We are America!

On March 10th 2010 150 people gathered at the Arizona State Capitol to deliver a message to Governor Jan Brewer. The message, "Enough is enough".  The AZ State Legislature was trying to pass an anti-immigration bill this week. (HB2632/SB1070) Thanks in part to the 150 people that showed up at the Capitol to denounce it it has, for now, been postponed to next week and some are saying that it may be postponed even further.

Border Action Network, a non-profit organization based in Tucson were the organizers of this event. In just one weekend they were able to collect 6,000 petitions from AZ residents urging Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bills being proposed by the State Legislature. In a time when AZ is in a huge budget crisis forcing the state to consider cutting education and to lay off hundreds of Police officers many, including Border Action believe that this will only cost the state millions that the state does not have to "train government employees, incarcerate and prosecute people who have committed administrative violations and defend against lawsuit payouts that are guaranteed to be filed against the state".

According to Border Action "The bill is an unfunded mandate. It applies a one-size-fits-all approach to law enforcement and local governance that takes local decision making, discretion and flexibility away from local agencies and officials". 

Border Action went inside the Capitol building to personally hand deliver the 6,000 petitions to Governor Jan Brewer. The proper steps were taken to request an appointment with the Governor. However she declined to see Border Action Representatives. Shame on you Governor Brewer for not taking the time to speak to your constituents! We'll be sure to remember that when we vote in the coming elections! 

Border Action has vowed to return on 3/17 with more supporters to again remind the Governor that this issue is not going away. The fight will continue!.

If you live in AZ and would like to help please contact the Governor's office and let them know that this bill is unacceptable! You can also join Border Action on 3/17 when they go back to the Capitol stronger and louder!

                       WE ARE HUMAN, WE ARE AMERICA!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Please join Border Action this week in their campaign to tell the Arizona legislature and Governor Jan Brewer that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! If you live in Arizona Border Action is asking you to tell the AZ House of Representatives to vote NO on HB2632/SB1070! Yet another anti-immigration bill. The campaign will culminate on Wednesday at the office of Governor Jan Brewer. Below are the steps you can take to help. See you there!

Here's what you can do:

1. As soon as you read this, print out this postcard, make copies of it and get all your friends and family to sign it.

2. Pull out your calendar and write "Going to Protest at Governor's office" on Wednesday, March 10th at 11:00am and "Bring all my friends and my 500 signed postcards."

3. Monday -Send an email or fax to your Representative telling them to VOTE NO on HB2632. Sign up to receive an email alert on Sunday so it's at the top of your inbox on Monday –it will take 30 seconds to send the email! Make sure they hear from you!

4. Tuesday -Call your Representatives and tell them to VOTE No on HB2632. To find out who your two Representatives are and how to call directly: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp

5. Wednesday –Go to the Rally at Governor Brewer's office at 1700 W. Washington St. in Phoenix to demand she VETO HB2632/SB1070. We will deliver the thousands of postcards, hear from the breadth of Arizona leaders who are opposed to this legislation and announce the next steps to challenge this law and its proponents. Download a flier and share it with friends.

5.5 If you can't make it to the rally, call, email or fax Governor Jan Brewer to tell her you wish you were outside personally protesting but are calling her instead! Click here to sign our online petition.

Email: governor@az.gov
Toll Free 1-(800) 253-0883
Fax (602) 542-1381

Borderlands

Phoenix, Arizona has been at the frontlines of the "Border Battle" for quite some time, Salvador Reza has been in the trenches fighting for Latinos since before the proverbial first shot was fired. Reza came to this country in 1961 when he was a child, He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a community organizer who believes that all immigrants who want to work should be welcomed with full labor rights.


Reza has been a strong critic against MCSO self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" Joe Arpaio. In 2005, the Arizona state legislature passed a state law making it a felony, punishable by up to two years in jail, to smuggle illegal aliens across the border. While already a federal crime, Arizona's law, also known as the "Coyote law", made it legal for local police to enforce immigration law and also classified persons being smuggled as co-conspirators subject to penalties as laid out in the law.


Arpaio has been conducting "Crime Sweeps" mainly on heavily Latino populated areas. Creating controversy and outcry among the Latino community in Phoenix as well as across the nation. The Sheriff has been accused of violating civil rights.This should come as no surprise; many allegations have come to light in recent years accusing Joe Arpaio of civil rights violations in his jails and during the so called "Crime Sweeps." His practices have been criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee, and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. The editorial board of The New York Times called Arpaio "America's Worst Sheriff". The Rev. Al Sharpton recently said, "Arizona can be as equal as everyone else when it comes to civil rights.' That is, when Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio 'is out of town'."


Typical of Joe Arpaio when confronted with these allegations he has been defiant and at times arrogant. "Sheriff Joe" says that won't slow him down, that he'll drive people he calls "illegals" to the border himself if he has to, and in fact, it's time for a showdown. These allegations have prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct and investigations on the Sheriff and MCSO's practices during these "Crime Sweeps." Joe Arpaio calls the inquiry into his office as "Politically motivated."


Lawsuits brought against Arpaio by employees, former employees, inmates, and the families of dead inmates have cost the county millions and Arpaio has misled the public about the cost to taxpayers of lawsuits. For example, the case of Scott Norberg, who died in jail, Arpaio has frequently said the $8.25 million settlement cost the county nothing and was covered by insurance. What he does not say is that, at the time of the settlement, the county had a $1 million deductible. Because of these lawsuits, the deductible for the sheriff's office insurance coverage has increased from $1 million to $5 million per incident. With Arizona having one of the biggest state deficits in the country, how many more settlements can it afford?


It was announced last week that a Grand Jury is also looking at allegations of civil rights violations. Comments like the ones he made on Rick Sanchez's show on CNN won't help his case either. When asked by Rick Sanchez how did he know that someone he was about to arrest was here in the country illegally, he said, "It has to do with the clothes they are wearing, their speech." He went on to say that these factors are in the federal law he follows. Rick Sanchez asked the Assistant Secretary of ICE, John Morton, if in fact that the clothes and the speech of an individual is enough probable cause to arrest someone for suspicion of being in the country illegally. John Morton said, "Not for an immigration offense, no." (Joe Arpaio was stripped of the authority given to him by ICE under 287g on Oct. 15, 2009).


The Assistant Secretary went on to say that "At the end of the day I feel that the sweeps he conducts in Maricopa County aren't consistent with our priorities as an agency...namely to identify and remove serious criminal aliens from the streets of Arizona." When asked by Rick Sanchez what Arpaio was doing wrong, John Morton said "His sweeps are over-broad..."


Arpaio confirmed the Assistant Secretaries statements about his sweeps being "overbroad" by defying the Federal government and launched a "crime sweep" on a car wash in the city of Peoria. However it doesn't stop there. The arrogance has been contentious. Recently a MCSO officer was caught on tape taking confidential material right out of a defense attorney's desk in the middle of a hearing! Doesn't the constitution protect us against this very exact thing?! The answer is yes!


It is called LAWYER/CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY.


The officer, Adam Stoddard was found in contempt of court and was ordered by a judge to hold a press conference to publicly apologize or go to jail. Joe Arpaio, not being able to resist the opportunity to make a statement, said, "I decide who holds press conferences and when they are held regarding this Sheriff's Office." The Officer did hold a press conference only to say that he was not apologizing. He spent Several weeks in "Jail." (All reports point to him not being in an actual cell.)
For these and many alleged civil rights violations, Salvador Reza is calling out to all that will support him to come to his "March for Human Rights" on January 16th 2010 at 9 am at Falcon Park in Phoenix.


For more info go to Puente's website www.puenteaz.org or call 602.314.5870 Celebrities such as Linda Ronstadt will be there to show their support. Also showing their support will be Dolores C. Huerta, the co-founder and First Vice President Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America.


Will this be the end of Joe Arpaio? Many are hoping that it is. What do you think?