How fitting that on this day, not only would a professional team from the currently hyper-exposed state of Arizona be taking the national stage in support of a community thrust into the center of some rather complicated and problematic legislation, but would be doing so in such a bold fashion.
In a show of support for the Latino community over a controversial new state law, The Phoenix Suns are wearing jerseys emblazoned with “Los Suns” during their NBA Finals appearance tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.
Suns owner Robert Sarver explained that the organization felt that wearing the ‘Los Suns’ jerseys on Cinco de Mayo was a way for the team and the organization to honor the Latino community in Phoenix and the diversity of the National Basketball League, the state of Arizona, and the nation. Sarver went on to criticize the Arizona law that requires state and local police to ascertain people’s immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion,” to determine if they are in the United States illegally.
“The frustration with the federal government’s failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona’s already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them.”
Amongst my own friends and family, this debate continues to be a hairy one so it doesn’t surprise me how intense the discussion tends to be across the nation. With that said though, I am not afraid to say that I am opposed to this new legislation in Arizona. Don’t get me wrong, I do not support anyone who knowingly breaks the law; whether that entails entering into this country illegally, driving with expired tags or shoplifting. Where I think the failing for this law comes into place is the idea that a group of people (many of whom are legal citizens of the United States and are taxpaying residents of Arizona) can be subjected to profiling and harassment at the discretion of some random officer for simply being Hispanic. Yeah, I know, the law stipulates that Arizona law enforcement can move to inquire about a person’s immigration status with regard to reasonable suspicion (real cute), but if we come out of our Midwestern heat stroke for just a moment, can we be real in admitting that “reasonable suspicion” most likely equates to “Mexican-looking” in the eyes of state and local police officers? To me, it just seems that the law makers of Arizona have no qualms with infringing upon the rights of thousands of Americans in an effort to execute a hard-line immigration law that was never properly addressed and established in the first place!
*Steps back from pulpit*
So yes, aside from the whole attempt at “spanglish” (I would have MUCH rather seen Los Soles printed on the jerseys versus the bilingually lazy Los Suns…but that’s just me), I absolutely do admire the Phoenix Suns’ efforts at embracing the Latin community, which makes perfect sense seeing as how Hispanics and Latinos make up 41.5% of Phoenix’s population.
Hopefully this intrepid statement and silent but poignant protest against a law that’ll directly and even indirectly affect the entire state will bring residents and law makers back to the drawing board to figure out a better way to address the problems of immigration in The Grand Canyon State.
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