During this past Wednesday's rally against state Senator Russell Pearce's new apartheid-like bill SB 1070/HB 2632, I remained with the mass of the protesters, while a small contingent of demonstration leaders went into the Capitol's Executive Tower and up to the 9th Floor to try and meet with Governor Jan Brewer.
Fortunately, videographer Dennis Gilman went along for the ride to Brewer's office and snagged the video above.
Though Randy Parraz, from Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, and Border Action Network's Jennifer Allen had attempted to make an appointment with the Governor, they'd been getting the brush-off. Nevertheless, they and their crew waylaid the Speaker of the State House Kirk Adams, as he was going in to meet with the Governor, and pressed him on Pearce's proposed legislation.
Adams told Parraz that the bill had gone through committee and was awaiting action.
"And you're going to push that [bill] through?" Parraz pressed.
"We'll see," said Adams as he tried to make his way to his meeting with Brewer, only to be stopped once again by Jen Allen, who spoke to him about the opposition to the bill.
The activists later left 6,000 messages to the Governor on her receptionist's desk, each asking that she exercise her veto authority should the bill come to her, as most observers expect it will.
This was a textbook example of activism, and at the very least has the effect of letting powerful politicians in state government know that they will not be able to allow this bill to become law without the scrutiny of the people and the press.
Afterward, Allen promised the crowd that they will be back next week to do it all over again. They should. They should also consider targeting some of their fair weather friends in the minority caucus leadership, who are hiding on this issue.
I'm talking about crass social-climbers like Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, Assistant Leader of the Democratic Caucus, and the ambition-bound, like House Minority Leader David Lujan, who is running for state Attorney General.
Where have they been on this unconstitutional Pearce legislation, which would make it a "trespassing" offense to be in Arizona and be undocumented, and would force all local cops to act as immigration enforcers?
During the minority caucus meeting covering the item, there was zero discussion of how to stop the bill. Sinema chaired that meeting.
Why, look at the current state House press releases for the Dems: Not one release on the odiousness of Pearce's new ethnic cleansing proposals. But there are plenty of releases about when and where you can have coffee or ice cream with a particular legislator.
In one release, Sinema even trumpets changing a phrase or two in an existing human trafficking law. What, is this her lame bid to be a left-wing nativist? Does she think she'll get to higher office by being "tough on crime" and "tough on immigration"?
Maybe, but not without stabbing all of her erstwhile followers in their backs.
Some Dems have shown their opposition to the Pearce bill, such Rep. Daniel Patterson, and Rep. Phil Lopes, both from Tucson. But if the Democratic caucus only shows up to vote "no" on the bill, that's not enough. (The state Senate has approved the measure. It's now pending the approval of the state House.)
Thing is, if those in the Democratic leadership don't get off their fannies, stop noshing donuts, and start making some noise about this legislation, then they will be to blame for doing nothing when this bigoted bill becomes law.
