goldmonkey
10th May 2010, 06:46 PM
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is urging major league baseball players to boycott the 2011 All-Star game, which is scheduled to take place in Phoenix, to protest Arizona’s tough new immigration law.
Other immigration advocates have already begun pressing the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig, to move the game.
Mr. Menendez is the only Hispanic-American in the Senate.
“The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally,†Mr. Menendez wrote in a letter to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Michael Weiner.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/menendez-urges-boycott-of-all-star-game-in-arizona/
Some high-profile organizations plan on firing off a letter Tuesday to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig asking him to remove the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix, Ariz., and to pressure teams to re-locate spring training games from the state.
The groups asking for the game's removal to protest the tough new Arizona illegal immigration law include National Council of La Raza, People For the American Way, Center for New Community, America's Voice, the AFL-CIO and SEIU. Bloggers and advocacy websites such as Daily Kos are also signing the letter.
The letter, provided to us via email, says that Major League baseball has a strong history of supporting minorities and civil rights in America. It cites the historic moment when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player in 1947.
The letter reminds Selig that more than 25 percent of all Major League baseball players are Latino.
According to the letter:
In this moment of crisis, these players - and baseball's millions of Latino and immigrant fans - deserve a loud and clear message that the League finds this law unacceptable. We strongly urge you to relocate the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix and to pressure teams to pull all winter and spring training games from Arizona while this un-American law is in effect.
Officials with the organizations are expected to have a telephonic conference
Tuesday to discuss their letter.
More than 100,000 people from across the country have signed a petition, demanding the All-Star Game be moved.
The petition is part of MoveTheGame.org which was launched last week.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the only Hispanic-American in the Senate, is telling major league baseball players to boycott the All-Star game.
http://blogs.chron.com/immigration/archives/2010/05/post_384.html
Here’s the text of the senator’s letter:
May 10, 2010
Dear Mr. Weiner:
I first want to thank you for taking a public stand and expressing your opposition to Arizona law SB1070. I would also respectfully ask that you and your players consider boycotting the 2011 All-Star Game until SB1070 is repealed or the game is moved to an another location. The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally.
As you and I both know, Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) is truly a multicultural, international sport. In fact, Latinos represent 27 percent of all M.L.B. players and 28 percent of M.L.B. players are foreign born. These players come to the United States legally and should not be subjected to the humiliation and harassment that SB1070 would inflict. Imagine if your players and their families were subjected to interrogation by law enforcement, simply because they look a certain way. Imagine if M.L.B. fans – many of whom are Hispanic – were subjected to that same type of interrogation if they were to attend the All-Star Game. That would truly be an embarrassment and an injustice, not only to M.L.B., but to the values and ideals we hold as Americans.
In every century and generation, immigrants have contributed to the progress, prosperity and vitality of this nation. This law undermines that shared history by promoting discrimination against one group of people. As someone who has and continues to fight for comprehensive immigration reform, I believe the Arizona law is a call to action for reform of our nation’s broken immigration system. However, while I understand the frustration about the failures of our current system, states should not be permitted to enact their own discriminatory immigration laws while the federal government works to reform our laws. The Arizona law is an embarrassment to our country and a call to action to our communities to stand up against injustice.
For these reasons, I ask that you consider boycotting the All-Star Game in Arizona until SB1070 is repealed or the League decides to move the game to an alternate location. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. It is my hope that we can work together now and in the future.
Other immigration advocates have already begun pressing the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig, to move the game.
Mr. Menendez is the only Hispanic-American in the Senate.
“The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally,†Mr. Menendez wrote in a letter to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Michael Weiner.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/menendez-urges-boycott-of-all-star-game-in-arizona/
Some high-profile organizations plan on firing off a letter Tuesday to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig asking him to remove the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix, Ariz., and to pressure teams to re-locate spring training games from the state.
The groups asking for the game's removal to protest the tough new Arizona illegal immigration law include National Council of La Raza, People For the American Way, Center for New Community, America's Voice, the AFL-CIO and SEIU. Bloggers and advocacy websites such as Daily Kos are also signing the letter.
The letter, provided to us via email, says that Major League baseball has a strong history of supporting minorities and civil rights in America. It cites the historic moment when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player in 1947.
The letter reminds Selig that more than 25 percent of all Major League baseball players are Latino.
According to the letter:
In this moment of crisis, these players - and baseball's millions of Latino and immigrant fans - deserve a loud and clear message that the League finds this law unacceptable. We strongly urge you to relocate the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix and to pressure teams to pull all winter and spring training games from Arizona while this un-American law is in effect.
Officials with the organizations are expected to have a telephonic conference
Tuesday to discuss their letter.
More than 100,000 people from across the country have signed a petition, demanding the All-Star Game be moved.
The petition is part of MoveTheGame.org which was launched last week.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the only Hispanic-American in the Senate, is telling major league baseball players to boycott the All-Star game.
http://blogs.chron.com/immigration/archives/2010/05/post_384.html
Here’s the text of the senator’s letter:
May 10, 2010
Dear Mr. Weiner:
I first want to thank you for taking a public stand and expressing your opposition to Arizona law SB1070. I would also respectfully ask that you and your players consider boycotting the 2011 All-Star Game until SB1070 is repealed or the game is moved to an another location. The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally.
As you and I both know, Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) is truly a multicultural, international sport. In fact, Latinos represent 27 percent of all M.L.B. players and 28 percent of M.L.B. players are foreign born. These players come to the United States legally and should not be subjected to the humiliation and harassment that SB1070 would inflict. Imagine if your players and their families were subjected to interrogation by law enforcement, simply because they look a certain way. Imagine if M.L.B. fans – many of whom are Hispanic – were subjected to that same type of interrogation if they were to attend the All-Star Game. That would truly be an embarrassment and an injustice, not only to M.L.B., but to the values and ideals we hold as Americans.
In every century and generation, immigrants have contributed to the progress, prosperity and vitality of this nation. This law undermines that shared history by promoting discrimination against one group of people. As someone who has and continues to fight for comprehensive immigration reform, I believe the Arizona law is a call to action for reform of our nation’s broken immigration system. However, while I understand the frustration about the failures of our current system, states should not be permitted to enact their own discriminatory immigration laws while the federal government works to reform our laws. The Arizona law is an embarrassment to our country and a call to action to our communities to stand up against injustice.
For these reasons, I ask that you consider boycotting the All-Star Game in Arizona until SB1070 is repealed or the League decides to move the game to an alternate location. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. It is my hope that we can work together now and in the future.