Arizona Immigration Law Violates Our Fundamental Rights
By Kevin JohnsonMayor of Sacramento
I’ve never said much about this, but there was deep personal sadness when I was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Phoenix Suns in February 1988.
The trouble had no connection with basketball. I was ashamed of my new state for another reason: A year before the trade, Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Suddenly, I was expected to play my heart out for audiences proud to denigrate the civil rights victories won by Dr. King.
Arizona needed five years and the loss of an estimated $300 million in tourism dollars – including the removal of the 1993 Super Bowl – before voters finally gave Dr. King his day.
Today memories of those sorry days have returned.
Arizona is back at it, passing a law that allows police to demand ID from anyone who “looks” like an undocumented immigrant.
Don’t get me wrong. Our country must protect its borders. We are a nation of immigrants, and immigration must be managed with thoughtful, fair and productive protocols.
Government agencies must work diligently to respond to immigration issues. But our response must be appropriate and consistent with the fundamentals of our nation.
The Arizona law contradicts the foundation of American justice on multiple levels. Beyond the law’s discretionary bigotry, it stands as a hypocritical application of presumptive guilt, a violation of our essential Constitutional rights. Ultimately, it requires the most color-blind police officer to judge people based on their skin color.
I spoke with Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon on Wednesday afternoon (April 28). He asked me not to call for economic sanctions and boycotts against Arizona.
As mayors, we share a common understanding of negative economic impacts. Damaging the good work of Mayor Gordon and the many honorable people in his city in retribution for the immigration law can become the equivalent of trying to make two wrongs equal one right.
But I strongly feel we must seek a positive resolution to Arizona’s injustice, hopefully with dialogue. I will go to Arizona and meet with leaders there if that will help. And at Sacramento City Hall, I will begin the process of seeking collaboration on this issue with my colleagues at City Hall.
As a resident of Arizona during the time of the struggle to honor Dr. King, I understand how collective pressures can bring our Southwestern neighbors to their collective senses.
I still have many friends in Arizona, and know the state is not a land filled with hatred. But sometimes Arizonans need a reminder of their foolishness.
If we open a dialogue with Arizonians and remind them of the consequences from the Dr. King holiday embarrassment, maybe they will get it.
from:
http://www.teamkj.org/tabid/
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