I just got back to my homestay from an excellent non-violent civil disobedience training put on by the Ruckus Society and the Catalyst Project. It was held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix and there were more than 100 Unitarian Universalists there. It was wonderful to be in the room with so many dedicated people and positive energy. I think that’s there hope that we as a religious community can make a positive difference in the situation here in Arizona.
I have been told that no other religious community has turned out in the same number as the Unitarian Universalists. The Unitarian Universalist efforts in Phoenix are being coordinated, in part, by the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Standing on the Side of Love campaign. The campaign has offered us some clear and helpful messaging for when we talk with the press. The message we’re supposed to be offering up reads: “I am here to stand on the side of love with immigrant families and people of color in Arizona who are threatened by SB1070. This legislation was born out of fear. It scapegoats and criminalizes entire communities and does nothing to fix our broken immigration system. Congress and the Administration must work together towards a humane solution that allows families to stay together, provides a path to legalization, and gives people hope.”
I think that is a good summation of my overall position and it is certainly what I intend to say in the unlikely event that I get the opportunity to talk to the press.
On a slightly different subject I understand that portions of SB1070 were stayed in an injunction today. What we are hearing on the ground from Puente and others in the communities effected is that the injunction cannot be thought of as even a partial victory. It does not stay many of the more odious parts of the law. Someone put it this way today: the injunction does not stop immigrant communities and their supporters from being terrorized in Arizona, it just limits the reasons for which they can be terrorized. In light of this the protests for tomorrow are going ahead as planned. I will tweet as much as I can tomorrow. Since many of the protests tomorrow are unpermitted it is possible that at some point I’ll be silent for awhile. If I am I will post an update as soon as I can.
Colin B