National Economic Boycott of Arizona in Pending SB 1070

Boycott the Police State Known as the State of Arizona

A national boycott of Arizona has been called to action by numerous groups after the signing of Senate Bill 1070, a bill which gives local police forces the authority to act as immigration enforcement and detain and arrest undocumented people. The law would also give officers the power to question any one who it is perceived to be an undocumented citizen. The call was led by the National Council of La Raza. Other groups who've joined the cause include the Center of Community Change, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Service Employees Union.

Another point for the boycott has been called out to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the major league baseball whose ownership has donated monies to Republican candidates in Arizona. The 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star game in 2011 is also scheduled in Phoenix. Many law critics have asked MLB to pull out their event from Phoenix and present it somewhere else. 

The law signed on April, 23, would go into effect in July. Pending legal appeals and injunctions by civil rights groups, the law would make the state of Arizona the most extreme and stringent in the realm of immigration enforcement. Opponents argue that the law would instill racial profiling as a valid means of detention, specifically for Latinos. Also, opponents of the law have called out for an economic boycott of Arizona to send a message of solidarity from the rest of the country with the people who would be harassed under the new law. Another point is to boycott economic ventures within Arizona. People have been asked to boycott Arizona and avoid visiting and/or contributing financially. Many conventions which were scheduled in Arizona from different organizations have pulled out their events altogether.

- fher