We recently reported on an open letter that Arizona concert promoter Charlie Levy, of Stateside Presents, wrote to artists who are boycotting performing in our state in order to protest SB 1070, Gov. Jan Brewer and the state Legislature’s ass-backwards attempt to fix the immigration problem.
In that letter, Levy wrote, “By not performing in Arizona, artists are harming the very people and places that foster free speech and the open exchange of ideas that serve to counter the closed-mindedness recently displayed by the new law.”
The truth is, a boycott is an easy gesture that doesn’t require much more than a statement and removing a date from your tour schedule. However, if you truly care about the effects of the controversial immigration law that was passed, this is an opportunity to use your unique position as an artist with the ability to reach thousands of people to inspire, educate, and motivate your fans to actively be a part of the change.
You can read the entire letter here.
Today Conor Oberst, one of the artists involved in the Sound Strike boycott spearheaded by Zack de la Rocha, of Rage Against the Machine, penned his own open letter as a response to Levy’s. (Stateside Presents has promoted several of Oberst’s shows in the past, and Oberst’s letter is addressed to Levy.)
In it, Oberst writes:
I have on many occasions spoken my mind from stage. I have offered organizations table space by the merch booth. I have donated a dollar-a-ticket, or the entire guarantee, to different causes. I have registered voters. I have played on behalf of political candidates. Sadly, this time, I fear none of that is enough. If I return to Arizona to pay lip service to a roomful of kids at the Marquee it will do absolutely no good for anyone. What I can do is to help organize, and play my small part in, what I hope is the largest and most effective boycott this country has seen in a long time. To work it will have to involve members from all sectors of society. The Sports Industry, the Entertainment Industry, the Tourism and Convention Industry, other State and City governments, private businesses and individuals from around the country and the world—-all of whom, by the way, are already participating in the boycott. Much of the Artist end of the boycott is symbolic, I acknowledge, and no real threat to
the economics of the State. But it is an important part none-the-less for awareness and messaging. The Boycott has to be so widespread and devastating that the Arizona State Legislature and Governor have no choice but to repeal their unconstitutional, immoral and hateful law. It has to hurt them in the only place they feel any pain, their pocketbooks. …
I realize that the people of Arizona did not vote on SB1070 and I empathize with the anger and frustration you all must feel. I applaud what you are doing with Viva Arizona and do wonder if there might be a way to reconcile both our efforts while maintaining the integrity of each. After all, we are trying to achieve the same thing. But just as you may feel the boycott is an empty gesture, I fear that if we return to business as usual (under the guise of some civic movement) that this will all devolve into the typical grandstanding that is political activism in music. It might make us feel better but won’t do a damn thing to change the minds of the radical, racist minority that seem to have controlled Arizona politics for decades. In short, it will lose its teeth.
To read Oberst’s letter in its entirety, head here.
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2010.
A young man of twenty who has come from Nebraska with wisdom far beyond his years. I wish, I only could have known as much at twenty. Knowledge of Illegal Immigration and how it effects Arizona, judging as to whether The Arizona Law Is unconstitutional, immoral, and a hateful Law is at best judgmental. Experience of life plays a large part as to how one thinks. As this country has changed over the last fifty years is also beyond this young mans years. This Country has a law that our government should be enforcing that reads very similar to The Arizona Law, because it was patterned after the government law. If as Americans, we would concern ourselves with what is best for our country instead of the rights of people who are not Americans, who voluntarily made a choice to enter The United States with knowledge that by crossing our border they were breaking our laws. We, America, do have immigration laws that millions of legal immigrants obey each year. These laws would be working if enforced! How about getting a broader or greater number of people from around the world to come to this country? So, are these people crossing our border more important, more special and just can not wait in line like others. Come on, America can not save all the world. The United States needs time to grow and adjust, when the number of people entering this country are greater than the jobs or opportunities that exist, then what? Not to mention, we have no clue as to who has entered this country. Aren’t our prisons full already? I personally would like to see less drugs in this country, but most of all I would like to see America as a free country for many years to come, A Great Country. How selfish of me! I Love This Country!
Dear bregaynay:
I’m an American citizen, I was born in this country to my american citizen mother, I work, go to school, own a house and pay taxes. My school tuition is paid for by the money that I earn working full time, that same full time job allows me to pay for my food, health care and mortgage. All this things more than rectify my status as an American. Yet, because of the color of my skin, when I cross the Border patrol checkpoints (N of Tombstone and N of Nogales), I am subject to multiple interrogations, asked to step out of my car in the middle of the night, while my children are asleep in the back of the car. This has happened multiple times, and I understand that these agents are only doing their job, enforcing the law, trying to prevent drugs and illegal immigrants to come into our country. Because of this, I comply with their requests, but what I will not have, is this same scenarios happening in my city, I refuse to be stopped while driving my kids to school, going to work or simply taking my kids to the park.
That won’t happen some people say, officers are not allowed to stop people based solely on their race or color of their skin, it is written on SB1070! Well then I ask you, if this law is based on federal laws, and those laws are enforced by Border Patrol agents, in the manner described above, how will police officers enforce it any differently. I have traveled with my blond, blue eyed husband, no questions asked to him, it is me the big brown eyed, brown hair, tan skinned woman that gets asked all the questions about my citizenship status.
The federal law is being enforced, for I have experienced it in my time living in Southern Arizona, what is not being enforced is the laws that prevent employers from hiring people that are here illegally. NO JOBS, No reason to stay, NO AMERICAN demand for drugs, no reason to smuggle. SB 1070 does a good job at spending my tax payer dollars in a game of catch and release that doesn’t do AZ any good, throw them out today, they’ll be back tomorrow, give them an all expenses paid trip back to their country, they’ll be back. As long as there is some american business (Wo)man willing to hire them, they’ll be back.
I’ll tell you who is more important, those of us who are citizens of this country,and that happen to have similarities in the way we look to those that come to this country illegally. SB1070 infringes on my rights as a citizen to travel freely around my state without the annoyance of being pulled over, while driving my american car, to show my papers.
Has press died down from Monsters of Folk or something?
PharmD: The Tucson City police can only ask if Ur a U.S. citizen if U don’t have a State-issued driver’s license or ID and they can only stop & pull U over if they suspect U violated some law.
Those who are boycotting Arizona will soon have many other states to boycott too . . .
I don’t understand why these young kids would want to compete with cheap Mexican labor. When I was in my 20’s, my friends & I (hippies) worked many jobs (construction, picking fruit, factory-work) that have now been taken over by Mexican slaves.
Farmers could easily pay better wages but as long as they can hire slaves & get a slap on the wrist, they will . . . they even employ the slave’s children to pick blueberries.
When I picked apples in Washington State, I was paid $7/bin, each bin weighed at least 700-pounds . . . the farmer could easily pay us more. Back then (1978), illegals were competing against us hippies.
There are many problems with immigration but none are solved by SB1070. Legalize marijuana, prosecute and shut down repeat offenders who employ illegals, make work permits obtainable rapidly instead of taking 6-8 months and many more. These thing will solve most of the problems. No way to “secure the border” unless you put armed people fingertip to fingertip 24/7 the entire border. The cost of SB1070 is coming straight our of the pockets of the people living legally in Arizona. Millions of dollars for nothing at all but to enhance the political careers of Brewer, McCain and others.
I subscribe to Maddox’s point of view regarding Illegal Immigration. He did a piece a while back on it regarding a lawsuit against wal mart alleging that it deprived a lot of immigrant janitors of wages by paying them below the federal minimum wage (to my understanding, at least.)
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net
My opinion is:
In order to even think about dealing with immigration, legislators and voters MUST ask themselves these two questions and answer them honestly.
WHY are so many people immigrating to the United States/passing through to Canada?
What can the United States do to SOLVE the cause of this immigration?
You could compare immigration to the oil spill. What animal would stick around and attempt to live in that? They can’t, it’s impossible to survive, so they move for healthier and more sustainable waters.
Until the CAUSE is dealt with, we will forever be arguing, debating, fighting, and attempting to legislate and enforce the EFFECTS.