Well, it happened. Last night I posted a diary about the political history behind the atrocious Arizona “papers please” bill, and today as I was lunching at a Phoenix restaurant someone announced that Governor Brewer had signed SB 1070. Given that I was eating in an old Mexican establishment, the news was not greeted warmly.
If you’d like to know more about the people behind this shitstorm, notably Arpaio and Pearce, take a look at The Statesmen Behind the Arizona Bill, where I put this disastrous bill in context. Arizona’s racist image is not new, dating to the appalling tenure of Governor Mecham who, in the late 80s, rescinded the MLK holiday, leading to a boycott. State tourism leaders often brag that tourism is Arizona’s largest industry, so when people and conventions stay away it has tremendous economic consequences. That was the case with the MLK fiasco, where the boycott's downturn led to the formation of a committee of human rights and business-friendly groups who got the holiday on the ballot, where it passed.
Anyway, it’s been a sad day here, so the next question is, What now? Clearly there will be lawsuits. Even though Governor Brewer’s signing statement maintained the bill will not lead to racial profiling, of course it will! WTF does “reasonable suspicion” even mean? Even Brewer said in today's Q&A that she has no idea what an illegal immigrant looks like, but she's confident Nazis like Joe Arpaio do. What a friggin' embarrassment of a governor! If you listened to the nutjob Congressman Brian Bilbray yesterday, he believes you can determine whether people are here legally or not by the shoes they wear. Riiiiight. Of course it will have nothing to do with whether the suspect is brown and speaking Spanish. It’s the shoes!!
To Our Friends in States Where You Can Walk Around Without Papers
First thing: boycott Arizona in whatever form you can. As Congressman Raul Grijalva said, stay away. And if you choose not to attend 2011 spring training, tour the Grand Canyon, or visit any of our other wonderful attractions, please let the Arizona Office of Tourism know why you’re taking your money elsewhere. Maybe you've always wanted to see the red rocks of Sedona or the OK Corral in Tombstone. Let their chambers of commerce know why you're taking the family to New Mexico instead. Similarly, if your business or organization has a convention set for Scottsdale, Phoenix or maybe ASU, cancel it and let those cities’ convention and visitors bureaus know why. Are you thinking of sending your kid to one of our universities? They're good schools but think again, and let them know why. Were you contemplating relocating your company to Arizona? Let the Arizona Department of Commerce know why you’ve scratched our state off your list. Perhaps you're being recruited by a university or company here; turn them down and explain why.
On the Streets Here
But for those of us who live here, and have to spend our money here, what now? Right now as I type I can hear people on the streets, so that’s one option; continue to attend the rallies and marches, such as one set for this Sunday in Phoenix. Civic disobedience, as Sendito suggests, is another option. Continue to write letters to the editor, online diaries, and contribute to and volunteer for legislative and congressional candidates who don’t support the racist direction our state is taking. Convince your friends and relatives not to visit you this winter or next year for spring training. (Tonight Olbermann urged people to boycott the Cactus League - it's starting already!)
Another option is, we throw it in their face. Now, for some, like undocumenteds and others afraid of being deported for whatever reason, even if they’re here legally, this is real life and they can’t afford to flaunt their disrespect for SB 1070. But for those of us who look, talk, and act like we “belong” in the state (we have the correct shoes), let’s practice a little in-your-face street theater, beginning with T-shirts and bumper stickers. I live near an INS building, where police mill around all the time. So I think I'll go walk by with a few of these T-shirts, feel free to add your own.
My Grandma Went to Arizona and All She Got Was Arrested
Grand Canyon: The Space Between Russell Pearce’s Ears
Want My Papers? Have a Zig-Zag
I Hiked the Grand Canyon: I Felt Safer There Than On The Streets
Papers? We Don’t Need No Steenking Papers
“Fighting Immigration Since 1492” - Hopi Elder
You Can Have My Papers When You Pry Them from My Cold Dead Hands
Standin’ On a Corner in Winslow Arizona. (I'm the Lookout.)
I Have A "Reasonable Suspicion" Gov. Jan Brewer Is An Idiot
Am I Wearing The Right Shoes?
By The Time I Get To Phoenix I'd Better Be White
And just because I can:
Joe Arpaio: Go Fuck Yourself
