L.A. says “no” to the Diamondbacks
By
LOS ANGELES--Three hundred activists marched to the front entrance of Dodger Stadium on May 31 to protest both the Arizona Diamondbacks and pressure Major League Baseball to support a boycott of the state in the wake of the passage of the anti-immigrant law SB 1070.
Only two days after the 50,000-strong march for immigrant rights in Phoenix, activists in L.A. chanted "Boycott Arizona" as they marched around the intersection to the entrance of the stadium, while handing out flyers asking the fans to turn their backs to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, students inside the stadium staged their own demonstration.
This protest was meant as a show of solidarity for the people who couldn't go to Arizona for the May 29 protest.
What made this demonstration more powerful was the fact that all sections of the movement were represented. Members of a Service Employees International Union local were bused in, while the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights mobilized students through the California Dream Network.
Working alongside these established groups was a new group known as the Boycott Arizona-Los Angeles Committee. Started as a Facebook group by a new activist, this working group has brought together various grassroots groups involved in immigrant rights struggles, including the Southern California Immigration Coalition, Union Del Barrio, United Teachers of Los Angeles Raza Education Committee, International Socialist Organization, Brown Berets National Organization and the William C. Velasquez Institute, among others.
Over the span of three weeks before the protest, the Boycott Arizona-L.A. Committee held meetings where 50 people turned out to plan every aspect of the protest before, eventually allying with the broader liberal forces. The energy and collaboration in the organization of this event was an indication or a revitalized immigrant rights movement.
The fact that this event was started and led by activists who were new to activism shows how this movement is influencing wider layers of people and pushing them to get involved.
The Boycott Arizona Committee is now talking about next steps, including plans to protest the All-Star Game in Anaheim this year in order to pressure Major League Baseball to pull next year's All Star Game out of Arizona. There are also plans to boycott companies that are based in Arizona, including as U-Haul and Dial Soap.
