Asserting our presence and our voice as a form of protest, Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social—an organization of Chicana/Latina scholars, professionals and activists from across the nation—will hold its 2010 Summer Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. We take this stance in opposition to the hate-filled law that targets our collective community. This law is a direct attack on our quality of life and the safety of our communities.
On April 23, 2010, Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law, making Arizona the first state in the nation to consider undocumented immigrants as criminals. Under the guise of “reasonable suspicion†state workers have the authority to police individuals “suspected†of being undocumented, as well as to verify status. This all-encompassing law mandates that state government agencies and employees “police†any person that law enforcement officers “believe†to be here without documents. Additionally, it authorizes to arrest, “without warrant.†Moreover, SB 1070 opens up the floodgates for capricious lawsuits against police departments by those who believe legal authorities are neglecting to enforce the law.
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social protests the inhumane treatment of the un-documented. Additionally, we protest SB 1070 as a back door maneuver that erodes basic democratic principles that protect us from becoming a police state.
