San Jose City Council Members and Local Leaders Denounce Arizona's SB 1070

City Councilmember Ash Kalra urging fellow city council members and community organization representatives to take a stance against Arizona's SB 1070.

Several San Jose City Council members together with other elected officials, the San Jose Police Chief and immigrant serving organizations gathered at a press conference on May 7th at the City Hall Plaza. The came together with the purpose to ask community leaders, business owners, clergy and residents to denounce and take a stand against the recent immigration reform law in the State of Arizona called "Support out Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act " or "SB 1070."

This law grants police the power to question citizenship with out probable cause and it makes it a crime to not carry immigration papers. Speakers at the event says it opens the door for racial discrimination and profoundly effects the level of trust between police and immigrant communities.

Councilperson Ash Kalra, urged fellow city council members and representatives from various community organizations to take a position against the Arizona law, given San Jose's ever-growing immigrant communities. The City Council members also mentioned the introduction of a memo which insists that the City of San Jose abstain from establishing new contracts with business's in Arizona, urging San Jose to pass a resolution denouncing the SB 1070 law.