Signs of Love, Welcome Outnumber Another Hateful Bus Blockade Against Refugees

[bigtree]

Pro-immigrant demonstrators outnumber people spewing hate at immigrant children in Arizona.

It was supposed to go down like Murrieta, California. Protesters demonstrating against immigrants were supposed to gather to block incoming buses of immigrant minors in Oracle, Arizona.

They were egged on by Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who spent the past week stirring up dissent against the children and the plan to house them at Sycamore Canyon Academy. In a state with strict immigration laws, the bus blockade seemed like a done deal.

Then came the counter protesters. They came with posters of hearts and welcome to counter the hateful signs like "Return to Sender." A mariachi band even showed up to serenade the pro-immigration crowd.

Soon, the pro group outweighed the anti-immigrants. Even if bus blockages become the new rage among xenophobes, this shows a counter protest can be just as powerful.



Arizona Daily Star @TucsonStar
Now more with "welcome" signs than protesters in Oracle. http://tucne.ws/W77ALC #immigration #busblockade




Christa Reynolds @christareynolds
Ruben Moreno plays mariachi - style rendition of "land of the free, home of the brave" #busblockade




Christa Reynolds @christareynolds
Ricardo Reyes- "u should b ashamed to call yourselves Christians" "they're not illegal they're children" #busblockade




Christa Reynolds ‏@christareynolds 9h
2 former USMC Sergeants confront one another. Harry Stuart, left, Ricardo Reyes, right #busblockade pic.twitter.com/TAMP8EixHW




Christa Reynolds ‏@christareynolds
Joan Sefir says we're a nation of #immigrants we are here to welcome the kids #busblockade #protest





Photo by Ron Medvescek



Photo by Ron Medvescek

[greatlaurel]

1. That is wonderful! Good for those folks for standing up to the nasty fools. I am proud of them.

These people represent the true spirit of Arizona and all of the USA, not the hateful bigots who have gotten way too much attention. I have visited Arizona many times and have found most of the people to be delightful and friendly. It is sad that a minority of right wingers have managed to take over the state and local governments there, because most Arizonans are some of the nicest folks in the country.

Thanks for letting us see some of the good people of Arizona. I knew they were still there.

[Cha]

2. Mahalo bigtree.. this is America.

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. New sign: You assholes are ALREADY outnumbered!!!

[Half-Century Man]

5. This is how to undo the Tea Party

Send more love than they send hate.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[sabrina 1]

7. That is beautiful! I bet the bullies didn't expect that at all. I hope the children

saw the welcoming people and didn't see the others.

Thanks for the thread.

[gratuitous]

8. The welcoming folks are getting wall-to-wall coverage, right?

Or is the popular media focused like a laser on the knuckleheads? Let me guess . . .

[AllyCat]

9. Fabulous!

[Iliyah]

10. I just came back from Atlanta, GA

(-) 24/7 news cycle against Pres O and everything. Purdue had the most commercials. Negative towards the children that are coming across the "Texas" border(s).

Majority of the people that I saw and listened to were pro everything that the corporate media was spewing.

[humbled_opinion]

11. Yep all we are hearing in

North Florida is about infestation and disease carrying illegals.... Red States have zero compassion.

[Heidi]

12. Kick, kick, kick!

[ReRe]

13. K&R

There they are: Our better angels! Thanks, bigtree, for these uplifting photos. I hope more and more of them start showing up all along the southern border. I assume the Red Cross is helping. In one photo I seen on TV, the large group of children were all laying on the floor under Red Cross blankets. The evil needs to be drowned out. I say it's high time for a marathon call-in-benefit-concert on TV. Has anyone heard of one in the works?

[bigtree]

15. one good cause

. . . is the call for lawyers and legal professionals to join up with Americorps and other orgs to provide much needed legal assistance to the growing number of refugees. The legal hurdles to remaining in the U.S. are daunting and beyond the ability of most of these individuals without some assistance.

The branch is called, 'justice AmeriCorps Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children'.

justice AmeriCorps FAQs

Contact Information:
[e-mail]
202/606-7508

[ReRe]

26. Thank you!

The only draw-back is it's a government program. Lots of red tape and roadblocks?

[bigtree]

28. I don't think these folks would turn away anyone with a legal background who's willing to come help

. . . so many groups are pleading for volunteers.

This program does provide the resources to support such a commitment from an individual, though. I can imagine how prohibitive the cost might be it might be to just drop everything and volunteer.

[conservaphobe]

14. The pushback against hate is coming.

And it's going to create a lot of positive change.

[vlakitti]

17. Thanks for saying this. I agree.

I hope you are right. These incidents have dredged up so much meanness and bigotry and ugliness it's hard for me to keep the faith sometimes.

[DeSwiss]

16. Thanks bigtree.

[WillyT]

18. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[jonjensen]

20. Sheriff babeu

Sheriff babeu thats the bald headed guy in sheriff uniform who was outed by phoenix new times for threatening his undocumented underage boy friend with deportation for breaking away from him is interesting reading in the phoenix new times.

[pinboy3niner]

22. Babeu is also a supporter and protege of Joe Arpaio

And he's the sheriff who appeared in one of McCain's 'control the border' campaign ads.

Welcome to DU, jonjensen!

[dbackjon]

43. Yup - I wonder if Babeu will publish a map of the route his illegals take?

[LittleGirl]

44. Welcome to DU

Phx New Times has better coverage of AZ than any other newspaper.

[jonjensen]

21. native americans didn't invite the disease ridden euros either!

19 as a cherokee my ancestors didn't invite euros either!

[bigtree]

23. looks like 19 was shown the exit

. . . glad I completely missed the comment.

[bigtree]

24. kick

[bigtree]

25. .

[ReRe]

27. Please, everyone!

Come back and kick this. Refer to it in other threads if you run on to someone who hasn't seen it.

[riqster]

29. K & R

[greatlaurel]

30. I will gladly kick this OP, again.

Anyone know how to work with the algorithms to push this up the search engines. I will help anyone who wants to start such a project.

Those people are true heroes.

[logosoco]

31. K&R

I hope the kids see this and feel less scared and know that there is more love than hate here (as long as they stay away from the teevee they may learn this!)

[bigtree]

32. me too, logosoco

...

[ohheckyeah]

33. If idiots have problems with these children

coming here they should take it up with Washington, not these poor, probably terrified children.

Bravo for the spreaders of love.

[SalviaBlue]

34. K & R

This is a great, thanks for posting!!

[Squinch]

35. This gives me hope! Thank you for posting!

[randr]

36. All liberal and progressive minded people need to follow suit

The best way to show the world that America still holds true to its morality and principles is for a public display outnumbering the un-American crowd.
Whenever the opportunity presents itself to make a showing let us show who the majority is by showing up.

[etherealtruth]

37. Reading the headline I almost wanted to joke ....

... are we sure it wasn't a bus of kids (citizens) going to a YMCA camp?

Looking at the images and reading their sentiments was powerful and reminded me that there really are wonderful and compassionate people among us.

Thank you for this uplifting and powerful post

[redqueen]

38. This is awesome

Thanks, bigtree

[justhanginon]

39. Thanks for the lift Bigtree. K and R

[frylock]

40. knr

[Agony]

41. Shout it from the highest mountain! Signs of Love!

kick

[Aristus]

42. Makes me proud to be a liberal.

Love will conquer hate.

K&R!

[sheshe2]

45. Thank you bigtree.

[redwitch]

46. Thanks for posting this bigtree!

So uplifting!

[CTyankee]

47. the good people! thank god~

[myrna minx]

48. .

[toddwv]

49. Sheriff "Underpants" Babeu [Probably NSFW]

[Politicub]

50. Brings tears to my eyes

There are some very good people in the world.

GOTV.

[Louisiana1976]

51. That's wonderful news! And unlike teabaggers, their signs were spelled right. K&R

[kylie5432]

52. It's not about hate, it's about responsibility

I have to wonder why the attention is not on the governments of these people to take care of them? And what about more prosperous South American countries like Uruguay? Certainly they can take some of them in.

You've framed this as "love vs. hate" but its really about the fact that 68% of Americans can't come up with 1000 dollars if they had to in an emergency. We are spiraling downward economically and the cost of migrants should be spread across other countries and not fall only on the US to shelter this burden.

Although we may be the "richest" country on earth that wealth is concentrated at the top. Until we bring back our middle class we have no business taking in more. The saying on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty is a poem, not policy.

As far as US drug use being used as an excuse -people in all countries take drugs including in the home countries of these children and it does not absolve the home countries of taxing their rich to take care of their own people.

[bigtree]

54. that's one opinion

. . . one that I don't share.

While we suffer as individual from lack of adequate resources, the nation, as a whole, does not. It's a matter of priorities. Most folks who grace this site understand that the things our government chooses to spend money on (defense, tax breaks for wealthy . . . ) keep us from investing in the things we should.

I don't subscribe to the notion that our government is so poor that they can't accommodate these children. I also don't think that assistance should have to wait until Congress decides to spend the money on other needed priorities, either.

. . . oh, and with the right-wing, it IS about hate.

[Phentex]

56. excellent response!

This is not an either/or situation.

[LiberalElite]

53. Love makes your heart open up -

hate shrivels it.
(or is it the other way around - open heart = love and shriveled heart = hate)

[PaulKersey]

55. Protesting kids is silly but

whats with this latest surge? Looks like word got out that if you make it here you stay.