Call for Bands to Boycott Arizona
Caught this via Above the Fold – it’s really not like Arizona is a huge stop on most band’s itineraries, but I like the idea behind it Rage Against the Machine’s Zach De La Rocha calling on bands to boycott the state behind SB 1070. If enough people, bands or otherwise, send a message to Arizona that their racist legislation won’t fly, then it could make a difference. Here’s the press release from De La Rocha:
PRESS RELEASE
Los Angeles, California, May 25, 2010
“We are reaching out to get your ear for a minute about this critical situation in Arizona.
If you haven’t heard, the Arizona state legislature passed a bill (SB 1070) that was signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer that legalizes and sanctions racial profiling. Straight up.
It forces the cops to hunt down and target anyone they “reasonably suspect” that may be undocumented. And if the people they harass don’t have proof that they were born in the U.S., they can be detained and arrested. This must be stopped.
Fans of our music, our stories, our films and our words can be pulled over and harassed every day because they are brown or black, or for the way they speak, or for the music they listen to. People who are poor like some of us used to be could be forced to live in a constant state of fear while just doing what they can to find work and survive. This law opens the door for them to be shaked down, or even worse, detained and deported while just trying to travel home from school, from home to work, or when they just roll out with their friends.
Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law (SB 1070) takes it to a whole new low. If other states follow the direction of the Arizona government, we could be headed towards a pre-civil rights era reality. This unjust law was set into motion by the same Arizona government that refused to acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. day as a national holiday.
When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, “we’re not going to ride the bus”, saying we are not going to comply. We are not going to play in Arizona. We are going to boycott Arizona!
Signed,
Zack de la Rocha”
Also – here is a list of Arizona based companies that you can boycott to help send the message. List includes business like Cold Stone Creamery, PetSmart, U-Haul and more.
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Closer to home, the CEO of Baja Sol is the head of MN GOP, so skip out on eating there. http://twincities.indymedia.org/2010/may/local-26-blasts-baja-sol%E2%80%99s-owner-gop-head-sutton-hypocrisy
Baja Sol is nasty anyways – but thanks for the tip. I will stick to Pepito’s for my cheap mex
ok first of all boycotting Arizona is the worst idea you could have come up with. This anger’s me so much that you would turn your back on all your fans that have nothing to do with the governments choice. And now you want to boycott “Cold Stone Creamery, PetSmart, and U-Haul” now you’re talking about putting people out of a job and possibly on the streets. People who made you who you are…. will be homeless and poor because of you. Just leave it alone because you will cause more damage than good. Realize your place in life Zach De La Rocha and stick to music. Maybe you can just sing about it instead of ruining peoples lives. I wish I never bought any of your CD’s you ungreatful Fuck!!!
It’s makes me SO mad to see all these bands boycotting Arizona over a law they don’t even understand. I keep reading “racial profiling” and “the police can hunt down and arrest anyone at anytime for any reason” crap. Ok first of all the majority of Arizona’s police are hispanic so we’re not talking about a bunch of good ol’ white boys with a badge, a coyboy hat, snakeskin boots, some raybans, chewing on a toothpick while kicking a tumbleweed on their way to “harrass” some poor innocent hispanic person who’s just minding their own business.
All this law says is IF SOMEONE BREAKS THE LAW and is caught, they need to have ID. If they don’t have ID, guess what? There’s this new thing out there called computers. They type in your social security number and your name and can easily see if you are who you say you are or not. The “reasonable cause” is not the way ppl want to make it sound. They make it out to be anything that can be made up as a reason to stop someone. Okay, AGAIN, listen carefully, you have to BREAK THE LAW in order to even be stopped to even POSSIBLY be asked about your legal status. No random person on the street or in their cars can just be approached because they’re hispanic.
So ppl say “well the cop will lie and say they were speeding or acting suspicious”. Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say all our HISPANIC POLICE just happen to be racists against their own race. Reasonable cause to ASK someone about their legal status happens when they don’t have any ID, can barely speak a word of English, can’t answer simple questions like “what high school did you go to?” “What cross streets to you live at?” Those are common sense questions anyone should be able to answer. IF they can’t answer those questions along with the fact they have no ID, can’t speak English, don’t know their social security number, and can’t even give a common street name they live on… umm, yes, they might be illegal and the police then have the right to start questioning them. Those are the reasonable causes to be asked about their legal status.
Everyone is so caught up in the race factor that they read and interpret this law to fit their already made up minds as to what it “really” means. Everyone’s so stuck on race that they can’t see past it long enough to see the ILLEGAL part. By that standard, if a known gang area has a shooting, it would be racial profiling to ask anyone who looks like they could be affiliated with a gang to be questioned. After all, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone. If someone wants to openly sell crack, shoot some heroin, or do a line at the bus stop.. it’s their right since the word illegal is now up for interpretation and lots of debate.
I don’t hear any person or any band complaining when they have to get a passport to go to another country. And ALL other countries can stop you with or without reason and you HAVE to have that with you at all times in order to show who you are and that you have and went through the legal channels to be there. Nobody says that’s wrong, unfair, racists, profiling, or is boycotting anyone over it. This law is no different. So how many bands are going to cancel all their tours in other countries where they have to have their passport that is nothing more than proof that they’re allowed to legally be there?? My guess is none.
And here’s the kicker:
1. If you migrate to this county, you must speak the native language
2. You have to be a professional or an investor. No unskilled workers allowed.
3. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections, all government business will be conducted in our language.
4. Foreigners will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are here.
5 Foreigners will NEVER be able to hold political office.
6. Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance programs.
7. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount equal to 400 times the daily minimum wage.
8. If foreigners do come and want to buy land, that will be okay, BUT options will be restricted. You are not allowed waterfront property. That is reserved for citizens naturally born into this country.
9. Foreigners may not protest; no demonstrations, no waving a foreign flag, no political organizing, no badmouthing our president or his policies, if you do you will be sent home.
10. If you do come to this country illegally, you will be hunted down and sent straight to jail.
Harsh, you say? The above laws belong to the immigration laws of MEXICO! Yet Arizona is racists and all this boycotting because a cop might ask someone for their ID when they break the law, that most carry with them all the time anyway. Let’s get down to what all this is really about. You support racism and support illegals. If you have no problem with the immigration laws of Mexico (that is clearly racists), then YOU are clearly racists.
It’s not fear of racial profiling you’re boycotting. You support racism and hide behind this law to try and spin it into something else. Wow, talk about a bunch of hypocrits!! I’m sorry I ever bought any of your CD’s and won’t give my kids a dime to support YOU ever again. After all, without the fans, you’re nothing. And you had fans in Arizona. Your fans don’t deserve what the gov’t decides. That just shows you don’t give a damn about your fans and are no better than the goverment laws you’re against. But I DO support this law because I live in Arizona to know why it’s even necessary. You can go back to your million dollar homes now that WE paid for. Oh and a quick question.. would you be willing to not have security at any of your shows? Would you be willing to give up bodyguards or any security that is there to protect you? If not, then what the hell gives you the right to say the ppl of Arizona don’t deserve the same protection and security that you have specifically and selfishly made sure to have designed for yourself??!!
I support the boycott 100%. Stephanie, you say that a boycott will put people out of work, but you don’t care if SB 1070 puts American citizens with brown skin in jail. This is America, not the Soviet Union, and nobody should have to walk around with a passport/birth certificate on them at all times. And what if the police officers who stop people are birthers? They will think that any birth certificate/passport is fradulent and use that as an excuse to arrest and detain brown people.
Arizona is a racist police state, and no way will I ever spend one dime there, nor do I want any of my tax dollars spent there.
If you aren’t racist, then why are you so terrified of immigrants? Hmm? the Mexico immigration law argument is a pretty weak one – 1. They barely even enforce those laws and 2. It is a completely unrelated issue.
Maybe you should go back to Fox News for a better argument and then come back. Better yet, don’t bother coming back at all
As a Brit in America I find it sad that a superpower can act like a small country with racist tendencies.
America is really better than the small minded bigots.
If I go into Arizona I will carry my British passport!
America you can enforce your immigration laws without being racist!
I live in AZ and I wouldn’t waste my money on any of these bands anyway, NIN was cool 15 years ago, now watching them live is like watching a cover band, lol.
i cant even get through half of stephanie’s comment– i choked after she attempted to use the ol’ : “but we have hispanic cops, so it MUST mean we’re not being racist.”
or to put it in a more widely used perspective..
“but i have a black friend! that MUST mean i’m not racist.”
dear stephanie: http://usapetal.net/wpmu/eh226/2009/09/29/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-backpack/
Zach de la roca(SP?) is so washed up, he has to resort to this, I’m throwing away all the Rage music that i downloaded for free, this will be a much better year in AZ now that these pathetic bands don’t come here, THANKS!
But everyones O.K. with Homeland Security, think people, while you still have the chance.
I support Arizona’s right to enforce the very same law that our federal government will not do.
I will be boycotting those bands boycotting AZ.
Ask the Dixie Chicks how their ant-american stance worked for them.
After looking at the list, I can only see 5% of the bands who anyone would know or care if they came.
GO AHEAD BOYCOTT ARIZONA AND WE WILL BE SURE TO BOYCOTT YOUR MUSIC, MAYBE EVEN CALL FOR A BOYCOTT OF RADIO STATIONS THAT PLAY YOUR MUSIC AND THEN THE STORES THAT SELL IT! SEE HOW FAR YOU GET IN THE FAME BUSINESS IF YOU BOYCOTT YOUR FANS!! What is wrong with you? You are suppose to support the people that put you were you are today! I cant believe the ignorance of some people! The Arizona law is about proving your legal or illegal citizinship! It is not about singling out people with “brown skin”. Why do people think that they should be allowed to break the law and not be punished is beyond me! It is illegal to be in this country with out a legal visa or US citizinship! If you want to live and work in Arizona, THEN GET THE LEGAL RIGHT TO! AND TO THE BOYCOTTING BANDS, GLAD THAT YOUR MUSIC ISN’T GOING TO BE IN ARIZONA, SAVES US DATES FOR GOOD BANDS!
I bet Zach would be crushed if a bunch of right wing bigots were to boycott his band 🙁
Then he would never make it in the “fame business”
😉
Fuck you to all of the bands that follow this boycott. You are turning your backs on your AZ fans that actually wanted to see you play. I have deleted all of your music from my computer and IPod, as well destroyed your CD’s. Every time I hear your music on the radio, it sickens me enough to turn to another radio station. Instead of selling out stadiums, you will soon be playing bingo halls, wondering what happened.
I love that two months later, this post is still getting enraged comments from people like Eric. It makes my day
justice and freedom for all, you are a wise man
Stephanie you need to shut the fuck up and find your place.
I HATE that these bands are boycotting Arizona, but Arizona’s government needs to resign because we have a terrible government and this law made me lose all hope for Arizona.
We deserve to be boycotted because of the ridiculous people we have in our state.
We are the United States of America where Freedom and Justice are supposed to reign supreme.
Well if all you people who are all up for this boycott and think all people should just come waltz right in to AZ need to think more about how it would effect us. umm not even a year ago we had a swine flu. it could be just as easy to get a new pandemic going if we just let these people in. and as a person living in AZ what you hear about people being pulled over for looking mexican is just bull shit that people are saying to build the fire of hate for arizona. They will pull over for a true act of crime. Next time you just want to let all these foriegn people into your home county think about what you straight up doing. This isnt racism its justice. if your AMERICAN then you will get your freedom but if your just some other illegal immigrant who snuck in then think again. This is just some pointless war that could be resovled if people actually came to arizona and actaully saw how not racist this state is instead of just reading the next bull shit lie thats gonna be posted. And its even more stupid that bands are excluding arizona. FANS have got you where you are and now your just going to turn your back on them. Its not the arizona’s communitys fault its the goverments. dont hate on a state and act like its everyones fault in AZ because of a law the goverment made.come legally or be arrested. thats all this law is. thats not racist one bit. we’ll let you be legal here in the US but you have to work for it like every other US citizen.
This is the correct weblog for anybody who needs to seek out out about this topic. You understand a lot its virtually exhausting to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You positively put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just great!