B-town condemns A-zone

What does Bloomington have in common with Boston, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles? If you answered that they all vote blue, you are only half right. Their governments have all also recently called for a boycott of Arizona because of its new immigration law.

On June 2, the Bloomington City Council voted to condemn Arizona State Bill 1070, which gave Arizona state police the authority to question anyone they suspect of being an undocumented worker. Under the new law, legal citizens must carry paperwork proving their status at all times to avoid deportation and harassment.

We applaud the City Council for taking a stand against discrimination in a nation that is supposed to encourage diversity. Arizona’s law promotes racial profiling and does not uphold the ideals we hold dear — the rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Bloomington will no longer be sending government employees to conferences in Arizona — nor will it be signing contracts with companies headquartered there.

This is all an attempt to show the state’s lawmakers that they have taken a wrong turn in their efforts to curb illegal immigration. While all Americans want a secure border, Arizona made a grave error in passing this law.

As more cities and states across the country join in condemning the policy, there might be a real chance for change. Hopefully, the economic pressure from these boycotts will help encourage Arizona to redraft the bill.

While we do support Bloomington’s decision to boycott Arizona, we wonder what other local issues were pushed aside to focus on an immigration law in another state.
We are happy to see Bloomington among the ranks of other progressive cities but hope this action did not come at the expense of other important local matters.