is a burglar, not an undocumented tenant you must provide for!

Some-one stealing a loaf of bread could go to jail but those who steal jobs and national identity deserve rewards? I DON'T THINK SO!

SAN FRANCISCO IN THE MID

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 13:19 — Cheyennebode (not verified)

SAN FRANCISCO IN THE MID EIGHTEEN HUNDREDS WAS AT THE MERCY OF SOME RICH MEN DOING HIGH CRIMES AND GOING UNPUNISHED BECAUSE THEY OWNED THE POLITICIANS...SOME MEN WITH A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE FOUNDED A VIGILANTE COMMITTEE AND DISPATCHED THE BAD GUYS..WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE STATE MILITIA AND CALLED THEM UP TO DEAL WITH THE VIGILANTES..BUT NO ONE SHOWED BECAUSE THEY WERE THE VIGILANTES..AFTER ORDER WAS ACHIEVED THEY DISBANDED..I GUESS IF GOVERNMENT CAN'T DELIVER PROTECTION...THEN EACH TOWN ..CITY..WILL HAVE TO GO VIGILANTE...

@16:29, frankly, I don't

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 16:04 — Anonymous (not verified)

@16:29, frankly, I don't think someone who has to steal a loaf of bread should be going to jail either. And when I saw a little old white lady shop lifting a personal necessity at Rite Aide Corporation, I turned my head and went on with my business. And I say that proudly, as a decent American.

The cost of bread is obscene

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 16:09 — whaler (not verified)

The cost of bread is obscene these days -- real bread, that is, not mushy cardboard with vitamin pills added -- and not worth the one or two dollars it costs for one loaf. Even flour is ridiculously priced.

Whole grain flour that is.

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 16:11 — whaler (not verified)

Whole grain flour that is. With real nutritional value. In terms of how many loaves of bread you can get out of a bag.

The price of yeast? Ridiculous.

Wake up bleeding hearts,

Sat, 08/07/2010 - 09:11 — WCH (not verified)

Wake up bleeding hearts, including Mr. Bacon. You are perpetuating the problem.

What part of "illegal" in "illegal immigrant" do you not understand? There can be no justice or fairness until all immigrants are here legally, one way or another. Knee jerk (Yes, you guys are truly knee jerk), liberal advocacy of continued illegal status is just as stupid, perpetuates the problem just as much as do the Bilbos of the world.

When the USA, California and other states simply refuse to enforce the laws on their books, they add one more very real proof that we are NOT a nation of laws. This is a seriously bad thing to do to the culture of a nation.

Change the laws if they don't work. Do-nothing in the face of a real problem and broken system, allows the real fascists to continue to exploit those who have no rights. "Illegal" generally leaves one out in the cold when it comes to rights.

Without reasonably verifiable documentation of citizens and aliens present in this country, knowing who is who, the real fascists will continue to exploit those who have no defense because they must remain hidden.

Just how much "freedom" do any of you have in any other country without proof that you are there legally? Anyone with and IQ above dull normal who has traveled abroad knows this.

You do not want resolution and fairness. You want it both ways. Your continued advocacy for keeping it fuzzy and unresolved simply allows you to maintain your goody goody bona fides.

Bleeding hearts, here's another metaphor for you: Undo your cranio rectal juxtaposition. Advocate resolution. Advocate fairness. Advocate clarity.

"For every complex problem there is a solution that is clear, simple.....and wrong."

No, WCH, we so-called

Tue, 08/10/2010 - 13:44 — Frances in California (not verified)

No, WCH, we so-called bleeding-hearts (we're actually compassionate enough, some of us, to let creatures like YOU go on sharing our oxygen) are not perpetuating the problem. We are perpetuating the CONSTITUTION. And you aren't doing so badly, one surmises, by the problem lingering. Who's paying YOU to be so condescending?