Guest Blogger Series: Randy Parraz on “California Lessons to Bring Arizona Change It Needs”

Latinovations thanks Randy Parraz for his contribution to La Plaza.  Parts of today’s guest blog originally appeared in the Huffington Post.

California Lessons Will Bring Arizona the Change It Needs

Arizona has been in national headlines lately for all the wrong reasons.  I am sure you are as tired as I am about hearing the negative stories.  A state which gives us majestic natural wonders and a rich and diverse tapestry of Native American culture is now unfortunately becoming better known for being the home of laws that promote racial profiling and ban ethnic studies; a policy that requires the removal of English teachers who speak with heavy accents, and a proposal to deny citizenship to the U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants.

And a state that has long been home to Latino culture is now ground zero in the polarizing debate on immigration reform.  The egregious actions of a few have now become an attack on our community as a whole.  While some of this is new to the front pages and headlines, some of us have been fighting attacks against our community for years now.  Sheriff Arpaio’s flouting the rule of law and misusing his authority is one of the most egregious examples we have in this country right now of an elected official who is abusing his office and not meeting his obligations to the community he vowed to serve.

I learned early on that those in authority should value community service, duty and sacrifice.  My father was a Deputy Sheriff whose lessons and example propelled me to build my professional career organizing individuals and communities to develop solutions to seemingly intractable problems and to hold their leaders accountable.  His service with integrity is a great part of why I became a founding member of Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability to expose the misplaced priorities, abusive practices and ineffective policies of the Sheriff’s Office which was not meeting its obligations to the community.

Unfortunately, the sheriff is not the only elected representative in the state of Arizona who seems to be abandoning his principles and failing to serve the community.  Our governor and senator have shortchanged Arizona and have failed to do their duty and stand up to intolerance, instead allowing one group to be used as scapegoats instead of working to move beyond the rhetoric and find workable solutions to complex policy issues.

What many fail to appreciate, however, is that history is on course to repeat itself.  We only need to look to our neighbor to the West to see that this year is going to be a reprise of the post-Proposition 187 California of nearly a decade and half ago.

In 1994, California was in the midst of an economic crisis, with Governor Pete Wilson, who was running for re-election, blaming the state’s woes on illegal immigration.  Championing the now infamous Proposition 187, which denied social services to undocumented immigrants, he reduced complex issues needing real solutions into scare tactics and half –truth sound bites.  Sound familiar?

The debate over Prop 187 quickly morphed into an attack on all Latinos.  Five months before its passage, the majority of Latinos supported the proposition.  By the time it passed, the vast majority of Latinos opposed it.

The law was ruled unconstitutional, and much to many Republicans’ chagrin, one of the lasting legacies of the Prop 187 battle is the substantial and durable Democratic majority in the nation’s most populous state that came as a result of Latinos feeling demonized and suddenly registering to vote.

For years now, I have been working to organize individuals and communities around issues of justice and fairness.  Much is being written about the Latino electorate being energized as a result of the passage of SB 1070.  I see it every day.  People are saying “Basta!”  They understand that we all have an obligation to speak out, to march, to vote – to make our voices heard and say that we will not allow our Latino community to become an unfair target of such blatant attacks and egregious actions on the part of a few.

A confluence of factors—including the growth in the number of registered Latino voters, the influence of the Tea Party, and anti-incumbent fervor all make this a very interesting year in Arizona and across the country.  In many states, even those without large Latino populations, politicians are attempting to use the issue of immigration to divide communities.

There are so many other issues that our Latino community faces.  While I applaud President Obama’s recent speech where he restated his commitment to passing comprehensive immigration reform, I hope that our elected leaders are able to move beyond the partisan politics to tackle things like job creation, creating a sustainable energy policy and providing a quality public education to our nation’s youth.

The people of Arizona deserve so much more than a tarnished image.  And it will be through the spirit, commitment and action of the Latino community that we can change the tide.

Randy Parraz is a community activist, labor organizers, and co-founder of Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability.  He is using his extensive experience organizing individuals and groups to bring the message of much change to the citizens of Arizona as he campaigns for US Senate.