The protest/counter protest held the morning of Tuesday, July 15 to block/welcome a bus load of Central American children who’ve crossed the U.S. border seeking refuge at least proved that some Arizonans are as delightful as those wonderful citizens of Murrieta, California.
It was also a wonderful opportunity to continue to show Arizona crazy land, like Republican Adam Kwasman’s comments about a bus of children, assuming they were the refugee children when in fact they were YMCA campers. Well, that lovely video and interview found a spot on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show. Thank you Rachel.
There was goodness that came through on Tuesday—morsels of human kindness via social media. We’re lucky to have some great photographers involved in different issues who seem to walk around this world with cameras permanently attached to their souls and happen to be there at just the right moment.
One Tucson photographer whose work I’ve long-admired is that of Joel Smith, a tireless worker for Border Action Network’s water station project and other border issues. Over the years Smith has taken some wonderful photos from desert life to migrants while refilling BAN water stations on ranch lands across Southern Arizona to help migrants safely make their way across the desert.
The other pictures are from Bisbee photographer Jimi Giannatti of Pop Narkotic who went to Oracle with friend, Tucson writer Bryan Sanders. They seemed to anger some tea-bagger folk, and I think we’re lucky they left in good health and Jimi with his camera in one piece.
Smith’s photos captured a Tucson spirit that I know made a lot of people pretty happy, particularly the photos of some Mariachi Luz de Luna members with their fearless leader Ruben Martin Moreno—there in all their mariachi glory.
- Joel Smith
- Mariachi Luz de Luna
For more images from Smith and Giannatti go to the jump.
Other images from Smith:
- Joel Smoth
- Retired Rev. John Fife leading counter protestors in prayer
- Joel Smith
- At least they spelled illegal correctly.
- Joel Smith
- This caption made me think that if something ever happened here and our kids had to walk south …
- Joel Smith
- Man holding no political office Russell Pearce
Here are Giannatti’s photos, typically beautiful of the Bisbee artist even though they are also alarming:
- Jimi Giannatti
- “Bryan with megaphone in hand, reminding the “other side” that “Jesus loves children” and “America is a country of immigrants” which of course we can all agree is extremist views.”
- Jimi Giannatti
- “Welcoming the children with closed minds.”
- Jimi Giannatti
- “This dude approached Bryan exclaiming, “You know It all starts with your ni#*er president!” when all of a sudden one of his accomplices threw Bryan to the ground in an attempt to grapple the megaphone away from him.”
- Jimi Giannatti
- “Instantly, when I attempted to take photos of Bryan being accosted, they began surrounding me, trying to take my camera. “
- Jimi Giannatti
- “As I continued to photograph, these guys came up telling me stop and put their hands on their guns as if they were ready to use.”
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2014.
Well, you can’t fix stupid…but you can ensure they’re well armed and uneducated.
Ah, guns and racial slurs. A tried and true staple. What really pisses me off is that the faction of people who show up to protest the presence of these kids make it their goal to run off any Republican who dares to support any kind of immigration reform. This is so bad for the country, and so short-sighted. Even as a liberal Democrat, I’m aware that my side doesn’t have all the ideas and all the answers, so it would be nice if the other party was able to offer something constructive, not just ‘send ’em home, build a fence!” it’s not your goddamn backyard, and militarization of the border and destructive fence building are non-starters.
Great photography though.
I wonder how the the folks in Jordan and Turkey react to the millions of Syrians who have run to the border to get away from the Syrian civil war?
Most Americans have no idea what hell is like.
Mari, I guess you continue to carry the water for the Liberal agenda. When will you figure out all this will come to an abrupt end when the “other people’s” money runs out? Oh, I know, you, like our great president, think money is just created by turning on the printing press. Oh, and while I am at it…what about all the starving children in this country who really are citizens? When do they get taken care of. As usual, your heart if way larger than your brain.
Allyn Hill – it almost sounds like you support some sort of large, institutional program in this country to help feed needy kids. Like a large, nationwide body that could issue some kind of food voucher to help families in need, and their kids, and help subsidize food at schools, healthy food even, to ensure those kids get to eat lunch. SOCIALIST! SOCIALIST!
Someguy…I am only up for that if you are footing the whole bill. Of course I already help to support the 50 million+ (or one out of six in this country) folks already on the plan you suggested.
Ailing Hill, sorry you are angered by ignorance. But the welfare rolls are larger now because people in America aren’t making living wages. And you might be surprised that the number of us living in poverty are not only people of color, but those who are also White Americans. So yes, thank you for paying your taxes. You do don’t you? And that isn’t you in the photo with your neck veins so distended, that it looks like you are going to explode! Is it?
Too bad these scumbags showed up at this thing.
They give a bad name to the vast majority of people who favor enforcing immigration laws and reducing immigration rates to stop the rapid erosion of wages we’ve seen in the last 30 years (coincidentally the period of highest immigration in the country’s history).
Increasing water shortages and environmental degradation are indicators that we have too high population growth already without doubling immigration rates (what the current “comprehensive” immigration reform would do).
I know it makes for a good news story to focus on a handful of protestors doing stupid things. This doesn’t help us get to a solution. Particularly since these fools were probably set up for political reasons. There are some of us that want to rationally wrestle with this issue and pass immigration reform ala the Senate version that includes border security and pay a fine get in line. Further we need to address the underlying issue which is ignored mostly because we are compelled to act with compassion for the children and those fleeing. Why are they coming here? We need to use our will and resources to help solve the problems in Central and South America.
No Dummy Gallardo, I am not angered by my ignorance (I assume you are implying I am ignorant). I am angered by people who sit around waiting for the government to give them a hand out and the politicians that pander to them. I am also angered by people like you who put politicians in office that cater to special interest groups to buy votes. I am also angered by people who blame everybody and anything else for their plight in life instead of getting off their lazy asses and making their life happen. Quit making excuses for yourself and others (“But the welfare rolls are larger now because people in America aren’t making living wages”). Your statement is complete crap. There are more people on the dole now because they somehow think they are entitled to other people’s money.
Hi Gandalf
The UN sets up things called refugee camps.
Gandalf, I was recently in both Turkey and Jordan (2 weeks ago). Yes there are many Syrians in both. Thankfully the hospitality and generosity of the Turks and Jordanians is abundant, as they both host refugees not just from Syria, but also Kurds, Iraqis, Palestinians and Egyptians. We could learn a lot from them.
Ugly-Americans have found a home in the GOP.
Typical republicant. cant see the data nor the facts. So ailing hill, more Americans are becoming wealthier? I think you are full of crap. Special interests like what? Republicants don’t fish for special interest money? Tell that to the Koch brothers. And you deny that corporate big money would rather keep the minimum wage down, and ship our jobs to other countries, in order to increase their profits, and shelter their tax dollars, all to give millions to PACs? There are more people “on the dole” as you say, because people need to eat. And not because they are waiting for handouts. Give the common person more credit. Most people want to work.
Allyn Hill, is that you in the photo of the man with his neck veins distended looking like he is ready to explode? Wow, take a chill pill. If you don’t have any Rx, rush Limbaugh can give you some of his OxyContin. The pain of denial must be excruciating.
Funny thing, imaginary borders and ignorance are a horrible combination for humanity. Then welfare comes up as part of the convo. Welfare… I work and pay taxes and receive food stamps and free medical care. So I guess that means that I, and at least four others I know are paying for our own welfare… And I’d love to see something besides hate out of tea baggers… I have yet to meet one I like. Judgment and anger are just not attractive to anyone except other haters. This ridiculous answer to helping children is reprehensible. I think guns need to be set aside and let people have the space to use brains instead. Am I dreaming? Or is it possible to get air to ignorant brains and create thoughtful intercourse?
Well we are suppose to be a nation of laws. Unfortunately it only pertains to the citizens of the US. Anybody else can break the laws and for years and get away with it. There’s a right way and wrong way to become a US citizen. And unfortunately all the Illegal Aliens do it by breaking the law and we let them get away with it. When we the people try to stop all the Illegal Aliens we get called haters, bigots, racists and other names. See charity begins at home and when this country has all it’s children off the streets and feed, clothed and housed then I will have no problem helping other country’s. Until then I want all the Illegal Aliens prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Meanwhile, a US citizen has already been killed by one of these catch-and-release “minors.”
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2…
Bslap, where in that article do you see he was an unaccompanied minor?
Sorry folks, the starving children in this country can’t be fed, we need the A-10 more, we must keep the musket factory open at any cost.
With any luck our starving kids will survive long enough to be the soldiers for our next push for democracy in the middle east
Clifford…
Since it was USAmerican policies and support for the decades of right-wing rule in Honduras (still), Guatemala and El Salvador, and the phony USAmerican war on drugs(tm), that created the conditions and maintains the drug cartels that these children are fleeing — Yep we owe them PLENTY…
As for a nation of laws, ironically enough Obama is following a bush era LAW that requires a fair hearing for each of these children before they can be deported or allowed to stay…or did you MISS that part on fox noise?
The faces and actions of these anti-immigrant protesters remind me of those same heartless
Idiots that stood yelling hate at black Americans during the desegregation of schools in the south…or perhaps the haters in Europe against the Jews. Hate is hate. Never decent never kind. How do they look at themselves in the mirror? Or do they just see ugly, ugly, ugly.