Sharpton vows to protest Arizona immigration bill

[Mari333]

Source: azcentral.com - AP

by Karen Matthews - Apr. 25, 2010 01:36 PM
Associated Press

NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton and New York-area Hispanic leaders vowed Sunday to fight Arizona's new immigration law through legal challenges and with civil disobedience if those challenges fail.

Sharpton said that just as freedom riders battled segregation in the 1960s, he would organize "freedom walkers" to challenge the Arizona bill that requires police to question people about their immigration status if they suspect someone is in the country illegally

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/25/20100425immig-sharpton0425.html

[sabrina 1]

1. Freeper heads will explode at the thought of Sharpton

arriving in Az. He scares them to death. No matter what anyone thinks of him, he does have a way of getting the media's attention on issues he focuses on.

Back to the sixties.

[hlthe2b]

2. Yes, he does...

I know he's a mixed bag to many, but I think it a good thing to bring the attention to the similarities between this and civil rights struggles of the 60s. Sharpton also has a way of distilling things down into soundbytes that reverberate. I say, go to it, Al.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. He also has a bully pulpit by way of a progressive talk show

5 days a week on XM radio (Ch. 169, 1pm - 4pm ET) plus syndication of that show in several cities on local stations, so the word will spread.

[sabrina 1]

5. I agree, I'm glad he's getting involved.

He is a necessary voice, certainly in NY, to combat extreme prejudicial treatment of minorities by the NYC police dept where many minorities were routinely beaten and even shot and killed for so long without the power to fight back. Sharpton was able to get attention on that very serious problem and things are a lot better in NYC as a result.

I know that bigots quake in their boots when they think he is getting involved, and that's a good enough reason to be happy to hear that he intends to.

I can imagine a march across the country to Az, picking up people along the way. It could be huge. Let's see Az try to check the citizenship of millions of people descending on their state from the free world.

I hope this gets done quickly, the bill thrown out as fast as possible, because if it isn't, it is going to spread around the country. Az is probably a test case, which is why it needs to be stopped asap.

[cali]

4. well he doesn't scare me to death

but I don't think much of him at all. The Tawana Brawley case and his rank defamation of an innocent man illustrate why.

[sabrina 1]

7. I'm not particularly fond of him either but sometimes

we can't be choosy about who is available to stand up to injustices. We don't seem to have too many choices lately. He doesn't scare me either, but then I'm not a racist Freeper.

He was clearly wrong on the Tawana Brawley case but there are many he was NOT wrong about. As someone above says, he's a mixed bag. I used to be choosy about who I wanted to fight causes but looking around, we don't have anyone who is without some flaws to fight the evil of the racism that still exists and is now being manifested in a dangerous way, through laws like this.

Who other than Sharpton is there to take a stand against the racism that is sweeping the country? Arizona polls show that 70% of Arizonans are in favor of this law. Even if a Democrat were to become governor, if this law becomes accepted, no Governor could rescind it and remain in politics in that state. The law itself is just a symptom of a far bigger problem and if someone doesn't stand up now, it will spread to other states. I can't think of a nationally known figure who is willing to do what Sharpton is famous for doing, can you?

[bertman]

10. Well said, cali. The man was totally unscrupulous in his grab for media attention.

[classysassy]

12. What does that have to do with

racist scum in arizona?

[Hulk]

6. I'd LOVE to see AZ get sued right into bankruptcy....

What an assinine state. Their congress needs a good spanking, the governor a slap, and their senators to be replaced with someone with brains...if they can find someone.

[NOLALady]

8. Great.

[Dappleganger]

9. Good, this is where he helps the most.

This is a civil rights issue which should not be up to the whim of the states.

[JustAnotherGen]

11. The Brawley case aside

I'm glad he's doing this.

This law is racist by its' very nature. And if I lived in a high crime area in a city in AZ. I'd be happy to. Better to have my police looking for criminals than wasting their time harassing everyone with a brown face.