The ACLU is suing the State of Arizona over SB 1070

The ACLU is suing the State of Arizona over SB 1070 racial profiling law!  Here is the email we received from them today:

Stand with the ACLU in opposition of Arizona’s racial profiling law.

Dear ACLU Supporter,

A lot of people are outraged about Arizona’s new racial profiling, “show me your papers” law. And today, the ACLU is taking action.

Just a few hours ago, we went to federal court to block this discriminatory law from taking effect.

In the coming days and weeks, ACLU legal teams and advocates will go all-out to stop this poisonous policy from taking hold in Arizona.

But right now, we need to know: will you stand with us?

Racial profiling is a deeply-offensive affront to the American values of justice and fairness. And using race to demand that people produce “papers” to prove who they are is a police-state tactic that is completely unacceptable in America. If we don’t stop this law now, similar ones could spread across the nation. Already, state lawmakers in at least 10 other states have promised to bring similar bills to their legislatures.

That’s why we’re taking Arizona to court, along with our partners the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Immigration Law Center, and a number of other civil rights groups. Can we count you in to fight with us as we take on this dangerous law?

Stand with the ACLU in opposition of Arizona’s racial profiling law.

To help you show your public support for reversing this law, we’ll send you a free bumper sticker

Under the new law, Arizona police will be required to ask people they stop for their citizenship papers based on “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country unlawfully. And by leaving “reasonable suspicion” undefined, the law leaves police officers little choice but to act on appearance and language, inviting a new wave of rampant racial profiling.

Today, our lawyers took the first legal step to stop this law. And we’ll be organizing on the ground in Arizona, training volunteer lawyers to help people defend themselves against racial profiling. We won’t stand by while this law transforms Arizona into a place where anyone can be forced to “show papers” when they are stopped by police just because of how they look or talk or dress.

Racial profiling is unconstitutional, unacceptable and un-American.  But, we’ll only stop extremism and injustice by acting together to end them.

We need you on board. Can we count you in?

For justice,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
ACLU


About Zorro

Yes, Zorro is gay. Zorro is gay in San Francisco, black in South Africa, an Asian in Europe, a Chicano in San Ysidro, an anarchist in Spain, a Palestinian in Israel, a Mayan Indian in the streets of San Cristobal, a Jew in Germany, a Gypsy in Poland, a Mohawk in Quebec, a pacifist in Bosnia, a single woman on the Metro at 10pm, a peasant without land, a gang member in Santa Ana, an unemployed worker, an unhappy student and, of course, a good government advocate in Anaheim. Zorro is all the exploited, marginalized, oppressed minorities resisting and saying `Enough'. He or she is every minority who is now beginning to speak and every majority that must shut up and listen. He or she is every untolerated group searching for a way to speak. Everything that makes power and the good consciences of those in power uncomfortable -- this is Zorro.