Most protesters not from Arizona
by KTAR Newsroom (July 29th, 2010 @ 6:21pm)
PHOENIX - Watching television, you'd think thousands of Arizonans have flooded streets to protest SB 1070. But, the reality is most of those caught by TV cameras are from somewhere else. And, many of them are union workers.
Nearly a dozen chartered carrying immigrant-rights activists left Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the ride to Phoenix. The buses carried nearly 600 union members.
Several of those arrested in downtown Phoenix Thursday morning were from churches in Colorado and elsewhere.
KTAR reporters talked to dozens of those participating in civil disobedience and we asked them where they were from. The reporters heard cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Denver.
The new law taking effect Thursday was designed to crack down on illegal immigration but critics say it encourages racism against Hispanics.
Lakesha Harrison says she has heard about the raids and families being torn apart, saying it is not American.
"This is a land of immigrants and everybody here should be welcomed as immigrants and should be helped to figure out a way to become U.S. Citizens," she said.
A federal judge in Phoenix on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction delaying the most contentious provisions, including a requirement that immigrants carry their papers and that police check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.
Arizona's governor says she'll appeal the ruling.
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