Posted on 07/19/2006 7:12:51 PM PDT by SandRat
A conservative nonprofit organization called grassfire.org has put up a billboard on Tucson's Southside that says, "Stop the Invasion. Secure our borders."
This billboard went up Friday and will be up for 30 days.
You can see it from Interstate 10 at the 6th Avenue exit.
Steve Elliott, president of grassfire.org says, "I think those six words express the sentiment of literally millions of people and I would say the vast majority of people in Tucson."
Grassfire raised roughly $150,000 to put 12 of the billboards in 7 states.
Elliott says the purpose is to educate.
He says, "In fact, we have 12-to-20 million people who are in our country illegally. This is an invasion, in fact, that's affecting our economy. It's draining our social services. It's a drain on our health care."
Elliott, who denies the message is racist and anti-immigrant, says, "I'm the son of a Jamaican immigrant. We believe in legal immigration."
On the flipside, Alexis Mazon thinks the billboard is racist. She speaks for the illegal-immigrant rights group Derechos Humanos Coalition.
Mazon says, "This is a horrendous ploy by an Iowa hate group to raise the level of hysteria in this community and to dehumanize anyone who's brown."
Mazon believes that's why the billboard is located on Tucson's Southside.
She says, "That's not to promote dialogue. It's meant to promote hate. Invasion is a term of war."
Mazon says, "if they are really concerned about stopping the number of migrants crossing, they should make a sign that says 'Stop NAFTA'."
There is something both sides agree on.
The billboard stirs emotions.
When grassfire.org formally unveiled the sign Tuesday morning, three police cars and three police bike units stood by to make sure there wasn't trouble.
Already, the billboard's been defaced with what looks like paint thrown at it. Under it, on the ground, News 4 found a paint can lid and what looks like tennis balls that had been filled with paint.
This person needs to use their English dictionary more. The word "invasion" according to the Cambridge English Dictionary is defined as the act of entering "a place in large numbers, usually when unwanted and in order to take possession or do damage"
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
"Mazon says, "This is a horrendous ploy by an Iowa hate group to raise the level of hysteria in this community and to dehumanize anyone who's brown.""
PC horsecrap. I'm sick of the old playbook that to oppose illegal immigration is to oppose latinos. Absolute crap. I have no problem with latinos or anyone else so long as they obey the law. When someone disregards the laws of my country, then I get upset. Its criminals i'm angry with.
I've seen this sign on the internet more than a year ago. I think. Been making the rounds on different sites.
Its my guess that approximately 50% of the population of the town of South Tucson is here illegally.
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