Thursday Morning in Downtown Brooklyn: "We Are All Arizona" March over Brooklyn Bridge gathers at Cadman Plaza

Along with an enormous crowd of people from all walks of life, we gathered early this morning at Cadman Plaza in downtown Brooklyn for the "We Are All Arizona" march over the Brooklyn Bridge and rally at Foley Square.

Here are some of the pics we took in Brooklyn

before our cell phone memory gave out just before we were about to get on the bridge.


Yesterday, in what was no surprise to anyone familiar with constitutional law, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction to halt today's implementation of the xenophobic, racist, and hateful Arizona immigration law,

SB 1070, from going into effect. (We turned on the news at 3 p.m. expecting to hear about the injunction, and we were not disappointed.)

But today is a nationwide protest against Arizona,

which is appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit

and no doubt the final decision will come from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Demonstrations still went on all over the Cactus State and the entire nation in a National Day of Action Against SB 1070,

including our protest starting in downtown Brooklyn this morning.

Luckily the rain cleared up about an hour before.

We waited for about half an hour for everyone to arrive before the march began.

It was great to see so many people of all ages turn out, both individuals with homemade signs and members of religious, political, and social action organizations.





We'll let the news media give the coverage of today's event,

but it really made us feel good to see so many folks come out and support Arizona's beleaguered immigrant community and stand up for justice and the American way of doing things.

Our event today in New York was organized by the New Sanctuary Movement, Families for Freedom, Immigrant Defense Project,

Churches United to Save & Heal, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights,

DRUM-Desis Rising Up & Moving, Black Institute, VAMOS Unidos,

American Friends Service Committee, and Wind of the Spirit (New Jersey).

It was sponsored by, among others, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition,

Damayan, Sistas and Brothas United, NY Immigration Coalition, World Can’t Wait, Sikh Coalition,

Urban Youth Collaborative, Immigrant Communities in Action, Center for Immigrant Families,

United for Peace and Justice, South Asian Americans Leading Together,

Boycott Arizona Coalition, Muslim Consultative Network, New Immigrant Community Empowerment,

CAAAV, Center for Constitutional Rights, Peekskill Area Pastors Association, La Union,

National Economic & Social Rights Initiative, Coney Island Avenue Project, Youth on the Move,

South Asian Bar Association of NY, Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, Adhikaar, NYS Youth Leadership Council

- and that list isn't comprehensive, as you can tell by glancing at some of the banners here.

We are a part-time Arizona resident and we vote and have a house and car in Apache Junction.

Currently we're running for the as the only candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the August 24 Green Party primary in Arizona's Sixth Congressional Distict

in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area. We support comprehensive reform and amnesty and obviously we oppose the odious SB 1070 and are always really happy to be in this city, but today we were especially glad and proud, to be in Brooklyn, a place we've loved since we were a boy.