Matt Bunk//May 27, 2010
Police are preparing for a crowd of between 25,000 and 50,000 people to protest at the Capitol this weekend that could draw the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash and, unfortunately, not Young.
Rumor has it the famous trio of crooners will make an appearance, though it’s not been confirmed. If Neil Young was expected to be here, I would be much more excited, frankly. But even without him, this protest rally is likely to be much larger than the ones that preceded it.
The protests started last month after the Legislature passed S1070, which led to Arizona’s new immigration law, and continued until after Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill. Those initial rallies topped out at a few thousand people, though they attracted a lot of national media attention.
Saturday’s protest, though, will be the first of what likely will be a series of weekend rallies. At least two more protests are scheduled for the following weeks, according to Arizona Capitol Police officials.
In 2006, an estimated 100,000 people marched at the Capitol to show support for the rights of immigrants, so Phoenix is no stranger to large protests. But S1070 changed the tone of the immigration debate, and many police agencies no doubt are preparing for the worst while hoping for a peaceful demonstration like the one four years ago.
