South East High School Students Take Action
By Vicky Cuellar
News Editor
Arizona law SB1070 has created tension in the Latino community as well as among states, causing students to protest.
“There were a lot of people protesting. The evening protest had many high school students, but the afternoon protest had many parents, workers and even undocumented people. Everyone was pumped up as emotions ran high.” Jerry Guevara, a former student at South East High School, and current student at Cal Poly Pomona added after being asked to describe his experience at the Arizona protest.
On Thursday April 29 students from California State Polytechnic University, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State University Northridge, and UC Irvine, along with other schools and members of CHIRLA (The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles) protested law SB1070 in Phoenix.
Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed Senate Bill 1070, now known as The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The law makes it illegal for undocumented people to reside in the state of Arizona. It also increases both state and local law enforcement of federal immigration laws. This means that if a police officer who, in the course of any law enforcement act, reasonably suspects that a person is undocumented can verify the person’s immigration status with federal government. Furthermore, the law prohibits the sheltering of undocumented people.
This law has not only sparked controversy among the powers of federal and state government, but also among the people of the Unites States. While some see this law as a necessary step to control our nation’s problem with immigration, others see this law as unconstitutional giving the state leeway for racial profiling in the Latino community.
Andrew Buckman, a senior at SEHS, said, “I think that the Arizona law is wrong. I feel it’s against our constitutional rights. It’s unfair to stop anyone based on their race only to [clarify] assumptions [about] their legal status.”
Pablo Aguirre, a senior at SEHS, had different thoughts about the law. Aguirre said, “In a sense I understand what this law is trying accomplish. I personally think it will help reduce [Arizona’s] crime rate. I don’t think people understand what this law is trying to do; police are not just going to stop you because you look Hispanic. What the law means is that officers must have another reason to stop you in the first place before he [or] she can question your immigration status.”
Following the protest at Arizona, the annual May Day protest took place in Los Angeles on Saturday May 1. Irene Reyes, a senior at SEHS, attended the protest and said, “It was a great atmosphere because many people attended the event and were all motivated and dedicated. Many were there with their organizations and many were also there individually. Everyone was chanting and had flyers and posters. It was really motivating to see how serious everyone felt about the march.”
Buckman who supported the protest added, “I think the protest on May 1 was great. If no one takes action for what they believe in then their voices will not be heard.”
