SB 1070 boycott has lift off! NAACP, others represent.

Activists launch boycott of Arizona over immigration law
by Diego Urdaneta Diego Urdaneta – Thu May 6, 4:41 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Civil rights and labor groups on Thursday urged Americans not to travel to Arizona, as they launched a national boycott in response to the state's divisive new anti-illegal immigration law.

The boycott was called by the National Council of La Raza, the largest US-based Hispanic civil rights group, which also urged President Barack Obama to redouble his efforts to see that immigration reform becomes law.

"We are calling for a boycott because this law will blow open the door to increased racial profiling, wrongful arrests, and other discrimination," said Janet Murguia, the president of the group, who criticized the Arizona law as "not American."

snip

Meanwhile, the largest US civil rights group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the law "tramples on the civil rights of Hispanic persons and... cannot be enforced without resorting to racial and ethnic profiling."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100506/ts_alt_afp/usimmigrationspolitics_20100506204131

AZ Sheriff of Pima Co on Amy's show this morning: "This law will have no impact on illegal immigration, none at all".

Pima County Sheriff Refuses to Enforce “Unconstitutional” Controversial AZ Anti-Immigrant Law
Dupnik-graphic

Protests continue across the country to denounce Arizona’s controversial new anti-immigrant law, which allows police officers to stop and interrogate anyone they suspect is an undocumented immigrant. We go to Arizona to speak with Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who calls the law “unconstitutional” and says he won’t enforce it.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/6/pima_country_sheriff_refuses_to_enforce

Video, audio & transcript at link.



SEIU Arizona Boycott: Labor Group Will Avoid State After Immigration Law
First Posted: 05- 6-10 06:05 PM | Updated: 05- 6-10 06:33 PM

The Service Employees International Union -- one of the country's largest -- is boycotting Arizona in response to the state's controversial new immigration law, the group announced Thursday.

"he 2.2 million-member union will boycott conventions and meetings in Arizona in an effort to denounce the extremist, anti-immigrant law "SB1070," SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina said in a release.

"By issuing an extensive boycott of meetings and conventions in Arizona, we are sending a clear message that working families want serious solutions to our immigration problems--not frivolous policies that undermine public safety, waste millions of taxpayer funds, and imperil our most basic civil rights," Medina continued. "On behalf of working families and the more than 8 million residents of Arizona, we will not back down until the Arizona state legislature, the courts or the Federal Government invalidates this dangerous and discriminatory law."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/seiu-arizona-boycott-labo_n_566194.html

eta: SEIU story.

I've been the Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party since June 2009. Previously, I worked for Congressman Raúl Grijalva and performed field work for state and local races during the 2000-2008 election cycles. I am a native Arizonan from a first-generation American family from Mexico.

Lately a lot of people have been asking me, has Arizona gone nuts?

The Arizona Republican Party is in a circular firing squad. More than in perhaps any other state, the Republicans here are in a civil war to determine if social conservatives can take control. This internal fight coupled with the new immigration law creates a unique opportunity for Democrats this election. This is a state where the netroots could well spell the difference and in fact, there is a solid chance of knocking off Republican icon John McCain, but we need your help.

Participating clean elections candidate running for statewide offices have to collect over 5,000 $5 contributions and cannot accept any further contributions. Attorney General Terry Goddard is running for Governor and a clean elections candidate. A DailyKos poll had Goddard 6 points over Brewer and with double digit leads over all other Republican candidates. But Goddard can't take any further individual contributions.

Under Arizona’s Clean Elections system, the Party is empowered to have a strong voice in campaigns. The Arizona Democratic Party can accept unlimited amounts of personal contributions. We are committed to grassroots democracy and building an army of regular Americans who want to contribute to the effort to stop Jan Brewer and the GOP legislators who are giving our state a bad reputation.

The role of the Democratic Party in Arizona is critical. We manage an intense field operation, massive voter contact programs, and one of the most sophisticated vote-by-mail campaigns in the country to increase Democratic turnout to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. The Party’s role is central for statewide Democratic candidates. We launched a new website this week, www.arizonafightsback.com

Progressives are going to take some lumps this election cycle, but Arizona is a place we can draw a line in the sand and have a resounding victory up and down the ballot. With you we can shape history. Can you help out? Can we get the same impressive effort we've watched happen in the netroots, happening here in Arizona to defeat the crazy Republicans running this state?

We have an opportunity in Arizona but we really need to build up our field team and fund an aggressive media plan. We feel Arizona is a top-tier target in 2010 with a rising stock for 2012.

Please join us in the fight to take back our state.

are not mutually exclusive activities.