Thanks to the esteemed Sen. Russell Pearce and the other zealots that passed this moronic code, even little guys like BJC PR are suffering the brunt of the recently enacted anti-immigration legislation passed by our vulnerable (and spineless) elected officials. While most of our clients are based in Arizona, we also represent businesses who have a significant interest in the state, but are based in more inclusive societies such as Canada, Georgia, and yes, even California. And now, much to our dismay but I’m sure to the absolute glee of those whom I happily DID NOT elect to office, we now will assuredly NOT be able to add a high-profile client based in Sonora, Mexico to our roster.
Though there were implied threats, did these so-called “leaders” really consider the ramifications of their this action? They say this isn’t about racism, but aren’t these the same legislators that are attempting to pass the ridiculous “birther bill” requiring presidential candidates to prove U.S. citizenship in order to be on the AZ ballot? If this legislation is about status, rather than ethnicity, then every person in the state should be required to prove citizenship, not just those with olive skin. And how is that efficient? Did those who passed this legislation realize that Scottsdale would lose a convention that was worth so much that the group doesn’t even balk at a $92,000 penalty fee? Or that a small business like ours would lose out on a valuable contract? Did they consider the power of the social media movement in this controversy, or that the Mexican government, city of San Francisco, and individual tourists would boycott the state, branding the entire populace as racists?
We are not a political firm, nor have ever represented a political cause or candidate (other than my dad, many years ago, in his doomed effort to become a state legislator). I don’t want to be identified with this effort, however, because I live and work here, by default, I am a part of it. I beg, plea and pray that those who think they are working in our best interests, see the error of their ways and reverse course, hopefully mitigating any more damage.
