Protesters say Arizona Diamondbacks owner supports tougher immigration law
Human rights advocates gathered outside Chase Field on Saturday to protest the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks for his apparent support of legislators who have advanced stricter immigration enforcement.
Barrio Defense Committees, led by Phoenix-based advocate Salvador Reza, and a group of about 10 protesters were adjacent to Chase Field's west side to accuse Ken Kendrick's wife of helping in 2018 to fund an immigration enforcement bill, House Concurrent Resolution 2060, which could go before Arizona voters this November.
"They're giving money to the people who want to deport us, that's why we're here today," said Reza, citing a $5,000 donation by Kendrick's wife, Randy, to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen.
Warren could have stopped the bill with his seniority position, according to Reza.
The group said if the Republican-controlled Legislature had passed its own border enforcement bill, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs likely would have vetoed it.
Hobbs had previously vetoed Republican-backed Senate Bill 1231, labeled the "Arizona Border Invasion Act," which would have allowed similar immigration enforcement.
Reza said HCR 2060 could affect anyone in Arizona, giving any law enforcement agency in the state the ability to deport someone.
"They're basically making every police here in Arizona into the Border Patrol," Reza said.
Reza said Kendrick previously donated to legislators such as Russell Pearce in 2010 to support the progress of the immigration enforcement law known as SB 1070.
"We saw this movie before, this is like the sequel," Reza said.
Protesters call for busy Saturday baseball crowd to protest against DBacks
Between chants like "Boycott DBacks, boycott hate," and "These racist laws have to go," protesters gave short blurbs of information explaining Kendrick's apparent association with the immigration bill.
"By contributing to the DBacks, you are contributing to hate," said one of the protesters.
The protesters' message spread out as hundreds of Diamondbacks fans passed through the streets, with the megaphoned chants amplifying through Chase Field's west side entrances.
"A lot of the people that come to the Diamondbacks games are Mexicans, Cubans, whatever ... we're here to remind him (Kendrick)," Reza said.
Last week, Barrio Defense Committees reported that a protest on May 18 outside Chase Field ended when the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and DBacks security threatened to arrest protesters for trespassing.
Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez confirmed about 12 protesters were asked to cross the street and leave the right of way outside Chase Field, but that no arrests were made, and the protest continued peacefully.
While the protesters were not confronted by law enforcement on Saturday, Valley Metro security guards told protesters they could not stand in front of ticket machines located on the Third Street/Jefferson Street station platform but were allowed to stay at the location otherwise.
If Kendrick responded to the protesters' claims, Reza said he hoped the Diamondbacks owner would lobby politicians to not support the bill.
Pamphlets were distributed explaining HCR 2060's potential to deport immigrants and alleging that Kendrick benefited from the Sheriff's Office enforcement, a situation further exacerbated by $9.8 million approved for the team by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
"We're ready to go, we're ready to fight at every level, the streets, the electoral, the legislative, we'll do it again just like last time," said Reza as his fellow protesters let out unrelenting chants.
Reza said he and Barrio Defense Committees planned to start a national boycott against Arizona for the creation of bills like HCR 2060.
Advancing: Arizona GOP wants voters to weigh in on immigration. The plan is now one step closer to the ballot
The corporate offices of the Diamondbacks did not respond to a request for comment on Barrio Defense Committees' allegations.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Protesters: Arizona Diamondbacks owner wants tougher immigration law
