Arizona Over the Edge
Grand Canyon, Arizona.
UPDATE: It passed. !&%$.
There's a bill sitting on the desk of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer that makes racial profiling legal in Arizona. Please take a moment to read this, and if you agree, sign the petition below.
SB 1070 requires local law enforcement to demand proof of legal residence of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, and makes it a crime to be unable to produce those documents. So if you have dark skin, or an accent, forgetting your wallet at home or jogging without your driver's license would be a crime in Arizona.
The New York Times editorial page came out against the bill this Sunday. Aptly titled "Arizona Goes Over the Edge," the editorial notes that critics' likening of the "harsh and mean-spirited" bill to the creation of a police state "sounds overblown until you read it." Jan Brewer could sign the bill as early as today. If she signs, or if she does nothing, it becomes law.
(Sidebar: SB 1070 is the lead story on the Times' homepage. If you want to read what Arizona Republic reporters are writing about this national controversy unfolding in their backyards, you have to click past updates on the Coyotes and the dangers of tree trimming. Pull it together, Republic Web editors.)
Arizona has gotten attention in the past for the gimmicky antics of its ego-driven politicians. Pink underwear and green meat - Google "arpaio pink underwear inmates" if you don't know what I'm talking about - are childish enough that people have laughed off the legal exploitation of a group of people for political gain. This bill also panders to ignorance at the expense of human rights. If this bill passes, we're saying that it's acceptable in America to harass and arrest American citizens and legal residents in the alleged pursuit of illegal immigrants. We are saying that the color of your skin is enough to place in question your right to be in this country. If we open those doors, who knows what might come through them next.
And in other Arizona news, Casey Newton reports that the Arizona house just passed a bill requiring presidential candidates to produce a birth certificate in order to be listed on the ballot in Arizona. You know, like this one. Goddamn it.
Please take a moment today and sign this petition from the advocacy group Presente.org to let Governor Jan Brewer know your opposition to this bill. This isn't just bad for Arizona. It's an ugly scar on America and a step - rather, a giant, vaulting leap - in the wrong direction.
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 20, 2010
