Since Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed its “Papers Please” bill into law, it has been nothing but all out war against the state for those who see the law for the racist law that it is. Major League Baseball has had particular attention drawn to it because there is just too much money going into Arizona and so many Latino players for no one to take notice as a boycott is going on. To that end, the group Reform Immigration for the Economy is organizing several demos at games across the country. We came across one at the Nationals/White Sox game on Friday. The call is simple: MLB needs to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Phoenix. As the RIFA press release notes, the NCAA doesn’t allow post-season events in states that fly the confederate flag, and the NFL pulled the 1993 Super Bowl out of Arizona over its refusal to recognize the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Were the All-Star game be held in Phoenix, it may result in more revenue lost than they think would be if they pull out. Who would want to go or play the game? This latest chapter was also covered by our friends at Lady Liberty’s Lamp who currently has this article about Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s plans for when if the bill becomes law on July 29. His crap alone should make MLB’s commissioner Bud Selig to think long and hard about if he really wants to subject his players and fans to Arizona’s crap. More pictures can be found on Lady Liberty’s Lamp. UPDATE, 6/22/10: Carlos in DC has videos on the blog that we now have on our sidebar, but this one we are most fond of!
One People’s Project
WASHINGTON, DC, June 18-Fans taking in today’s game between Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox were met with a small demo of local residents calling for Major League Baseball to pull the 2011 All-Star Game out of Phoenix, Arizona in light of the boycott against the state after passing the anti-immigration SB1070 bill.Also known as the “Papers Please” law, Arizona has been under fire for a law many say has made racial profiling illegal. Since Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law in April protests have been held in response and in May the National Council of La Raza and other organizations called for a boycott of the state, where they urged affiliated organizations to cancel their conventions and other events planned in the state. Major League Baseball, with boasts a large number of Latino players and Major League Baseball teams making Arizona’s Cactus League the annual home of their Spring training, has been under pressure to move the All-Star game since the bill was signed, with demonstrators picketing games where the Arizona Diamondbacks were playing. Reform Immigration for America (RIFR), which organized the protest outside National Park, said in a release that the protest held this day was part of a escalation of those efforts. “Major League Baseball and Commissioner (Bud) Seligshould stand up for the hundreds of players who form the backbone of today’s game, yet whose appearance and last names put them at risk of being stopped by law enforcement every time they play in Arizona,” Said Rich Stolz, Campaign Manager for RIFR.
The small group of demonstrators saw little opposition. Very few baseball fans objected to their presence, while far more were seen wearing RFIR decals that were passed out. One group of white men even yelled out “Fuck Arizona!” as they walked past the protest.
During the demonstration, two banner drops took place, one outside the stadium from the parking lot and one unveiled during the eighth inning inside as the game reading “MLB: Boycott AZ, Move the 2011 All-Star Game.” President Obama, a White Sox fan, and who was called upon by the protestors in flyers to take action on immigration reform, attended the game.
The protest comes a month and a half before the law is to go into effect. Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, currently under federal investigation for possible civil rights abuses, has recently announced that he will conduct a mass sweep for possible undocumented workers the day after the law is signed. According to the Associated Press, the Arizona Rookie League, which is the first step into the major leagues, is preparing the 150 or so prospects from Latin America for the new law as their season begins on Monday, even though they will be legal to be in the country.
White Sox beat the Nationals 2-1 in 11-innings.
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