The 'Friends of Marcia Powell' are autonomous groups and individuals engaging in prisoner outreach, informal advocacy, and organized protest and direct actions in a sustained campaign to: promote prisoner rights and welfare in America; engage the Arizona public in a creative and thoughtful critique of our system of "justice;” deconstruct the prison industrial complex; and dismantle this racist, classist patriarchy...

Retiring "Free Marcia Powell"

As of December 2, 2010 (with occasional exceptions) I'm retiring this blog to direct more of my time and energy into prisoner rights and my other blogs; I just can't do anyone justice when spread so thin. I'll keep the site open so folks can search the archives and use the links, but won't be updating it with new posts. If you're looking for the latest, try Arizona Prison Watch. Most of the pieces posted here were cross-posted to one or both of those sites already.

Thanks for visiting. Peace out - Peg.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Border Action Network on SB 1070.


----------------

Urgent State Action Alert!

The KEY VOTE on Russell Pearce's SB1070 will be this Tuesday!

For the last seven weeks we have been fighting what would become the nation's toughest, most far-reaching anti-immigrant law in the nation. Your emails, phones calls, faxes and postcards have slowed the bill down.  In fact, we were told over a month ago that this bill was a done-deal! But it's not over yet. 
 
On Tuesday, April 13th the House Committee of the Whole will vote on SB1070. This is the last vote in which debate will actually happen.  We must defeat this bill and we must defeat Russell Pearce!  

If you have any doubts about Pearce's irrational, single-minded focus on pushing immigrant families and everyone in the state further down the path of backwards policies, watch an interview with the Senator on the Sunday Square Off:
 
Note: not a single statistic he tosses out is true. We'll get to that another day…
 
Here's what is happening:

A bill needs 31 affirmative votes to pass the Arizona House of Representatives. The Democrats assure us that they are voting against the bill. There are 35 Republicans in the House. There are 3 who have said they are opposed to bill and will vote against it.  There are a half dozen others in the fence because they have concerns - from churches being potentially charged criminally for "harboring," to no protections for victims or witnesses of crime, to the hidden costs this bill could mean to Arizona, to everyone, regardless of their immigration status, having to carry identification or else risk arrest. 

But some of these concerns could be placated by amendments that will be introduced on the floor on Tuesday. Russell Pearce swears he has the votes…let's make even more of a liar out of him!

Here's what you can do

1. Forward this action to everyone in your address book (you will be shown how after you send your email).

2. Send an email and call your two representatives TODAY and TOMORROW. Their phone numbers will be listed after you submit your Zip Code and before you send your email.

3. If the bill passes on Tuesday, we will return to the Governor's office on Wednesday, April 14th to deliver thousands more postcards at 12:00pm. Please join us!

No comments: