“It was probably an ‘illegal’ who shot Congressman Gabby Giffords.”

It was probably an “illegal” who shot Congressman Gabby Giffords.
By DeeDee Garcia Blase

I heard about our Congresswoman Gabby Giffords being shot while getting in line to place my vote into the ballot box at the Maricopa County GOP Meeting we had today. I was in the process of trying to help vote out our “Neanderthal” Chairman – Robert Haney [edit: we later learnt he won again, and he will likely continue to support the anti-immigrant extreme rhetoric we have been enduring]. When we learned of Gabby being shot, I was shocked that the Maricopa County GOP leadership did not stop the meeting to hold a much-needed and important prayer.

While in shock and in disbelief, I heard snickers in the distance and muffled voices asserting that the shooting was probably “done by an illegal.” I was quickly reminded of the deputy who said he was shot in the desert by drug smugglers in the desert and the controversy that surrounded that.

Before submitting our ballots we listened to speeches from some of our elected Republicans in the State of Arizona, ranging from Senator Russell Pearce, to Attorney General Tom Horne, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The main topic of these speeches seemed to be immigration, not our suffering economy with an $800 million budget deficit.

Blaming the immigrants seemed to be the theme at the Maricopa County GOP Meeting.

After submitting my ballot and listening to the disturbing murmur that the shooting was probably “done by an illegal,” I mulled over the idea of leaving the meeting early. A fellow Latina Republican friend of mine, Reverend Eve Nunez, was with me after the announcement of the assassination attempt. I repeatedly told her that I hoped this was not blamed on “illegals” because I just could not stomach those lies anymore.

We both decided to leave the GOP Meeting early because we did not want to hear any more anti-immigrant rhetoric, and because we were disappointed that the GOP leadership did not stop and hold a much-needed prayer for our Congresswoman.

We decided to grab a bite to eat, and the Reverend blessed our food and spoke the prayer my soul was yearning for upon hearing the tragic news. On Facebook we had learned that the media was pronouncing our Congresswoman dead and we were very emotional and upset. Eve spoke “resurrection” over Gabby even though we were told she was dead.

Then I learned it was not a Mexican shooter.

When I learned that it was not an “illegal” or a Hispanic who shot Gabby Giffords, I was relieved. The entire Hispanic community is under extreme strain and anxiety, and we have been under this stress because of Arizona politicians who continue to politicize and demonize the Hispanic population without first doing their due diligence.

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was accurate when he said at his press conference following the shooting: “Arizona I think has become sort of the Capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Dupnik is right, because we believe Arizona is the new Birmingham, Alabama. Governor Jan Brewer is our George Wallace, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Tom Horne, Senator Russell Pearce and John Kavanagh are our Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor as they continue to unleash their 287(g) police dogs. And it is time for Hispanics to start reporting hate crimes and threats to the FBI, and it is time for the FBI to do a thorough investigation on known hate groups and their ties — beginning with the State of Arizona.