Black Arizonans on the fence about immigration law

So I just spotted this article at TheGrio.com (via Paradise Gray’s Facebook page) claiming that African American Arizonans are on the fence about the recent changes in the state’s immigration policy. While the author, Todd Johnson, highlights that many leaders in the local civil rights community are supporting the pro-immigration movement, he argues that many black folks aren’t as excited about standing up for immigrants as you would think, especially given that the new law legalizes racial profiling.

To be honest, I always get a little freaked out when I read stories that boil down “the black opinion” to a couple of one liners from thought leaders in the African American community. But I have to be honest, I’ve personally heard many black people say things like “if the Mexicans get kicked out there will be more jobs for black people” etc. So I am willing to bet that Johnson isn’t too far off with his assessment.

But I would encourage black “fencers” to think more critically about this racist effort by Arizona. This law creates the slipperiest of slopes and could potentially threaten all of our freedom. Come on, do you really think they are only going to stop Latino looking people when there are illegal immigrants of every shade and background in this country? If you think “Driving While Black” is bad now, wait a couple of months when this thing really kicks in.

And I don’t even have enough time to discuss the whole “states’ right” argument that has slipped back in to the discourse lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing extremist talking about secession.

Posted by:

Biko Baker

Van Jones Debates @ Economist.com

Van Jones has sure come out punching like a love warrior. He is debating Andrew Morriss at Economist.com. He is arguing that creating green jobs is part of the government’s responsibility. Morriss argues that only the market should dictate. It’s a really interesting debate. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/dgs3EJ

Posted by:

The Editor

Would You Mind If I Bring My Gun?

Today the US Senate is voting on a proposal that would allow Americans to carry concealed weapons across state lines. While the proponents argue that the bill would strengthen the second amendment, the other side thinks that there is a boat load of problems with the legislation. They believe that the bill would not only weaken states’ rights, but also makes streets less safe. Click this fancy link to learn more about the fight that is going on right now in the Senate.

photo jacked from j.r.trauben

Those guys can duke it out about the bill, but I can tell you from personal experience that there are way too many guns on the streets of urban America. In fact, our own backyards are more deadly for Americans than the streets of Baghdad. Since the start of the the Iraq War there have been nearly 50,000 murders compared to the 4,300 American war related deaths. (I’m not promoting this statistic to minimize the impact of the war , because the truth is that some estimate that over 1,000,000 Iraqis have lost their life since we’ve entered into that sh*t show).

Seems to me that guns aren’t helping America’s violence epidemic. I mean, I don’t think we should limit folks’ 2nd Amendment rights. Word to John and Abigail Adams, it’s hard for me to imagine that the fathers of our country anticipated a day when our own communities would be this violent. But what do I know, I am just an organizer from Milwaukee.

BTW, I don’t really own a gun.

Update June 22, 2009 1:45: The gun amendment failed.

Posted by:

Biko Baker