A coalition of activist groups including Somos America, Sal Reza's Puente Movement, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network has just announced that tomorrow they'll be detailing a series of anti-SB 1070 protests and actions that will be occurring statewide.
I'll provide more details as I get them, but Puente spokeswoman Opal Tometi tells me the actions will kick off this Thursday, July 22 at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix. Oral arguments will be heard that day concerning requests for district Judge Susan R. Bolton to enjoin the law before it goes into effect on July 29.
(For a report on the first SB 1070 hearing on July 15, click, here.)
Tometi informs me there will be protests up to the 29th and beyond. There will also be a rally on the 29th at 1st Avenue and Washington Street (the site of Sheriff Joe's headquarters at Wells Fargo Tower), with civil disobedience anticipated.
In the press release alerting the media to simultaneous press conferences to happen in Flagstaff, Tucson and Phoenix, former state senator Alfredo Gutierrez invited all concerned citizens to join the coalition's efforts.
"We call on people of conscience to join us on July 29, the day 1070 is to go into effect, for a rally and civil disobedience at the office of the worst human rights violator of our time, Sheriff Arpaio. On July 29, we will not comply."
Arpaio, you see, has already announced that he will have one of his Hispanic-hunting anti-immigrant sweeps beginning the day the law goes live. No word yet on whether or not he will deploy his .50 caliber machine gun, as he did recently on a sweep of the Vekol Valley.
Puente's Carlos Garcia made a good point about Arizona's new breathing-while-brown law going into effect.
"In Maricopa County, we've been living SB 1070 conditions without the law in effect," he stated in the release. "The hate that produced the law will continue regardless of the judge's decision and our community's response will continue to grow until real justice comes to Arizona."
The activists will be demonstrating whether or nor Bolton issues an injunction, according to their announcement. A full-on push-back to SB 1070 is just about to begin.
