ACLU Challenges Anti-Immigration Law

Today the ACLU and others were in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the constitutionality of Georgia and Alabama's discriminatory "show me your papers" laws. In both of these states, we've seen the devastating consequences these laws have had on their economies, reputation and communities.

During the hearing many of us participated in a picket/vigil organized the the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights(GLAHR)outside the courthouse.


The ACLU recently put out the following video that I think captures some of the impact of laws like HB87, interestingingly the video focuses on a conservitive Mayor in South Georgia:



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

ALEC+AT&T=SB 469

Today marked the first day of public action against Senate Bill 469. A group of folks from Occupy Atlanta among other groups gathered at the capitol and again later in front AT&T to oppose the bill and shine light on it's shadowy or gins.

The bill was introduced by Don Balfour (R-9th),Bill Hamrick (R-30th),Bill Cowsert (R-46th),and Ross Tolleson (R-20th). All four Senators are members of an organization called the American Legislative Exchange Counsel(ALEC).

ALEC basically brings lawmakers and corporations together to draft model legislation. Law makers pay $50. every two years to be members of ALEC while corporations pay $50,000 a year and additional large sums of money to be a part of one of the nine ALEC task forces. ALEC claims to be nonpartisan but the fact is that it's also funded by several right wing think tanks.


Law makers are given scholarships to attend luxery conferences with their families. At these conferences corporations vote on model legislation and refine the language of potencial policies that elected officials associated with ALEC are charged with the task of introducing. ALEC writted legislation is passed one out of five times.

The lastest piece of ALEC wriiten legislation , SB 469, would make it a crime to organize sit ins, fine individuals for picketing($1,000 per day), and fine organizations who support a picket($10,000 per day).

While many in the general public have commented that the bill appears to souly focus on pickets outside a residential home, it should be noted that the bill simply includes residential homes in the language.

ALEC was also responsible for the anti-immigration bills that swept the nation last year, HB 87 in Georgia. Why would ALEC be interested in anti-immigration bills? The Corrections Corporation of America(CCA) is a ALEC member. CCA stands to profit billions of dollars to inprison undocumanted Americans if bills like HB 87 continue to sweep the nation. To CCA undocumented Americans make more profit locked up in a cell then they do working, and US tax payers pick up the tab. At every turn it seems ALEC represents the worst kind of wealth consolidation in this country.


We encourage folks to call the sponsors of ALEC legislation on let them know that we will no longer allow them to put the needs of wealthiest corporations over the needs of the 99% of us that create their wealth.



Don Balfour (R-9th)- (404) 656-0095
Bill Hamrick (R-30th)- (404) 656-0036
Bill Cowsert (R-46th)- (404) 463-1383
Ross Tolleson (R-20th)- (404) 656-0081


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

"Deport Hate" Mural Pops Up In Little 5!!

Who's seen the, "We Are Human" posters around the Atl? There's been a crew of LA artist and activists traveling around the country trying to spread the love and deport the hate laced immigration legislation that has been introduced in dozens of states.

I was excited to be able to get up to speed with sixth son organizer Mario Rocha about their visit to Georgia while their crew was working on an amazing new mural in the heart of little 5 Points. The mural's done, ya'll need to go check it out. It's at the corner of Euclid and Colquitt where the Pink Elephants used to be.

Sadly the phone video I shot is half sideways, but take a look anyway:



There was a street poet that was hanging out during the mural painting, he offered to spit a quick freestyle about AFSC, here it is filmed in amazing sideways vision:


Check out local news footage on Mario's visit.


We hope to have Mario's crew back out in the next few months. They said they would be excited to through more murals and posters up if anyone wants to donate a wall or two.


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

From Atlanta to LA

On Saturday July 16th I had the pleasure of traveling to AFSC's LA office to participate in an entitled, "Migrant Youth Voices;From Atlanta to LA. Several short film's chronicling the stories of struggle from migrant youth in Atlanta and LA were shown. I was on hand to discuss the state of anti-immigration legislation HB87 and talk about how folks in Cali could support the struggle to defeat the racist anti-immigrant law.

Several Georgia Youth from AFSC's Migrant Youth Voice Project will be joined the discussion via Skype. During the skype session several undocumented youth in LA, along with their parents, made a point to have face time with folks in Georgia via skype. I wasn't the only one in the room with a lump in my throat and a few tears in my eyes. Truly a lovely evening.

Big thanks to Crystal Gonzales and Anthony Marsh for organizing the event.


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

THOUSANDS March To Resist HB87

Today Thousands of Georgians filled the streets of Atlanta to unite their voices against HB87, the anti-immigration bill that went into effect yesterday.

I've done organizing work in Georgia for ten years. I've been a part of small actions and big ones in every pocket of the state. Today was by far the largest mobilization I've seen anywhere in Georgia, ever. There was over twenty blocks of people marching, some say over 20,000 people, despite the blazing heat. I could be wrong but I believe that today was the largest political mobilization in Georgia in the last few decades.

The number of folks, and the energy they brought(which was palpable), should send a clear message to Georgia politicians. Not only can Georgia's economy not afford HB87 or bills like it, Georgia's people will not tolerate legislated racism and xenophobia.

With references to Martin Luther King throughout the march, and many civil rights leaders on hand to lend their strong support to the movement, it's also clear that many view bills like HB87 as a sad step back towards the darker parts of Georgia's history.

While parts of HB87 have been temporarily block by a federal Judge(as a result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Georgia and the National Immigration Law Center), it's clear that the fight against HB87 is not over.

One silver lining that some see as a result of bills like HB87 is the galvanization of immigrants across the country. One result that blatantly racist bill's like HB87 could bring is real immigration reform on a national level. I believe a train has begun rolling through communities all over America and it's inevitably won't stop until we have fair and just pathways to citizenship for everyone that call the United States home. We all have a right to exist.

AFSC Atlanta and our Migrant Youth Voice project was proud to be there and support The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Right's(GLAHR) mobilizing efforts. We gave out hundreds of our new immigration reform placards.


Photo Credits:
Caitie Elle
Josie Figueroa


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Steppin' Up Against HB87

It's been a prolific week in the struggle against one of the nations worst immigration bills, Georgia's HB87(Which some are dubbing, "Hate Bill 87"). Yesterday word came out that Federal Judge Thomas Thrash blocked certain sections of HB87.

Today, in an action organized by the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance(GUYA), about 200 people(mostly very young) demanded not only an end to HB87 but a just pathway to citizenship to all who call Georgia home. Six of today's participants choose to block traffic until police arrested them. All who were arrested today lack the identification documents the HB87 requires. AFSC Atlanta is humbled by the courage of these young people, the risks they take to stand up for their community and human dignity is awe inspiring.

There's more organized for this week. July 1st, this Friday, is a day to do nothing. Buy nothing, don't work, don't even drive. A day without immigrants, a day without their allies. Then on July 2nd, it's time to take action!

The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights(GLAHR) is asking folks to come from near and far to march for justice, march for dignity, march for human rights. Here at AFSC we hosted an art party to create several striking and large wheatpaste installations promoting the July 2nd mobilization that will go up in legal spaces this evening...look out for them around town this wee.

We hope to see a lot of folks this Saturday at the capitol from 10am-2pm.
No Human being is illegal, everyone has the right to exist in spaces they have called home their whole life.


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Migrant Youth Voices Hits The Campus

After this past Sunday's Food For Thought Benefit, where one of our Migrant Youth Voices short film was shown, we we approached by a Paideia high school student who wanted to show the short film at his school and have a facilitated discussion about immigration reform, racism, and the coming realities of HB87.

We were surprised that there were any high schools still in session, but we were happy make the film screening happen on short notice. We want to get out to as many school, churches, homes, and community centers for film screenings as possible. The short notice event also gave one of our Migrant Youth Voice(MYV) participants the opportunity to polish his public speaking skills a bit more. After the film screen our MYV participant(who was featured in the film) spoke and answered questions for about 30 minutes.

It's been unexplainable inspiring to witness the journey many of the Migrant Youth Voices participants have taken in a fairly short period of time. From living with their secret, to sharing their stories with others who have been there, to sharing their story on film(safely), to speaking publicly. It's clear that there will be several emerging community leaders from this crew. Perhaps that is the silver lining that the passage of HB87 has brought, a new unstoppable force that will unquestionable prevail in the long run.


Contact us if you're interested in hosting a film screening in your community. The films are very short and we can set up a panel to follow. It's a great way to start a conversation.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee
tfranzen@afsc.org

Where Is The Love Georgia?

The American Friends Service Committee was one of several organizations that co-sponsored the “Love Your Neighbor Rally” located in Gainesville, GA, an event where several families, community leaders, and allies gathered to voice their opposition to HB 87, recently signed into law by Governor Deal.

RJ Hadley and State Representative Pedro Marin (D) were among the people who spoke to the crowd that Saturday. RJ Hadley, stating that HB 87 is a “Republican mess” and that HB 87 was “their” legislation. He announced that this was the time had come for action, to remove the people who had gotten them to this point, and encouraged people with access to citizenship to register to vote. He warned us that Republicans were redrawing the political line and were doing this secretly. Pedro Marin also charged the group to “keep watch” on HB 87, not to be afraid to stand tall and to talk with their neighbors and get people to register to vote, saying, “Atlanta will pay attention when we have that voting power.”

Maria Duarte from the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) announced that HB 87 goes into effect July 1 and promised the crowd that the legislation will fail. Maria stated there were 8 million people eligible to become citizens; she requested these people gain citizenship and for all citizens to register to vote. Maria stressed that it was important not to be guided by myths and rumors, and to “focus on the resources we have and not on what we don’t have.” An immigration lawyer based in Gainesville denounced HB 87, stating it was immoral and unconstitutional, and informed the crowd of their rights (including the right to remain silent). He then assured them that the majority of HB 87 will be blocked.

The rally had a mostly day festival feeling with prayer and songs, face painting, water and sandwiches for folks who wanted them, Mexican ice cream, and a clown making balloons for the children. The crowd that day was little over 300 people; there were tables set up for people to register to vote and plenty of shade where most folks were able to stay cool.

The Gainesville rally was occurring at the same time as a local auto show, but aside from getting to see some swanky cars driving down the street, the other event did not prevent several hundred people from attending the rally.

Guest Writer

Dawn Gibson

How Do We Make Sure HB87 Fails?

Today Governor Deal signed HB87 and effectively ushered in a new era in Georgia history. We now live in what some are calling the Juan Crow era, an era that we all must work to ensure is brief.

As news of HB87's signing spread folks started heading to capitol to express their outrage at Governor Deal's seemingly inevitable action. Knowing the Governor was politically committed to signing the bill did not soften the emotional impact. To be frank, today has been a very tough day for countless people.

Folks also came out to a town hall meeting held at Trinity United Methodist Church to discuss the impact of HB87. Groups shared resistance actions that they have been organizing and further strategized on effective next steps we all can take in the effort to make sure HB87 fails.

Throughout the course of the town hall meeting it became apparent that HB87 will be defeated. There were just too many committed folks in the room, too many communities represented, too many dynamic ideas put out and too many organizations lining up to support resistance to this bill. It's clearly a question of when and how, not if.

Some of the projects presented during the meeting included:

A boycott of Georgia. Already calls have gone out to avoid traveling to our state of hate. It is urged to no longer plan vacations to Georgia, have your conferences booked elsewhere, skip Georgia if you're booking a music/cultural tour, and make it known why you are boycotting our state.

Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance is working on creating space for youth in the movement to defeat HB87. Here at AFSC we also hope to raise the voices of migrant youth through our Migrant Youth Voice project. We hope to launch a new website in the next month where we will be publishing a series of short films documenting the lives and struggles of undocumented youth in georgia, in edition we'll also be hosting a number of film screening across the state in the fall.

Southerners On New Ground and the Georgia Latino Alliance on Human Rights (GLAHR) will be leading an effort to organize businesses and sanctuaries to become hate free zones. Houses of worship and places of business that commit to non compliance of HB87 will be certified "hate free" zones where immigrants and human rights supporters are welcome to shop or worship. Contact Southerners on New Ground or the Georgia Latino Alliance on Human Rights if you're down to help with this ambitious effort. We all shop, and many of us are active in a church, so that's where we can start!

GLAHR has also organized an action for women in the defense of immigrant families. Women from all over Georgia will come together to demand a stop to the separation and persecution of their families and to put a stop to 287g and HB87. Wearing white, with their children by their side, women and those in solidarity opposing this legislation will gather at Centennial Park on May 22, 2011 at 10am.

Finally I just want to say that in my personal experience, sometimes failure can be the foundation by which success is built upon. I mention that just to highlight the opportunity that has been presented by HB87's signing today. The chance to build and strengthen communities, the thousands of people that will experience a life changing political awakening as a result of Governor Deals pen stroke today is inconceivable. It is on the foundation of HB87's failure that we can build something new, something different.

Tim Franzen

American Friends Service Committee

Governor Deal, Veto That Bill

Today is the last day that HB 87 can pass the house and senate and as I type bill is being debated on the floor of the Georgia house of representatives.

Outside the capitol hundreds of human rights activist have been holding a vigil, and holding onto hope that those under the dome will vote to kill HB87.

During a time of economic crisis it's not surprising that some in the Georgia house and senate have attempted to scapegoat our state's money problems on anyone but themselves, and undocumented workers seem to be a pretty easy target being that they have been politically voiceless for decades.

The reality, however, is much different then what HB 87 Architects painted. Georgia's top two industries are agriculture and tourism, both industries are fueled by undocumented workers, both industries have lobbied against HB 87. The similar Arizona bill that passed last year sparked international boycotts of the state which cost the state millions in revenue.

Georgia's economy simply can't afford this type of legislation.

But this is about much more than economics.

This is a human rights issue.Immigrant's rights are human rights. What people who vigiled today at the capitol are fighting for is simply the right to exist in a space they have called home for years, a space they have contributed to greatly.

Borders, boundaries, corporations, and nations are simply ideas. We should care less about these ideas than we do actual human beings with beating hearts and dreams of their future. A future where we're all free to travel where we please, attend school where we please, seek employment where we please. A future where we all have the dignity and freedom to exist is a space we call home. A future that never again rolls out the red carpet for Jim Crow laws, a future that refuses to legislate hate.

Sadly HB 87 passed tonight, effectively rolling out the red carpet for Jim Crow. The fight isn't over, we then turn our eyes, our energy, our voice, and our prayers to Governor Deals office with one singular message: Veto This Bill!


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

The Dream Is Coming

This afternoon over a hundred people gathered at Hurt Park for a demonstration of undocumented students demanding their rights to higher education. Undocumented students shared their stories of coming to this country and exactly what they were fighting for. Supporters gathered and chanted against the ban of undocumented students in 5 major State universities. This protest, organized by students across the country- with the help of GLAHR, marched into Georgia State and delivered a letter demanding the university to refuse the ban. The people united then marched their way to Courtland street where they occupied the road in an act of civil disobedience.

Several motorists were blocked for over an hour before law enforcement were able to direct traffic the opposite direction of the protest. Students from the university were excited to see such an action occuring and many of them who had seen this happening from windows of the school came down to support. As more and more people came to support and block the streets there became awareness to the public on the Board of Regents ban of undocumented students.

The 7 young brave and inspiring men and women sat across courtland street not to block traffic, but to make a statement. This statement is that they will no longer remain in the shadows and wait for legislators and government officials to make a change. They can no longer wait, and will no longer wait. They really are undocumented and unafraid.

After nearly two hours the undocumented students were arrested by zip ties and taken to Atlanta City Jail where many people will continue to support them by having a vigil at 7:30pm.

La lucha sigue. The fight continues to make education a basic human right. We are in awe of the bravery of these students who may now be risking deportation. We have chosen a side and that side will no longer be apologetic for being undocumented, will no longer be afraid, and will no longer wait for change. This is the side that wont stop fighting.

http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/ For more information or to donate.

Picture credit- Kung Li

Josie Figueroa

American Friends Service Committee