Those in opposition of Arizona SB 1070 have not only been protesting in the streets of Arizona’s capitol, but they are also boycotting Arizona on a national level. On April 20, 2010, Arizona congressman Grijalva called for a boycott against his own state, “There has to be an economic sanction for this. Our economic sanction is: do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea that separate but equal under any law…can be codified” (Kain). Grijalva called for the boycott based on his belief that SB 1070 was written in a specific way to target Mexican people based on their race. Many Americans are scared that the law will target them because of the color of their skin. Though this law does not discriminate against race or target those that commit the illegal activity of being in the United States illegally, it does give law enforcement a tool to further investigate “undocumented” people in a crime or traffic incident- regarless of their skin color.
Cities nationwide have answered Grijalva’s call including, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and many others. These cities have been canceling business meetings, sporting events, and contracts with Arizona cities, as well as the state. That is, unless of course, the contract benefits them. Chicago jumped on the bandwagon to boycott Arizona businesses but their morals were much outweighed by money when they exempted an Arizona red light camera company that they currently hold a contract with. Some of these boycotts are downright hypocritical, but they are holding strong and still in effect today.
Many Americans that were appalled with the boycott have fired back with a buycott in an attempt to counter the economic devastation that is possible from the boycott. A buycott is simple. It supports the businesses targeted by the boycott, which in this case are Cold Stone, Best Western, US Airways, Petsmart, and Uhaul, just to name a few. From anywhere in the nation Americans can support Arizona by spending their money at these businesses instead of competitors. Dr. Gina Loudon, the founder of Buycott Arizona, says businesses in the state have been punished unfairly because of the boycott (Kollipara). Though punishing businesses seems unfair, taking away business is precisely what a boycott aims to do. Boycotters hope that by taking away business from Arizona, they will cripple Arizona’s economy enough that the state will cry “uncle” and repeal the law.
Boycotting has become an extremely effective tool in politics. Those who call for economic boycotts reap the havoc on the target with extreme precision. This has been seen in Arizona with the economic boycott in response to the passing of Arizona SB 1070. However, a new counter strategy, proving to also be effective, is the buycott. Arizona is reaping the benefits of the buying power of those sympathetic to the state’s economic woes as a result of the Arizona SB 1070 boycott. So far there seems to be an economic balance of the two, but the true outcome will be seen July 29, 2010 when the law is enacted.
References:
Kain, E.D. Arizona rep. Raul Grijalva calls for a boycott of Arizona. True/Slant. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://trueslant.com/erikkain/2010/04/20/arizona-rep-raul-grijalva-calls-for-a-boycott-of-arizona/.
Kollipara, Puneet. Ariz. immigration law backers plan to ‘buycott’ to offset boycotts. The Hill. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100449-ariz-immigration-law-backers-plan-buycott-to-offset-boycotts.
Photograph. Flickr from Yahoo. Retrieved on July 17, 2010 from http://images.search.yahoo.com/images.
Photograph. From Teri Codner.
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