We Are All Kentucky! Rally to Stop Anti-Immigrant SB6

Kentucky’s Senate Bill 6 (SB6) is one of several bills that has been introduced in state legislatures across the country that copycat Arizona’s anti-immigrant legislation SB1070 signed into law by Arizona’s Jan Brewer last spring.  The law legalizes unchecked racial profiling by police of anyone they “suspect” is undocumented.

“I’m just a concerned community member” was the message we heard from many of the more than 100 people who showed up at a called meeting in early January to discuss possible responses to Senate Bill 6 (SB6).  During that meeting, many ideas were brought forth, one of which was a lobby and rally day which hundreds of people participated in on February 8 in Frankfort. Folks from across the state showed up to show their opposition to this bill and to stand in solidarity with immigrant and migrant families throughout Kentucky. We know with the work being done to resist SB6–with so many new people emerging to be a part of these efforts– the opportunities to build on this energy and new leadership are great.

In Louisville, we reached out to our board of education

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DC Workers, Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Wage Theft

Washington, DC Wage Theft Day of Action“Wage theft is a crime” was the theme of a rally and press event on Thursday, Nov. 18th that brought together workers, faith leaders, and community supporters. Held in front of the DC Metropolitan Police Dept. Headquarters, the rally gave workers a chance to speak out about the silent crime of wage theft and to call on the police and DC government to do more to protect workers.

The Union de Trabajadores, with DC Jobs with Justice, Interfaith Worker Justice of Greater Washington, the DC Employment Justice Center, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and other allies have been working for several years to improve the options open to workers to recover wages.  While the DC Wage and Hour office has implemented many of the recommendations from workers, the office still lacks the staff and resources necessary and doesn’t have the authority to levy fines or penalties against employers who refuse to pay.

The need for police to be involved in fighting wage theft was

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Urgent: Stop Racial Profiling and Criminalization of Immigrant Communities

The Arizona State Legislature just passed a law (SB1070) that legalizes unchecked racial profiling by police of anyone they “suspect” is undocumented. It would criminalize all undocumented immigrants as “trespassers” and subject them to misdemeanor, or in some cases, felony charges for a new “trespass” crime.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is expected to sign the bill into law any day now. Tell Governor Brewer to stand up for human and civil rights and veto this anti-immigrant, racial profiling bill.  If this bill is signed into law, your state could be next.

Tell AZ Governor Jan Brewer to VETO this bill!

SB 1070 would force police officers to arrest and detain people based on a “reasonable suspicion” that they are undocumented. It’s not surprising that news of this bill has shocked the nation. There is no such thing as looking American or undocumented, and mandating police officers to racially profile sets this country back to a shameful time in its history where racial segregation was the law of the land. The state of Arizona has become home to experimental laws that use immigration as an excuse to criminalize communities of color. We have all seen the devastation caused by

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