The Pew, NBC and Wall St. Journal polls are out and the polls say:. 60% of Americans polled support sb1070
. 71% of Americans polled think legal Latino citizens will be harassed by the police.
New polls of AZ Latino Voters say:
. 81% of Arizona Latino voters oppose SB 1070
. Arizona Latino voters overwhelmingly oppose SB 1070, are increasingly frustrated by federal inaction, and are moving swiftly away from candidates who support the bill.
These polls provide us three insights:
1. The majority of those polled by Pew, NBC and NY Times are non-latino, believe sb1070 racially profiles Latinos and do not care the bill racially profiles Latinos.
2. The majority of Latino voters polled believe the bill racially profiles Latinos, oppose the bill and oppose being racially profiled.
3. The majority of Latino voters polled believe the state bill and federal inaction on immigration reform is increasing Latino Voter frustration which is resulting in a heightening of political awareness and a call to action by Latino voters across the U.S.
When I study the poll results, I am saddened. It seems so unfair. We see how Arpaio and his masked goons are racially profiling Latinos in his suppression sweeps in Latino neighborhoods in Maricopa County. We know how the bill, with its "Citizen Reporting of Latinos" clause will magnify the current racial profiling rates. The polls say Americans know the bill racially profiles Latinos, but they don't care. They just don't care.
This isn't the first time polls reflect the majority of Americans do not care about the oppression of minority groups. Back in the 60's, Jim Crow laws in Alabama and Mississippi were vastly supported by the great majority of Americans. During World War 2, there was virtual consensus that the government had done the right thing in establishing Japanese Internment Camps and moving Japanese aliens away from the coast. 59 percent of the interviewees also favored moving American citizens of Japanese ancestry into these Internment Camps.
What the polls tell us are people's state of minds. That doesn't make them right or wrong. It just tells us the truth about what people are thinking. It tells us everyday Americans believe sb1070 racially profiles Latino citizens and those polled just don't care. Part of the reason
they don't care is because Latinos have been far too humble, far too meek, far too mild, too docile, too accommodating. We continue to spend our money in businesses that support racial profiling. We have not registered to vote nor voted in sufficient numbers. Heck, Latinos don't even participate in Pew, or NBC or Wall St. Journal polls. That is clear! We are not being asked. No one is asking us and up until now, there have been no ramifications. None!We continue to spend our money, work our hearts out, serve in the front lines of the military, go to church and keep to ourselves. Latino Citizens are 50M strong in this great country of ours. We are close to 20% of the population, but we are only 8% of the vote.
So now, our lack of participation in the polls and in the voting booth is resulting in our getting stepped on, racially profiled and Nobody Cares.
I ask all Latinos who read this blog and who have studied these polls, do NOT get Mad! Instead, we have two lessons we Latinos and our Humanitarian supporters can learn from this:
1. BOYCOTT: Stop Spending $ in Arizona; Stop Spending $ in any Business that supports sb1070. Encourage your relatives and friends to do the same.
2. VOTE: Register to Vote and VOTE! Vote in 2010. Vote in 2012. Vote! Study the Issues. Vote for people who support your beliefs. Vote against anyone that opposes your beliefs. Encourage your relatives and friends to do the same.
To President Obama: Anytime you have a majority infringing upon the rights of a minority, then that's usually when the Justice Department does need to stand up. President Obama, please ask Eric Holder to provide us the results of the DOJ/FBI investigation against Arpaio and his masked goons. Ask him to support the lawsuits which say sb1070 violates Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
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