Hundreds of people demonstrated against Arizona's new immigration law on Thursday despite a federal judge's last-minute decision to block the most controversial parts of the measure, and about 50 people were arrested.
At least 32 demonstrators were detained after refusing to stop blocking the entrance to the Maricopa County jail in downtown Phoenix. Sheriff's deputies in riot gear opened the large steel doors leading to the building and waded out into the crowd, hauling off those who didn't move.
Among those arrested at the jail was a photographer for The Arizona Republic, Dave Seibert. Sheriff's spokesman Brian Lee said he did not know why Seibert was taken into custody.
Earlier in the day, two dozen people were arrested outside the sheriff's offices and the federal courthouse. Former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, was among them.
Demonstrators who had promised nonviolent civil disobedience followed through by peacefully confronting officers, sitting down in the street or crossing police lines.
Demonstrators first marched from the state Capitol at dawn, then held a prayer service at a local church before heading to the courthouse where Judge Susan Bolton issued her ruling on Wednesday.
Chanting "Sheriff Joe, we are here, we will not live in fear," marchers then headed to the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration one of his signature issues. Arpaio plans to send hundreds of officers into a neighborhood later Thursday. Blocks from the office, they paused in front of a county building to rally.
Among the crowd was a drummer wearing a papier-mache Sheriff Joe head and dressed in prison garb.
Demonstrators had promised nonviolent civil disobedience, and it happened in front of the sheriff's office. Protest were planned later in front of Arpaio's famous "tent city jail," which he expanded in anticipation of a surge of arrests under the new law.
As they arrived at the sheriff's office, hundreds of people flooded into the street, blocking traffic and swarming around several cars caught in the demonstration. Police moved in to try to allow the drivers to leave, as the crowd shouted, "we will not comply."
Over the next hour, the crowd surged, chanted, yelled and some protesters forced the arrests. They then moved on the to jail.
In New York City, about 300 immigrant advocates gathered near the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan to protest the Arizona law.
Demonstrators, who held signs that said "Do I Look Illegal?" and chanted "We are America," declared partial victory after Wednesday's ruling.
"It's one step closer for us, but I think the fight is still ahead," said Adelfa Lugo, a 56-year-old Mexican-born Brooklyn resident who joined the protest. "If we don't fight this in Arizona, this anti-immigrant feeling will spread across the country."
New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, a first-generation Caribbean-American, told the crowd: "We won a slight battle in Arizona, we've got to continue with the war."
samkat posted at 4:04 pm on Thu, Jul 29, 2010.
Yep, I saw the "We are Americans" waving their Mexican flag.
Dinosr posted at 4:43 pm on Thu, Jul 29, 2010.
Samkat - That bout says it all. Very well put.
forkedlift1 posted at 6:55 pm on Thu, Jul 29, 2010.
Yeah sure, you jerks, the flags that flooded the place today, red & white horizontal stripes, and 50 white stars on a blue background are Mexican flags. The place was loaded with people carrying and waving American flags. I think you faux-patriots are really ticked off because U.S. citizens who appear to be of Hispanic descent are carrying "your" flag. How dare they, huh? And how dare they exercise their First Amendment freedoms.
You might have seen one Mexican flag, and you might have seen one VFW flag and one American Legion flag, and you might have seen two people carrying a large crucifix. (Oh horrors.) If interested, you'll find flags of many nations, including Mexico, also flying at the U.N. Building in NYC, flags of Ireland in our St. Patrick's Day parades, flags of Germany at our Oktoberfest celebrations. Imagine that! And in OUR country -- or in what you perceive to be YOUR country.
AZMomma posted at 4:35 am on Fri, Jul 30, 2010.
These La Rata protesters have been schooled in Latino Studies, told that THEY are the rightful owners of North and South America.
There is no re-schooling them, but they will have to learn more on their own, about history and geography, National borders and sovereign rights regarding Immigration.
If they do not, they are doomed to scream, rant in vain.
They will NOT be given a free pass to invade and take over the US. Somehow, someone has to get through to them, the reality of life, rather than the lies they have been fed by their handlers.
USA posted at 10:14 am on Fri, Jul 30, 2010.
A nation without borders is not a nation.
It’s now up to the CITIZENS of our country.
1) Contact Barack and let him know your thoughts: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
2) Report Illegal Aliens and employers who hire them. SHERIFF JOE ILLEGAL ALIEN HOTLINE: 602-876-4154
3) PLEASE DONATE to the Keep AZ Safe fund: www.keepazsafe.com. Current balance is $1,401,169.01 and growing by the minute!
Masterrogue666 posted at 10:42 am on Fri, Jul 30, 2010.
Adelfa Lugo- It's not "Anti-immigrant", it ILLEGAL ALIEN. There is a difference. Supporters only want to pretend it's about race, when it's not....
Masterrogue666 posted at 10:58 am on Fri, Jul 30, 2010.
forkedlift- I have no problem with a protest, until it breaks the law. This was PLANNED law breaking. It's criminal, just like the criminal that they wish to support.
As for flags at the UN? What else could one expect? No one complained about that. However, I have pictures of students of HISPANIC/LATINO ancestry flying the Mexican flag over the US flag, which was purposely hung upside down.
What about 3-4 students rights to wear an American flag style t-shirt on May 5th, but they get kicked out? I noticed you didn't mention ANYTHING about events like that....
msk8te posted at 4:06 pm on Fri, Jul 30, 2010.
Illegal is illegal. All citizens must abide by the law...that's why those who are here illegally are called ILLEGAL ALIENS!... they are not abiding by the law. Now that I've explained that to you, everyone please donate to:
www.keepazsafe.com
SECURE THE BORDER!
Help fight ILLEGAL immigration!
forkedlift1 posted at 12:00 am on Mon, Aug 2, 2010.
Well hell, MR666, since the term "illegal" connotes something that is done, not an adjective to describe a person, and you have been misusing the term for many months, and always in caps, I guess they figured they might as well live up to the correct definition of the word.
But your post reveals that you knew that all along, and that your insidious and repetitious term ILLEGAL ALIEN, while incorrectly "juicy," also reveals the stupidity of the user....which is you.
forkedlift1 posted at 12:02 am on Mon, Aug 2, 2010.
msk8te,
Ditto of the above.