Seattle City Council Unanimously Passes Resolution Boycotting Arizona

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Yesterday in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, the Seattle City Council passed Resolution 31214 on a vote of 7-0 (with 2 councilmembers absent). The resolution calls for a boycott of the State of Arizona in response to the passage of anti-immigrant SB1070, which legalizes racial profiling and dissolves trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. PHOTOS OF THE HEARING

A crowd of 50-60 supporters, including 10 testifiers, thanked the Council for their leadership in rejecting SB1070 and calling for comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken immigration system. The supporters represented nearly 20 organizations of the more than 30 who joined the When Hate Talks, Our Money Walks Campaign, which successfully pushed the City Council and Mayor for a boycott. Among the testifiers were representatives of immigrant rights organizations, labor unions, worker's rights organizations, and other community-based groups.

The number of supporters in the City Council Chambers far outweighed the opponents and the City Council received a standing ovation when they announced the votes and passage was confirmed.

The boycott of Arizona by Seattle has already drawn coverage from around the country, including in the Arizona Replublic, the state's largest newspaper. Seattle joins San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., and many other cities who have announced boycotts of Arizona in response to SB1070.