THIS BLOG is NOW RETIRED

I began this blog in May 2009 following the death of Marcia Powell at Perryville State Prison in Goodyear, Arizona. It is not intended to prescribe the path that leads to freedom from the prison industrial complex.

Rather, these are just my observations in arguably the most racist, fascist, militaristic state in the nation at a critical time in history for a number of intersecting liberation movements. From Indigenous resistance to genocidal practices, to the fight over laws like SB1070 and the ban on Ethnic Studies, Arizona is at the center of many battles for human rights, and thus the struggle for prison abolition as well - for none are free until all are. I retired the blog in APRIL 2013.

Visit me now at Arizona Prison Watch or Survivors of Prison Violence-AZ
BLOG POSTS
Showing posts with label racist legislation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racist legislation. Show all posts

Monday, March 29, 2010

Hey Pearce: SB1097 is Child Abuse.

This is absolutely criminal, what Russ Pearce has been doing to this state. THIS is child abuse. We need a massive direct action/counter-demonstration at the Capitol to stop this corrupt business from proceeding one of these days. How can people NOT stop everything they're doing and look at these men for the frauds they are? They might as well be running around in pink boxers, given what they're trying to sell us.

The women who vote party lines have no excuse for going along. We expect them to be smarter and tougher than the men, actually. Brutal takes neither brains nor perseverance - just willingness to use violence or the threat of it.

The legislation that's come out of the Capitol in Phoenix this past year is nothing less than racist, classist, and brutal - no one is hurting from these budget cuts but those whose voices are diminished by your politics to begin with...those are the voices of The People. You politicians are making out just fine, as far as we can tell - at our expense.


Go tax yourselves, AZ LEGS. Pearce is going to take you right off a cliff if you don't listen to the people you keep hurting. You can't lock us all up at once. Not yet, anyway.
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BORDER ACTION NETWORK:


URGENT STATE LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

It's another Russell Pearce effort that will drive the future of Arizona into the ground but this time targeting school children. If this bill sounds familiar, a House version was heard last week.


Tomorrow, Monday, March 29th, the Senate Committee of the Whole will vote on SB1097 -- a bill that threatens to cut state funding from schools unless they report on children's immigration status.

Click Here to Take Action


SB1097 Schools; Data; Noncitizen Students
Sponsor: Senator Russell Pearce (R- 18)


This bill seeks to undermine a 1982 Supreme Court decision, Plyer v. Doe that clearly stated that the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of all children, regardless of their immigration status in the U.S., to K-12 education. HB2382 threatens to revoke state funding to schools if they do not report on the immigration status of the children at their schools. While the bill falls short of actually denying children access to education, the impact of the intimidation and threat to parents would result in children not being enrolled.


To view the bill's full text: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1097p.htm


SB1097 ESCUELAS, INFORMACION, ESTUDIANTES NO CIODADANOS


Patrocinadores principales: el senador Russell Pearce (R-18)

HB2382 exigiría el Departamento de Estado de Educación, los distritos escolares y las escuelas para recoger y compilar datos sobre el estatus de inmigración de los estudiantes. Se le podría requerir al departamento de Educación que produjera un informe que analiza los costos de proporcionar educación a los niños indocumentados. Cualquiera persona que proporcione un informe fraudulento sería culpable de un delito menor de Clase 1. Este proyecto de ley tiene por objeto intimidar a las familias inmigrantes para evitar que matriculen a sus hijos en la educación pública, un derecho que está garantizado para todos los residentes en los Estados Unidos, independientemente de su situación jurídica.



Please take 30 seconds to tell YOUR SENATOR to keep schools focused on education, not on legislators' hate-filled agendas targeting children!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Racist SB1070 Passes Senate; Now to House.

From Matt at the Phoenix Immigrants List Serve. 

So much for small town sovereignty.

Thank you, Carolyn Allen. Senator Allen is one of the few independent Republicans left in the Senate, I think. Pearce must not have enough dirt on her to twist her arm the way he does to everyone else.

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Now the house has to pass their version, if that passes then both sides have to come to agreements (if there are any differences), then Brewer would have to sign it into law.  I think all of this is gonna happen within the next week or so. - Matt

Ariz. Senate approves sweeping immigration bill
by The Associated Press
Posted on February 16, 2010 at 6:48 AM
Updated today at 7:42 AM
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PHOENIX -- The Arizona Senate has approved a sweeping bill to strengthen immigration enforcement laws.

The measure passed the Senate 17-13. Scottsdale Republican Carolyn Allen joined Democrats in opposing the measure sponsored by Mesa Republican Sen. Russell Pearce. It now goes to the House.

Pearce's bill would ban police departments from adopting policies that prevent officers from asking people about their immigration status.

The bill also would make it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally or to transport or conceal an illegal immigrant. And it seeks to curb day-labor employment by making it a crime for an illegal immigrant to solicit work in a public place or for anyone to hire someone from a vehicle.