Editorial:
The passage of SB 1070, the anti-Hispanic legislation has not only outraged the Hispanic community, but has also been condemned from coast-to-coast by political, educational, religious, community groups, and countless individuals. The condemnation of the law entitled: “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act,” has been instantaneous and unified.
The law, SB 1070, allows for local police to single out Hispanics and ask for documentation to prove that they are legally in Arizona, which draws parallels with the dark days of Nazi Germany.
In response the Hispanic community has flexed its economic muscle calling for a boycott of Arizona. The call has resonated within the community and has been supported by many; seven members of the Los Angeles City Council signed a proposal calling for a boycott that the city “refrains from conducting business,” or participating in conventions in Arizona. San Francisco Supervisors have introduced a similar resolution and Mayor Gavin Newsom has imposed an immediate moratorium on city-related travel to Arizona.
The leader of the California Senate, Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), called the law a “disgrace” and said the state should also consider a boycott. Several organizations have cancelled conventions in Arizona, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association that moved its fall convention originally scheduled for Scottsdale, Arizona in September.
The question La Prensa has to raise is, what do the city councils in San Diego County have to say in response about this discriminatory piece of legislation that will impact nearly 1 million residents? To date the political leadership in San Diego has been eerily silent and disappointing, especially the growing number of elected Latinos that we have such as Ben Hueso who is the Council President of the City of San Diego. Where are the Hispanic political leadership on this issue?
The call for a boycott, along with protests held around the country, legal challenges, etc. along with outpouring of support condemning SB 1070 is all good, effective and necessary, but it only marks the beginning.
SB 1070 was a political decision. The bill was crafted by politicians and signed into law by the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer who had the power to veto this piece of un-constitutional legislation, but instead chose to pander to the extreme right wing white voter due to her re-election. Approving the bill was a political decision made with full knowledge that the political price she and the Republican Party would have to pay at the polls come next election would be minimal.
Today, one-third of the population of Arizona is Hispanic, about 1.9 million people; and there are only 678,000 eligible registered voters in Arizona according to the Pew Hispanic Center and the Immigration Policy Center. Of these, only 290,000 voted in the 2008 Presidential election. That is only 33% of those eligible to vote are voting, far below the 65% of the white population that voted.
Those numbers show that Arizona Hispanics are missing in action at the polls. If those numbers had been reversed, SB 1070 would have never seen the light of day or much less become law.
In the Southwest there is fear by Hispanics that the Arizona law may spread to other states. Without political activism, voter registration, and more importantly without Hispanics going to the polls and voting, those fears could blossom into political reality.
It is La Prensa’s position that after all the protesting and boycotting, that this issue uniting the Hispanic community translates into real work not only in Arizona but across the nation. Hispanics need to become registered to vote, they need to understand the importance of voting, and mostly importantly Hispanics need to vote on Election Day. SB 1070 can be the catalyst for this effort, but it will take the community to harness the momentum of today, and do the work out in the streets to translate it into action at the polls tomorrow.