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Rally Today Against AZ Anti-Immigrant Law: Move the 2011 All Star Game

Posted July 8, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.
Categories: Hate Watch

Here is the latest info on the rally today at noon. I’ll see you there.

NYC Rally at Major League Baseball Headquarters:

Move the 2011 All-Star Game Out of Arizona And Protest Anti-Immigrant Arizona Laws!
Support Immigration Reform not Racial Profiling!

WHEN:THURSDAY JULY 8TH @ 12NOON

WHERE:MLB Headquarters – 245 Park Ave (46th and Park Ave), Manhattan

WHY:Let’s send a message to Arizona: we oppose the un-American law (SB1070) that threatens civil rights and undermines basic notions of fairness. We call on MLB to do the same.

This rally is co-sponsored by (list in formation): The New York Immigration Coalition, American Immigration Lawyers Association New York Chapter, African Services Committee, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Boycott Arizona NYC, Cabrini Immigrant Services, CAIR-NY, CARECEN, Democracy for New York City, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Greater New York City for Change, Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, La Union de La Comunidad Latina, Long Island Immigrant Alliance, Long Island Wins, May 1 Coalition for Worker and Immigrant Rights, Minkwon Center for Community Action, NAACP New York State Conference, New Immigrant Community Empowerment, New York Civic Participation Project, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Communities for Change, New York Metro Progressives, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants Rights, Organization of Chinese-Americans New York Chapter, Peekskill Area Pastors Association, Progressive Democrats of New York CD 14, Queens Community House, Rockland Immigration Coalition, SEIU 32BJ, Sikh Coalition, Working Families Party

For more details, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 212-627-2227 X246 at The New York Immigration Coalition.

Background Information:

What is SB 1070?: SB 1070 is a law passed by the Arizona state government that requires police to ask any person who looks “reasonably suspicious” for their immigration papers. In effect, it will force the police to engage in racial profiling that will target Hispanics and other people of color living or visiting the state. It will also marginalize immigrant communities in the state and will drive a wedge between them and law enforcement officials.

Why Major League Baseball?: We believe standards rewarding hard work and committing to fairness and equality are as relevant to meaningful immigration reform as they are to our national pastime. SB 1070 is a step in the opposite direction. Major League Baseball is uniquely positioned to show that Americans support the civil rights of everyone: The 2011 All-Star Game is currently scheduled to take place in Phoenix, AZ. We are calling on MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to not hold an All-Star game in Arizona unless the law is revoked.

27% of MLB players are Latino and 28% are foreign born- when SB 1070 goes into effect this year, these players could be unjustly targeted by Arizona police. The Major League Baseball Players Association has already publicly denounced the law because of the negative impact it could have on its members. The MLB has a similar responsibility to show not only these players, but also the millions of Hispanic and immigrant fans of baseball, that it values their support and contributions to the sport and is prepared to take a stand for them. Moving the All-Star game from Phoenix will send the message that baseball, the quintessential American sport, will not accept the un-American treatment of its players or its fans.

There is a long history of sports leagues and organizations standing up for what is right: from the international boycott of South Africa during Apartheid, to the NFL’s refusal to hold a Superbowl in Arizona when the state did not acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. day. The MLB itself is tied to the struggle for civil rights in America, beginning with Jackie Robinson as the first African-American player in 1947. We call on Commissioner Bud Selig to continue in this tradition of demonstrating that the sport values fair play both on and off the field.

The MLB should refuse to hold the All-Star game in Arizona until all baseball players and their fans can live and visit Arizona with the confidence that their civil rights will be upheld and the police will not single them out because of the color of their skin.

What’s the Solution?: The organizers of this campaign to move the All-Star Game out of Arizona believe that beyond the repeal of SB1070, our federal government must act now to fix the broken immigration system. Instead of forcing local police to go after immigrants, President Obama and Congress should enact legislation that legalizes youth, farmworkers and undocumented immigrants; unites families; and respects rights. Immigration reform is key to our nation’s security and prosperity.

Tags : arizona, arizona boycott, immigration movement, mlb, nyic, sb 1070

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