Roberto Reveles
Roberto Reveles
By Roberto Reveles | Gold Canyon resident
The statement I made at Saturday’s “No Kings” event at the State Capitol in Phoenix:
At age 92, I’ve lived through all but the first 20 years of Arizona’s statehood. And I want to share with you some landmark events that give hope in today’s challenging environment. Shared from my life experience as the son of Mexican immigrants, and a firm belief in our American Constitution.
A Constitution that empowers us to be here today celebrating our commitment to opportunity and freedom under a democratic constitutional republic. Rejecting the notion that we seek to be ruled by a dictatorial king.
Let’s welcome each other and gain strength from our shared history that together we can and will overcome by loyalty to the rule of law and respect for the dignity of all our fellow Americans.
My message is simple. Recent landmark Arizona events demonstrate that through unified community action we can succeed in the streets, in the courts and at the ballot box.
Success based on exercising our Constitutional rights and our capitalist consumer power.
Success in the streets. In 2006 community activists founded Somos America/We Are America, a unified coalition of Latino-serving groups, in response to extremist anti-immigrant proposals at the federal level, similar to today’s challenge.
Exercising our Constitution’s right to peaceably assemble, Somos America organized the largest march in Arizona history, 250,000 marchers in support of the immigrant community. Without a single arrest or physical conflict. Energized Latino community groups, sons and daughters of migrant workers, Dreamer students, interfaith groups, small business entrepreneurs marchers urged on by shouts of Si Se Puede.
Success in the courts. In 2007, under the banner of Somos America, the community launched a class action lawsuit that found Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty of unconstitutional racial profiling and criminal contempt of the court under both Republican and Democratic sheriffs for failure to comply with mandated reform of a law enforcement system that is estimated will cost taxpayers approximately $352 million by mid-summer 2026.
Success at the ballot box. In 2011, the author of SB1070, Show Me Your Papers, Senate President Russell Pearce was defeated in a recall election by the senator’s own constituents coming together as a bipartisan and interfaith coalition under the banner of “We, Citizens for a Better Arizona.” An election that made national history as the first time a sitting state senate president has been recalled.
Successes made possible by peacefully exercising our constitutional rights and our consumer power of a boycott that cost Arizona’ hospitality and tourism industry over $140 million in canceled meetings and convention business. A boycott that pushed business leaders to demand the legislature to put an end to its flood of anti-immigrant legislation. Activists announced suspension of our boycott so long as the legislature stopped their anti-immigrant proposals. In light of the legislature’s renewed anti-immigrant proposals, some folks suggest perhaps it’s time to consider renewing the boycott.
Other success stories remain to be finalized: the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform.
This is a brief but hopeful history of the power of non-violent actions by committed common Arizonans. Actions based on America’s Constitution that ensures eventual victory to those who peaceably assemble. Don’t let anyone take us off message and divert us from our noble goal of this day.
We’ve demonstrated that we can succeed in the streets, in the courts and at the ballot box. Yes, let’s celebrate the power of unified Arizonans committed to non-violence on this No Kings Day!
