March and Day of Action - May 28-29, 2010 - Phoenix, Arizona

A major march and National Day of Action is planned for May 28-29, 2010. For information please visit the following websites:

www.puenteaz.org - vivid video clips, evidencing women and children being terrorized. www.altoarizona.com - information on the march and protest actions.

www.azwomenrise.org - currently being built to call attention to the ways women are impacted.  Additionally, there will be a petition circulating from that website.

This past Mother’s Day, May 9, 2010, a delegation of national feminist and labor leaders, journalists, and organizers went to Arizona to document the experiences of women and children in the wake of SB 1070 legislation. The testimonies they heard make clear in vivid and haunting detail that SB 1070 has paved the way for assaults on the basic human rights of women, and created an environment in which violence against women and children has been state-sanctioned.

Yesterday the delegation held a teleconference to report back on their findings and to mobilize women’s organizations around the country to join with other progressive forces to:

- Help sustain and strengthen this Arizona-sparked culture of resistance and to - -- battle present and future legislation that threatens families and communities.

 Here are some highlights from that call:

The emergency human rights delegation spent two days in Arizona to document the stories of women and children in the wake of SB 1070, and to participate in the organizing around it. The delegation documented testimonies of the gross rights violations that have been happening well before the passing of SB 1070. The women who testified asked that their stories be circulated far and wide. They asked the delegation to serve as their microphone. There is a great deal of fear among people in Arizona, and they would like their experiences and stories to be known more broadly.

The law is breaking apart families. One nine-year-old girl came home from school to find her mother was  gone. She was without her mother for three months. The government is playing a blame game, blaming those that are most negatively impacted by the legislation.
 
This law allows people to be abused and dehumanized. Even children are speaking up and playing a leading role in the opposition to the bill.
 
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has an unlimited reign on the area and the people, but people are pushing back, saying, “We will not hide. We have awakened a giant.” The polls indicate that 2/3 of people in Arizona support SB 1070. Would they still support it if they heard the stories and testimonies of those most affected? 
 
The delegation visited the tent city in Phoenix where people are being detained, in temperatures of approximately 100+ degrees, and bore witness to the climate of enforcement. There have been many reports of physical and emotional abuse in the jails and during detention. Children have been traumatized in this environment of uncertainty, powerlessness and fear.  However, there is a strong spirit of resilience that was witnessed among the hundreds of women who participated in the Mother’s Day march.

The delegation recommended that:

- It is crucial and critical to put pressure on President Obama to nullify 1070. He must be held accountable.

- It is critical to call on Janet Napolitano and the federal government to withdraw the federal agreements (287 G) so that state and local law enforcement does not have the kind of power these agreements give them to perpetuate these human rights abuses.

- Another crucial step is the coordination of a women’s delegation at the May 29th National Day of Action

- The delegation has called on the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues to convene a hearing to hear testimony from the women of Arizona.

 Local organizers then outlined immediate and upcoming local initiatives that need support:

 - The raids and sweeps must be stopped completely. 287 G gives local law enforcement the authority and power of immigration officials. This is unacceptable. The tide must be turned on immigration enforcement.
 
- Local organizers are working to set schools in place where the community could come to classes and not only learn some basic English but also empower themselves with the integration of this information such as learning and knowing your legal rights, information on SB 1070, public speaking (because they are also addressing the school districts for noncompliance; there are now officers at high schools.) They are looking for community organizers to come in and support team members.  It would be a team comprised of local college and high school students as well as other emerging leaders from the communities. They are developing a curriculum, and asking for teachers to be a part of that process.
 
There is also a need for people that have tech experience to hold trainings as well as a call for support to tech/film/video people to go out and assist with incident reports and testimonies.

 - They are inviting and encouraging women to come to Arizona and participate in the march. On a local level, they have taken on neighborhood organizing. The march is just the beginning.  They plan to hold trainings and workshops to educate and disseminate information in their communities and strive to maintain constant communication on a community level.
 
- Attendance at weekly meetings now comprises of over a hundred people; organizers are now requesting other people to join in their efforts at community organizing.  The community is building capacity in terms of the people that are taking leadership roles, including local college and high school students…to get prepared for if and when SB 1070 goes into effect – which is planned for end of July.
 
- There is a call to women’s organizations to sign on to the petition, calling for a congressional or senate hearing, calling for a meeting with Michelle Obama.
 
- There is also a need for support with legal fees.

 If you or your organization are unable to send someone to the May 29th march but would like to donate funds to send someone that can attend please visit www.altoArizona.org to donate funds electronically.