FEATURES

State Of Unrest: A New Arizona Law

Could Keep Musicians Out
Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 5/24/10 @ 7:00 AM - altpress.com

STORY: Luke O'Neill

The debate over immigration in the United States has been gradually
reaching its inevitable crescendo during the past few years, but the passage
of Senate Bill 1070 last month in Arizona may be the turning point that
pushes the issue into a full-scale crisis. The bill, widely considered the
toughest immigration law in the country, empowers state law enforcement
to detain those whom there is a "reasonable suspicion" that they're in the
country illegally and requires citizens to carry proof of their legal status at
all times. Supporters of the bill see it as a way for the state to enforce
federal laws that are already in the books. But critics of the bill say it
renders Arizona a police state, one in which racial profiling has essentially
been written into law. Their concern: How exactly does one inspire
suspicion that they are an illegal immigrant aside from skin color?

When it comes to race relations, Arizona has historically been one of the
most contentious battlegrounds in the country. During the Civil War, it was
one of the only territories in the West to fight alongside the Confederacy,
and the state didn't recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day until 1992--nearly
a decade after it became a federal holiday. (In 1987, governor Evan
Mecham rescinded the holiday as his first act in office.) During the next
several years, widespread boycotts of the state stirred the controversy, most
notably with the NFL relocating the site of that year's Super Bowl out of
Arizona. Public Enemy commentated on the state in "By The Time I Get To
Arizona" on 1991's Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black: "What's a
smiling face when the whole state's racist? The cracker over there, he try to
keep it yesteryear, the good ol' days the same ol' ways that kept us dyin'."

By comparison, the reaction to that bit of racially problematic law-making

may eventually pale in comparison to the pending fallout from SB 1070.
Seattle recently became the 11th city in the U.S. to endorse a full boycott of
Arizona, cutting off future contracts with Arizona-based businesses and
ending official travel to the state. Prominent members of the sports
community like the NBA's Arizona Suns have voiced their displeasure
(even wearing "Los Suns" jerseys during the conference semifinals in
response to the bill), many members of the baseball community have called
for MLB to relocate training facilities from the state and prominent
members of the entertainment and music industry have taken an
oppositional stance. Most notable among them so far are CYPRESS HILL,
the veteran Latino rap group who canceled a planned concert in Arizona
earlier this month in protest. They released a statement which reads:

"In a show of resistance to the criminalization of immigrant

communities and in opposition to SB 1070, recently signed
into Arizona legislation, Cypress Hill has elected to cancel a
performance scheduled in Tucson for May 21, 2010. This
decision was made in an effort to show support and solidarity
with those, undocumented and otherwise, being directly
affected by this unconstitutional 'law.' Cypress Hill recognizes
those living in the struggle for their basic civil rights. Rise
up!"

Tucson radio station La Caliente 102.1 FM also canceled its annual Tusa
Festival where some of the biggest names in Mexican music were set to
perform. Under the new law, suspicious parties are essentially considered
illegal immigrants until proven otherwise. Since 30 percent of the state's
population are of Hispanic or Latino origin, it has effectively criminalized
entire swaths of the state's citizens. "I definitely think that the Cypress Hill
cancelation is the harbinger of more stuff like this to come," says Curtis
McCrary of the Rialto Theater in Tempe, the venue where the show was to
take place. "I've been told of a few other cancellations over it and threatened
cancellations [Los Lobos were going to cancel planned dates but later
changed their minds], and some bands such as Stars have already made their
intent to boycott public." Stars wrote in a tweet, "We love AZ. But until its
racist new immigration law is repealed, Stars (and many others) will boycott
this state."

This is a perilous development for anyone involved in planning events

within the state. "For now, going forward I'm going to verify that a given
band will not cancel before I confirm a show," says McCrary. "But who
knows how many bands simply skip the state without making a public
statement on it because they don't like SB 1070 and other recently passed
insane Arizona legislation?" He's referring to the new law that prohibits
classes in the Arizona school system from focusing on a specific race such
as African American, Native American and Mexican American studies and
also prohibits classes that advocate the overthrow of the American
government.

One band who may consider avoiding the state altogether are El Paso,
Texas, psych-prog outfit ZECHS MARQUISE--featuring bassist Marfred
Rodriguez-Lopez, the brother of the Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.
"I'm Puerto Rican, and I look like it," says Rodriguez-Lopez. "If I was
visiting Arizona and the authorities wanted to, they could detain me because
I might be illegal. It's left to their discretion. After that, it's their game, their
rules until things get sorted out. I remember returning home one time from
Mexico. Crossing the bridge over to the U.S., I was asked by customs where
I was born and the brilliant customs officer didn't know Puerto Rico is a
U.S. commonwealth and that all its natives are U.S. citizens. After hassling
me for the better part of an hour, I was let go." He also said, "Three-quarters
of us in the band are Hispanic. Now we're a target. The less time we spend
in that state the better."

Zechs Marquise Live @ The Black Market in El Paso, Tx (11/07/09) from

Paco Ibarra on Vimeo.

Matt Sanchez of Massachusetts indie dance-pop band THE BLUE PAGES

agrees it's an affront to musicians, saying, "I have been following the
situation and am completely flabbergasted about the outcome." Sanchez's
family is from Spain and Mexico. "It's most definitely a case of racial
profiling. It infringes on the rights of all Americans and is therefore very
unjust. It's a sad day when you can be walking down the street and asked for
papers based off of what you look like." It's clear that a law like this might
cause bands planning tour itineraries to think twice about stopping in
Arizona. "As a touring musician, it's something that I would definitely take
into consideration," says Sanchez. "We have two people in the band of Latin
descent, and it would be very disturbing if we were stopped and asked to
prove our American citizenship. I don't think this law would ever stop us
from touring because music comes first, but it would sure put a damper on
things. This would be something that I'd be thinking about in the back of my
mind, and it's terrible that I can't be comfortable in my own country."

However, Sanchez doesn't think a boycott of the state will affect the kind of
change necessary. "If we want change, we have to actively voice our
opinions and demand reform," he says. "Maybe bands should urge all of
their fans to write to their state demanding change. I know it seems like a
letter won't do a lot, but millions of letters will create awareness, which will
create change."

Juan Dies of Grammy- and Latin Grammy-nominated folk group SONES

DE MEXICO says his group will play in Arizona whenever invited,
although he is "very unhappy and embarrassed" about the legislation. "I
don't want to punish all the people from Arizona on account of those who
favored this legislation. Not all people in Arizona support this policy. The
Arizona HB 2162 is evidence of it." That more recent bill revises the
original SB 1070, essentially saying that law enforcement may only
undertake determination of legal residency during the normal course of a
routine violation such as a traffic stop.

It's important to point out that while much of the attention has been focused
on Arizona, at least 10 other states including Texas, Nebraska, Utah and
Colorado are considering enacting similar immigration laws. You can't
boycott everywhere, and David Slutes of Tucson venue the Hotel Congress
thinks it would do more harm than good. "Our feeling, even though I abhor
the bill personally and as a business guy, is that the boycott is, particularly
in our industry, not the way to address it," he says. "I would almost go so far
as to say many artists are being lazy and self-serving to knee-jerk boycott
our state when they can be much more effective coming to the state and
energizing the base. It's just a horrendous bill and our soul is hurt by this.
[Musicians] have a soapbox to stand on. If the toothbrush manufacturers
convention doesn't come to the state, so be it. They aren't energizing the
base. These acts have a pulpit, they have thousands of people watching and
cheering them on and listening to what they have to say."
In Tucson, arguably the liberal enclave of Arizona, people are aggressively
lobbying against the bill. In fact, the city council has filed suit against the
state saying that the immigration law is unconstitutional, and will also be
bad for the economy and result in millions of dollars in losses in potential
lawsuits against the state. That's one reason why Slutes said his attempts to
convince Los Lobos to reconsider their boycott of Arizona was heartening.
He asked the band's management, "What are you trying to achieve here?
You lose money by doing it. If your goal is to affect change in this, it's
much better served by coming here. It's an election year and we need to get
[the legislators who did this] out of office. Cypress Hill were given a very
[similar] argument from Curtis at the Rialto trying to convince them to do
[the same], but they considered and decided still to boycott. So it's splitting
evenly."

Will state legislators actually care what rock musicians have to say? History
shows that often isn't the case. Slutes says Arizona legislators would prefer
no one came and spoke out. "Do you think for a second that the authors of
this bill want Latino bands coming to the state making all this news? Of
course they don't. [The lawmakers] love that they're boycotting. They don't
want [the artists] coming here. They'd rather have the supporter
impoverished and unenergized."

Members of Canadian punk band FUCKED UP think a boycott is

counterproductive as well. Vocalist Damian Abraham took issue with their
countrymen Stars' boycott announcement in an op-ed piece for Stereogum.
"This law is purported to be a way of addressing what is a perceived to be a
lacking in enforcement of immigration laws," he wrote. "But it is felt by
many--myself included--to be a massively flawed piece of legislation that is,
at its core, out and out racism." He thinks a band boycotting the state makes
an assumption about their fans that they support the law. "There's such a
huge number of people opposed to this law within Arizona that by trying to
force a change through a boycott, the side-effect is punishing these people.
These people need support now more then ever."

Fucked Up recently performed in Phoenix and enlisted the humanitarian aid

group No More Deaths to provide an information table at their show. NMD
is dedicated to helping prevent fatalities in crossings along the U.S./Mexico
border. "It's easy to boycott a place you don't go to very often anyway," says
Sean Bonnette of Phoenix folk-punks ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD. "It's
easy to say you're boycotting and just skip it from New Mexico to
California to make a grand political stand. I think indie bands should come
to Arizona more. People should move here and vote. That would make a
real difference. When Fucked Up just came here, they got a hold of No
More Deaths. That's way more productive than just not coming."
AJJ are one of 17 bands to contribute a song to A Line In The Sand, a
compilation of protest songs compiled by the Phoenix New Times. Music
editor Martin Cizmar says the album serves to show the diversity of the
state's music scene, and that not everyone supports the bill. "The thing that
I'm worried about is that [the bill] makes us look like a bunch of rednecks
and people aren't going to want to play here," he says. "They're going to
look at their tour schedule and it leaves a bitter taste in the their mouth. It
gives them a bad idea of what Arizona is all about."

Another problem is the idea of bands coming through giving Arizona

citizens a lecture on why they are misguided. Cizmar says this isn't
necessary. "When John McCain was running against Obama, [during every
show] I saw in fall 2008, bands took a couple minutes to chastise McCain
and talk about how great Obama is to an audience where 90 percent of the
people already agreed with them. Why did they feel the need to do that? I
don't know, but it's what they did. This is going to be like that times 10."

Another artist inspired to release a song in opposition to this law is New

York City-based electronic artist COSTANZA. Her video for "Just Another
Alien" is a recitation of the questions taken from the U.S. DS-156
Immigration Form. Put in this context they seem ominous and threatening.

"I am an alien," says Costanza. "I went through a whole bunch of papers to
get my visa. I'm very close emotionally to the immigration issue, not only
because I'm an alien in the U.S., but I'm from Italy where we have a lot of
big problems with immigration. When this law [was passed], I was very
touched by it, so I decided to release this video not so much as a protest
against the law, but because I feel like we need to speak up."

While there have been vocal opponents to the law, it still definitely has its
supporters. "Let there be no doubt that this state has its share of utter
lunatics," says the Rialto's McCrary. "Unfortunately, many of them have
managed to get elected to the legislature." AJJ's Bonette hates the message
all of this sends to the rest of the country. "It's so embarrassing that Arizona
has pretty much proved itself to pretty much be the most racist state in the
nation," he says.

Costanza is more worried about the spreading of this type of law. "If this
thing stays in Arizona, it's bad. But if it comes in other states it will be
huge," she says. "It's not something that's just a little law, that any alien can
be stopped without papers. It's about privacy, it's about culture. It's an
excuse to talk about something bigger. Let's talk about what's going on. The
concept of the United States was born on immigration. I'm very little, just an
artist in the middle of Brooklyn, but I think the revolutions of culture,
especially in civil rights issues, start from the small movements." alt

| | Share | Print this article