澳彩开奖

Marchers from across the country will descend on Montgomery, Ala., today to rally at the state Capitol. It鈥檚 the culmination of a march that began in Selma days earlier, retracing the steps of the historic 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

Like the courageous civil rights activists of nearly a half century ago, the marchers will be calling attention to the ugliness of racial intolerance. When they arrive at the Capitol, they鈥檒l be urging Alabama lawmakers to recognize the basic human dignity of all people 鈥� by repealing the .

The modern-day segregationist policy of HB 56 is rolling back some of our most important civil rights achievements and is returning Alabama to its dark past of racial hatred and division.

As they promised, the law鈥檚 proponents have made life a nightmare for immigrants and all Latinos across the state. Every day we see firsthand the chaos and devastation this unconstitutional law has created.

Immigrants have been forced to live without running water for more than a month at a time, refused emergency medical care and even denied the wages they earned. One day laborer told the 澳彩开奖 that her boss pulled a gun on her after she asked for her pay.

This law has emboldened hateful anti-immigrant sentiment and unleashed a brand of vigilantism, leading some Alabamians to believe they can cheat, harass and intimidate Latinos with impunity. It can be seen in the stories Latinos shared in the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 recent report, Alabama's Shame: HB 56 and the War on Immigrants. Lawmakers can repeat it all they want, but the mantra of 鈥渋f you鈥檙e legal, you don鈥檛 have anything to worry about鈥� simply doesn鈥檛 ring true.

Tell Carmen Gonzalez of Foley that she doesn鈥檛 have anything to worry about. Gonzalez discovered a note in her vehicle鈥檚 floorboard telling her to 鈥淕o Back to Mexico.鈥� Someone dropped it in the vehicle, apparently after noticing she had left a window cracked. Carmen is a Latina. She鈥檚 also a U.S. citizen.

Tell Enrique Corral that he doesn鈥檛 have anything to worry about. A cashier in suburban Birmingham singled him out to provide an 鈥淎merican ID鈥� for a simple purchase. When the cashier didn鈥檛 ask the woman behind him for an 鈥淎merican ID,鈥� the cashier told Corral that was because she could tell the woman was American. Corral is Latino. He鈥檚 also American 鈥� a U.S. citizen, born and raised in Texas.

These consequences were easily foreseeable.

This law was forged within a legislative debate , misinformation, incendiary rhetoric and bigotry. The Senate sponsor, Sen. Scott Beason, told supporters at a public meeting that they needed to 鈥渆mpty the clip鈥� to 鈥渄eal鈥� with immigrants. The House sponsor, Rep. Micky Hammon, routinely conflated 鈥淟atino鈥� with 鈥渋llegal immigrant.鈥�

If the law鈥檚 key sponsor , lawmakers shouldn鈥檛 be shocked when other Alabamians don鈥檛 either. And they shouldn鈥檛 be surprised that after lawmakers spewed anti-immigrant rhetoric in the House and Senate, some residents see HB 56 as a license to harass and discriminate against Latinos or people they perceive to be undocumented immigrants.

But it鈥檚 not just Latinos who are feeling the pain.

Alabama鈥檚 farmers are hurting too. Last year, they watched crops rot in the fields. Many farmworkers, regardless of the immigration status, fled the state rather than live under a cloud of suspicion. Farmers are beginning to plant crops for this year, not knowing whether they'll have the workers to tend and harvest them.

Alabama鈥檚 economy is also at risk. One recent study shows the state and its communities stand to lose tens of thousands of jobs, billions in economic activity each year and as much as $1 million each day in needed tax revenues.

Earlier this month, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine canceled a conference in Mobile, saying the law threatens the personal sense of safety and security of its members 鈥� especially its Latino members. That cancellation is expected to cost the city up to $700,000 in economic activity. It has cost Alabama 鈥� a state that has prospered by attracting international companies 鈥� much more in terms of its image.

The 澳彩开奖 is We鈥檝e succeeded in getting portions of this law blocked. Yesterday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta temporarily blocked additional portions of the law. But other provisions of HB 56 remain intact. We still have a long fight ahead of us.

State lawmakers cannot sit back and wait for the courts. This law has created a crisis that harkens back to the bleakest days of Alabama鈥檚 racial history while threatening its future.

There must be meaningful change, because as long as HB 56 stands, it is a stain on Alabama.

Just like the trailblazers of the 1960s civil right movement, many brave people are standing against segregationist policies like HB 56. Instead of repeating the past and remaining staunchly on the wrong side of history, Alabama lawmakers should also take a stand for good. They should put an end to the humanitarian crisis by repealing HB 56.