Month of Resistance begins in Tucson, Ariz.

On June 29, a coalition of 17 Tucson community organizations kicked off a month of resistance against the racist and divisive SB 1070 law with a well-attended press conference, one month before the law goes into effect.

Protest in Atlanta this June wants no All-Star Game in Arizona. Photo: Sofia Sopa Teona

The press conference was held in downtown Tucson outside the State Building, which is located at an intersection across the street from the federal courthouse, where mass deportation proceedings take place daily. The proximity of these two buildings has caused this intersection to become the focal point of immigrant rights’ demonstrations in this city.

Isabel García, immigrant rights activist and leader of Derechos Humanos, a community organization, opened the press conference by proclaiming in Spanish and English, “We are announcing our actions against SB 1070, to put pressure on the Obama administration to stop this enforcement madness, and we proclaim our resistance.”

Other coalition members spoke about the culpability of U.S. imperialism in creating the flow of migrants by enacting so-called free trade agreements, such as NAFTA, which force tens of thousands of Latin American farmers off their land and then force them to make the choice to either migrate or starve.

A representative of Jewish Voices for Peace noted how Palestinians live under an SB 1070 of their own, citing Israel’s military occupation and an Israeli law that forces Palestinians to carry documents at all times.

The coalition has broad support and includes the youth organization Tierra y Libertad, the Indigenous group Calpolli Teoxicalli, as well as University of Arizona Students Against SB 1070 and Students for Justice in Palestine. The International Action Center, Tucson May 1 Coalition, Alliance for Global Justice and We Reject Racism Campaign are also participants.

After continuous organizing throughout the week, protesters surrounded the State Building in a human chain of resistance in a three-hour demonstration on July 2. The organizing continues with a major demonstration planned for each Friday evening and culminating in a day of action against SB 1070 on July 29.

“If a law is unjust, our duty is RESISTANCE!” says the coalition’s leaflet. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to join this campaign of resistance.