STATEMENT REGARDING
Arizona’s SB 1070
STATE, COMMUNITY AND FAITH-BASED LEADERS OF CALIFORNIA DENOUNCE
ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW AND CALL FOR AN ECONOMIC BOYCOTT OF
THE STATE OF ARIZONA
“We cannot support a state that has sanctioned a law which we believe will lead to racial profiling and discrimination, and a law that could put the civil rights and the very dignity of law abiding citizens at risk. We denounce this law as unconstitutional and unpatriotic.”
“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, in a letter he wrote while sitting in the Birmingham Jail, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Our decision to boycott Arizona continues the same fight, fought during the Civil Rights era.”
“We are standing in solidarity with our Latino brothers and sisters by calling on the State of California, organizations within the state, and residents to speak with their economic clout by participating in this boycott of Arizona. We are also urging other states across America to do the same.”
Pastor John J. Hunter
Senior Pastor
First AME Church of Los Angeles
FAME Church Stands with LA Mayor to Denounce Arizona Anti-Immigration Law
“We are calling for an economic boycott of the state of Arizona” said Pastor John J. Hunter, Senior Minister of First AME Church of Los Angeles.
In a bold display of unwavering solidarity, Pastor John J. Hunter and his wife First Lady Denise Hunter stood with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa at a press conference to protest the passing of Arizona Senate Bill 1070. The controversial bill threatens the civil rights of our immigrant community.
“We are standing with our Latino brothers and sisters by calling on the State of California, organizations within the state, and our fellow citizens to speak with their economic clout by participating in the boycott of Arizona,” said Pastor John J. Hunter to a crowd of supporters. “We are also urging other states across America to do the same. We denounce this law as immoral and unpatriotic.”
Pastor John J. Hunter, Senior Minister of FAME Church L.A.,
leads FAME’s press conference on Arizona’s anti immigration
law SB 1070 with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,
First Lady Denise Hunter, San Francisco District Attorney
Kamala Harris, Sandra Hernandez, and Carson City Councilman
Mike A. Gipson.
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris addresses civil
rights violations within Arizona’s SB 1070 at FAME’s press
conference held Sunday, May 2nd.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks at FAME Church’s press conference to denounce Arizona’s SB 1070 that targets immigrants.
FAME Church’s First Lady, Denise Hunter, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and Pastor John J. Hunter of FAME Church pose for a photo
The press conference was held at FAME Church on Sunday, May 2, 2010 and attended by church members, local residents, community activists and elected officials including Kamala Harris, District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. Pastor John J. Hunter and Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa led the event and fielded questions from the media on the bill.
“It is particularly important in these times, that an African American Pastor stand alongside a Latino Mayor and say, “Not in this town, not in this City of Angels, not in this church -- the first church of our civil rights community,” said Mayor Villaraigosa who addressed the congregation at the 10:00 a.m. service. “We’ve got to stand up and say we’re tired of being divided; it’s a broken immigration system, but that’s the wrong way to fix it,” said the Mayor.
District Attorney Harris, who is also a candidate for the office of Attorney General of California, spoke passionately against SB1070. Passed in late April, the Arizona bill authorizes police officers to stop suspected illegal immigrants and demand proof of citizenship.
“We cannot support a state that has enacted a law which we believe will lead to racial profiling and discrimination, and a law that could put the civil rights and the very dignity of law abiding citizens at risk,” said Pastor John J. Hunter. “First we call for prayers, and then we lift our voices against injustice, this is what the Lord has instructed us to do; it is symbolic of our collective resolve to stand as a city, a state, and a nation of progressive people.”
