Arizona’s new immigration law is drawing more attention from musicians who say they won’t play the state.
From Pitchfork:
Arizona’s controversial immigration law continues to draw outrage from the music community. Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack De La Rocha has helped organize the Sound Strike, a protest against the state law, which “would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally,” according to The New York Times.
The Sound Strike calls for musicians to boycott the state of Arizona. So far, they’ve rounded up an impressive list of artists to commit to the boycott: Kanye West, Sonic Youth, Conor Oberst, Massive Attack, Spank Rock, and many others join Rage Against the Machine and their offshoots One Day as a Lion and Street Sweeper Social Club.
Here’s a link to the Sound Strike Web site.
It’s a bummer. For the most part, their fans and supporters are not the ones who are supporting SB 1070. And those who do support SB 1070—particularly the Republicans who voted for it in the Arizona Legislature—won’t give a groupie’s ass that the bands aren’t coming here.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2010.
and who gets hurt the most?
local music venues and promoters.
sucks.
News flash to Sound Strike: failure to carry immigration documents is already a federal crime. The Border Patrol already has power to stop people and ask about immigration status. It does not need a “lawful stop, detention, or arrest” and reasonable suspicion, as are required under Arizona law.