Things got awfully quiet in AZ

 

The Washington Post:

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the most contested provisions of an Arizona immigration law passed last year will remain blocked from taking effect, handing the Obama administration a victory in its efforts to overturn the legislation

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that put on hold key provisions of the Arizona law, which empowers police to question people whom they have a “reasonable suspicion” are illegal immigrants. The measure has triggered a fierce national debate, and the legal case is being watched by other states and advocates on both sides of the issue.

In a split decision, a three-judge panel found that U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton “did not abuse” her discretion in blocking parts of the law that, among other things, require police to check immigration status if they stop someone while enforcing other laws.

 The 8th Circuit ruling  should not affect how things are run in Prince William County since our law enforcement officers must check all immigration status upon arrest, regardless of the person.  We need to watch carefully to make sure that none of our elected officials get some bee in the bonnet to start it up again.

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AZ SB 1070 Takes Center Stage Again Today

The much disputed Arizona SB 1070 goes back to court today on appeal.  Federal Judge Bolton shot down several aspects of the law several months ago.  The major component of the law that was blocked deals with police officers being allowed to question anyone they had have reasonable suspicious about being in the country illegally.  According to the Washington Post:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit will hear Arizona’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that blocked the most-contested provisions of the law from taking effect. The law, signed in April by Gov. Jan Brewer (R), empowers police to question people whom they have a “reasonable suspicion” of being in the country illegally.

Amid a fierce debate over the measure, the Justice Department sought to overturn the law by taking the rare step of suing Arizona. Government attorneys won the first round in July when U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton, seated in Phoenix, put on hold provisions that would require police to check immigration status if they stop someone while enforcing other laws, allow for warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants and criminalize the failure of legal immigrants to carry their registration papers.

The case will be heard by a 3 judge panel.  2 judges were appointed bya Republican and 1 by a Democrat.  Either Arizona or the U.S. government can appeal the panel’s decision.  Should that happen the case will go to the full  9th Circuit Court.  The WaPo further adds:

Brewer, whose outspoken criticism of the federal lawsuit has helped her popularity at home, has vowed to take her appeal of the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit hearing in San Francisco is the next step, and legal experts say the case likely will wind up before the high court within several years.

The lawsuit ratcheted up the political and legal debate over the nation’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, with Republicans condemning the administration and civil rights groups praising it for fighting a law that they contend targets Hispanics.

Talk of immigration has receded somewhat in the runup to the elections, especially compared to the economy, but it has been a key factor in a number of races. Monday’s argument, which Brewer plans to attend, will shine an even brighter light on the issue.

Perhaps all will become quiet once this election is over.  Arizona has problems for sure.  So does California, New Mexico and Texas.  The drug violence along the border towns in Mexico continues to rage on.  Our border states must be vigilant that the violence doesn’t creep or stampede into our country.  However, SB 1070 isn’t the way to stop the drug violence and that is what Arizona should be worried about.

Probable cause as a police tool is always rife with problems.  There are other ways, such as PWC recently found out, that are far better.  And like PWC, Arizona probably doesn’t have the money to waste on endless lawsuits.

CAVE MANager Paul Lotsof Speaks Out on SB 1070

Reprinted with permission from The Cave FM located in Southeastern Arizona. Thanks to Gaineville resident for sending me up with the editorial and to Paul for giving me permission to use it. We aren’t hearing as much about old SB 1070 as we were. Perhaps because like its cousin, the PWC Anti Immigration Resolution, it because a neutered house cat. And after all, its all about winning an election.

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Editorial for Oct 23-25, 2010

I’m CAVE MANager Paul Lotsof. Many years ago I was living in California and had some dirty clothes to wash. I put them in a basket and walked into a laundromat in Rialto. I found a washing machine and put my clothes in it, poured in some detergent and inserted some quarters. Not wanting to read the religious literature that is found in all laundromats, I just sat and stared at the washing machine while it did its thing.

A few minutes later, two police officers walked into the laundromat and headed to the rear of the building where they had a brief conversation with someone. Then the officers walked up to me and started asking questions: “What are you doing here?”

“I’m washing my clothes. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“How long have you been here? Where do you live? How long have you lived there? Where do you work?” The questions went on and on. Finally when I was able to get a word in edgewise, I asked the officers why they had singled me out for questioning. Their answer was that someone had complained that I appeared to be suspicious and they had to respond to the complaint. Eventually the officers decided that it was perfectly legal to wash clothes and they left.

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Vice Mayor of Phoenix Tells a Different Story

Michael Nowakowski, vice mayor of Phoenix, paints a different picture of what is going on in Arizona. He also feels that sb 1070 is being used to parlay people’s fears into an election win for the current governor. He speaks of the crime rate being down in his state. He believes people being scared off and he is tired of the governor telling the nation that people are being beheaded in Arizona all as a political ploy.

Maybe the vice mayor isn’t running for re-election this cycle?   A ruling is expected today or tomorrow ruling whether the injunction to halt 1070  going in to effect is granted.

All Eyes Still on Prince William County

All eyes are still on Prince William County as the residents of Arizona feel our pain at the Harkins Valley Art Theater near Phoenix.  The theater has been packed each night for screenings of 9500Liberty. Eric Byler has been in the Phoenix area for approximately a week now.  This afternoon he hosted a radio show with 3 Republican business people who disapprove of the law passed, SB 1070.

Many folks from Arizona now know all about 0ur county.  A write up in AZ newspaper Phoenix New Times revealed:

The film chronicles the heated battle over an Immigration Resolution (drafted by the same folks who brought us SB 1070), in Prince William County, Virginia that passed in 2008 and was quickly repealed because of devastating economic effects (read more about it here). 9500 Liberty captures both sides of the battle in Prince William County through numerous interviews and video clips, some of which provoked the audience at Harkins into both jeers and cheers.

For example, when a woman tells the Prince William County Board of District Supervisors that they must “Never forget 9/11 and who did that to us – illegals,” the audience at Harkins Valley Art let out a collective grumble. Minutes later, they roared in unified laughter when a man tells the Supervisors, “Don’t confuse the 9/11 with the 7-11.”
Naturally our own Alanna and Elena are  folk heroes and Eric is extremely busy.  That is what happens when you have directed a film on immigration and one of the biggest news events of the day suddenly becomes a highly controversial state law in Arizona rather than a resolution in a county in Virginia.
When asked by Lydia Aranda, a local Wells Fargo executive and a member of the Governor’s Latino Advisory Council,  what was the main lesson he’d  (Byler) learned in Prince William County that continues to be relevant  here  in the county, he responded:
“If [co-director] Annabel [Park] were here, I know what she’d say,” Byler replied. “The biggest lesson is that the immigrants in our community are already integrated into the economy, because the economy does not discriminate based on your national origin. A dollar is a dollar.”
Byler also denied that demonstrations and rallies were productive in our area.  He said that community leaders and business people spoke with supervisors individually and those private conversations are what ultimately lead to a softer approach.
It looks like a home boy it one out of the ball park with 95ooLiberty.
Full story at Phoenix New Times.