Hurt by Arizona immigration law, Hispanics organize

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Hurt by Arizona immigration law, Hispanics organize
Tim Gaynor
Reuters
3:05 a.m. EDT, April 25, 2012

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona landscaper Jose Acosta says he has been pulled over by police in the Mexico border state three or four times for tailgating or driving with a chipped windshield. But really, he believes, it is because of the color of his skin.

"They see me brown. They'll pull me over and ask me for documents. They'll make up a lie about why," said Acosta, 40, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Mexican origin.

He is now among a classroom full of Hispanic U.S. citizens, legal residents and illegal immigrants taking part in a six-week "defense" workshop in central Phoenix to study up on his legal rights.

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares on Wednesday to hear Arizona defend its crackdown on illegal immigrants, Hispanics in the state are responding to the 2-year-old measure with a surge of activism ranging from civil rights classes to a revved up effort to get out the vote this election year.





Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-rt-us-usa-immigration-arizonabre83o09n-20120425,0,7107412.story

[BumRushDaShow]

1. More need to do this across the nation. n/t

[secondwind]

2. No wonder Obama is up in AZ... only 2 pts behind Etch-a-Sketch

We have a chance to take AZ, if this boils over.

[RitchieRich]

3. my motivation

...as my own motivation to attend protests and generally defend my rights isn't exactly set to fever pitch lately, I wonder what attack on middle class white males would be required to change this- beyond just posting here, facebook, etc.

[izquierdista]

4. Wonder how the defense strategy goes

AZ: "Well, your honors, it's not like we're going to crack down on wops and dagos......"

SC: "Oh, all right then. Next case!"

CT: "ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz......."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. And that's why Obama and R-Money are neck-in-neck in Arizona! I'm thrilled to see this!

[smaug]

6. To quote from linked article . . .

"Roberts, who also could play a key role in deciding the case, spurned the administration's arguments that the Arizona law conflicted with the federal system and deemed it "an effort to help you enforce federal law."

Uh, this means that the Federal government can then essentially take over any local law enforcement, then? Hmmmm.