Posted on 05/28/2010 11:28:55 AM PDT by a fool in paradise
Kanye West, Sonic Youth, Rage Against the Machine and many more artists rallied to boycott Arizona after the state passed a controversial law that encourages police officers to target residents they "reasonably suspect" to be undocumented. Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha is leading the boycott, dubbed "The Sound Strike," which finds the large group of artists refusing to perform in Arizona as long as the law is in place.
"Fans of our music, our stories, our films and our words can be pulled over and harassed every day because they are brown or black, or for the way they speak, or for the music they listen to," de la Rocha said of the racial profiling promoted in law SB 1070. "People who are poor like some of us used to be could be forced to live in a constant state of fear while just doing what they can to find work and survive. This law opens the door for them to be shaked down, or even worse, detained and deported while just trying to travel home from school, from home to work, or when they just roll out with their friends. Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law takes it to a whole new low. If other states follow the direction of the Arizona government, we could be headed towards a pre-civil rights era reality."
Other musicians who have joined in the Sound Strike include Serj Tankian, Conor Oberst, Tenacious D, Spank Rock, Joe Satriani, Cypress Hill, filmmaker Michael Moore and many more. (Check out the full list of artists and sign the Sound Strike's petition demanding the repeal of SB 1070 at their official Website.) The Sound Strike is also encouraging other artists to join the cause, so expect so more acts to align themselves with the Artists Call to Boycott Arizona movement in the coming weeks.
Sorry, I never was very good in my “Language Arts” classes. I know all there is to know about this kid because I live in a house with a 14-year-old who loves “High School Musical”. Plus he’s a cute kid and to my knowledge he pretty much keeps his politics to himself.
Do I even need to point out that de la Rocha is a Marxist? And that's not just my characterization either, he labels himself as such.
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