Son las 2:00 de la mañana and I've just returned from Arizona's National Day of Action, where tens of thousands of us marched to protest Arizona's racist law, SB 1070. Although I have a lot to say about SB 1070, I have few words for La Bloga today porque...porque...Well, to be honest, my brain is totally fried. I'm exhausted, as I'm sure are the other 150 Angelenos who caravaned in buses, slept on dusty floors, and walked 5 plus miles to the state capital in 95 degree heat to voice outrage and opposition.
Pero donde faltan palabras hay fotos. I took hundreds of pictures of our trip to Arizona, but here are 42. ¿Cόmo va el dicho? A picture is worth a thousand words. 42 pictures X 1000 words = 42,000 words! Enjoy and adelante en lucha and love.
We were scheduled to leave on Friday morning at 8:30, pero you know how it is. We left closer to 10:00. In solidarity with our undocumented brothers and sisters and in opposition of SB 1070, we all agreed to leave all forms of identification behind.
The 10 stretches through the desert from Los Angeles to Phoenix. The highway is a reminder that we're connected--lo que pasa en Arizona afecta a Los Angeles and vice versa.
My view from the bus for about 7 hours. I kept thinking of Luis Urrea's The Devil's Highway.
Right after entering Arizona, we stopped for a quick restroom break. Arizona's state sign reads "The Grand Canyon State Welcomes You." Really? Prove it.
When we finally arrived to our destination--a warehouse in Maricopa County where we were all supposed to sleep--there was a bit of an issue. For starters, a permit to use the warehouse as a dormitory had not been secured. Also, the warehouse was directly across from a jail and sheriff's station. This sign above was posted on one of the doors. This was our welcome to Maricopa County. ¡Chale! ¡Vámonos!
We ended up in a luxury hotel called Hotel Resistencia, AKA a community Chicano center where we felt safe and welcomed and where we didn't have to break the Arizona boycott.
Aquí duermen dreamers y luchadores. ¡Vivan las sleeping bags!
After unpacking, we headed over to a community concert/festival where artists were making stencil political posters on the spot. For free!
Hot off the stencil presses! Signs of protest in the hands of proud protestors.
Dolores Huerta is with us.
Black & brown coalitions are with us. This beautiful poster is by Cesar Maxit from DC.
Artista Raul Gonzalez from Los Angeles paints his heart out against a chainlink fence.
The next day at the National Day of Action. More cool stencil art. 
Visit http://dreamact.info/ and please help support the Dream Act!
This was one of my favorite signs. It was visiting Phoenix from Oakland. Yes, I agree, if fricking capital can cross borders, so can we! Gracias.
¡Vivan las teachers (with or without accents)! 
¡Se ve, se siente, el pueblo está presente!
Another one of my favorite signs.
It took about 20 people to carry this huge banner that reads, "The country that speaks of freedom and justice USA has 12 million hardworkers in the shadows with no rights...for generations."
That's right!
This lovely Black woman brought out her mangera and watered protestors, cooling us down with light drizzle and chorritos de agua. I felt like a kid again. Gracias!
Protestor in pink eating a paleta. 
Look what the racist bastards did to poor Dora.
9 comments:
welcome back y bienvenida. i enjoy los fotos, especially those b&w con color frames. most interesting effect.
mvs
Thank you for the photos. Unity is beautiful and spirit filling. I hope you get good rest today.
Thank you for the opportunity to be presente and representing. Las fotos said it all. I'm sure the ancestors were smiling. Adelante!!
Thank you very much for posting this. Funny, we saw little about this in the news. Kind of like the protest we went to in SATX, where only Univision did extensive reporting. Muchas gracias.
You captured it LaBloga, gracias! It was an amazing day! ~kristel
gracias...from those of us who could not be there.
Gracias! Thanks for the dedication of taking pics for those of us who could not attend. Not much on national TV. Thank God for the internet. Thank you for speaking and standing for all of us. I enjoyed trememdously the photos.. I wish I could post a few on my FB Page. it's true, a picture is worth a thousand words...
wonderful pictures! gracias
I am man of brown descent, you might say I am an "American wetback". But the real truth is that brown is just a lighter shade of black. They dont want anyone here who is not pure white. They will use any vendido that wishes to prostitute him or herself for their own putrid puss filled and rotting purposes. We kicked their asses in world war two and since there are still more good people than them people, we will do it again because we stand on the shoulders of Giants. Viva Caesar Chavez, Viva Martin Luther King, (Who Arizona also hates, remember the holiday?), Viva Ganddhi, Mother Teresa y viva Villa. Sorry, you too Zapata. This is outright ethnic cleansing. Do we really want to live under a skinhead regime? Remember these people practice Eugenics, even on their own kind. They especially hate autistic white children. I know, I have an ex Nazi friend, it's in their manifesto. (Just contact you're friendly neighborhood Nazi and have him or her explian to you just how much better off you can be under their hob nail boots). All paths lead to God, not one is lost. We helped build this country and if we do not like to be discriminated against we must also not discriminate against anyone regardless of race, color, creed or sexual orientation. Sieg Heil my brown ass, pale face.
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