Bay Area Cities Stand Up Against Arizona Law

May_1_finalOn May 1, immigrants took to the streets in massive nationwide protests to demand full equality, legalization, labor rights, and an end to deportations. The marches—the largest this country has seen since 2006— took place on the heels of the passing of SB 1070, the Arizona state law that institutionalizes racial profiling by mandating local police to ask for ID from anyone they think might be undocumented. In Oakland and San Francisco, Causa Justa :: Just Cause joined thousands of community members to demand a halt to the implementation of SB 1070 and an immediate end to the displacement of immigrants from our communities.

In a show of cross-bay and multi-racial solidarity, African American members from Oakland traveled to San Francisco to march through the Mission District alongside Latino Causa Justa members. The African-American community has a long history of fighting racial profiling. In the recent memory, African-American and Latino communities united over the “Driving While Black or Brown (DWB)” campaign, which called attention to the disparate rates at which black and brown drivers get pulled over by police when compared to the rest of the population. Now, these two communities are coming together again over the struggle for justice in Arizona.

In response to SB 1070, groups nationwide have been organizing to boycott Arizona. In recent weeks, both the city of San Francisco and the city of Oakland passed resolutions stating each city’s intent to avoid contracting with Arizona-based companies or sending city officials to Arizona on city business. In doing so, city supervisors and council members have joined community groups who are supporting the nation-wide boycott of Arizona tourism and industry and otherwise divesting from the state. Arizona immigrant rights groups have called for a mass convergence on Phoenix on May 29. Causa Justa will be sending delegates to Phoenix to unite with the call for justice and an end to racial profiling in all its forms!

MAY 1ST, 2010 from pele pino on Vimeo.

Help send Causa Justa’s solidarity delegation by clicking here!