AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka Will Headline Arizona Immigration Protest “Mega-March”

http://www.laborradio.org/node/13586

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on May 26, 2010 - 4:04pm
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By Doug Cunningham

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka is headlining a protest march on Arizona’s capitol this Saturday expected to draw tens of thousands of people protesting Arizona’s new immigration law. Trumka has called on the U.S. Justice Department to protect and defend civil rights by bringing legal action to stop Arizona from implementing the law. The AFL-CIO says comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship, not racial profiling, is the answer to our broken immigration system.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/05/27/20100527arizona-immigration-rallies.html

Rival rallies supporting and opposing Arizona's new immigration law will turn the Valley into a crossroads for protests this weekend, with organizers predicting their events will draw thousands from Arizona and across the country. Local police will not say exactly how many people they expect each event to draw, but there was a possibility of large crowds downtown and in Tempe as groups on both sides of the issue hold major events Saturday.

Saturday will begin with a march and rally through Phoenix by opponents, with supporters rallying in Tempe late in the day.

The Phoenix march will start at Steele Indian School Park, near Indian School Road and Third Street, and end at the state Capitol, where a rally will feature labor leaders like Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and politicians including outspoken Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois. A group of African-American clergy from California will also join the march.

The Tempe event, meanwhile, was organized by "tea party" groups that support the law. The rally will promote an Arizona "buycott" urging people to spend money in the state to counter boycott efforts. Gina Loudon, a St. Louis radio host who came up with the buycott idea, said the goal is to render boycotts ineffective. "No matter how you feel about the issue, it is ridiculous to punish business owners with a boycott," she said in a statement about the event.

Phillip Dennis, a Dallas tea-party member and an organizer of the Tempe event, said he felt it was wrong to impose a boycott over the state trying to secure its border. "Arizona has the right to protect its economy and its citizens, and we stand behind their right to do that," he said. "The federal government has failed to protect the border. Obviously, the federal government is not going to enforce the law." Loudon will speak at that event, along with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and others.

their signs at the Tempe march probably will express support for "BS 1070". :)