“This grassroots mobilization was organized by Arizona Educators United, Puente Human Rights Movement, Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, No More Deaths Phoenix, Food Not Bombs Phoenix, Sunrise Movement Phoenix, Arizona for Bernie Sanders, Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America, Kochs Off Campus Tucson and their national affiliate UnKoch My Campus, Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, Extinction Rebellion, and Progressive Democrats of America, ProgressNow Arizona, AZ Resist.”
A small group of activists gathered on Wednesday to protest the annual policy summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council in Scottsdale, Arizona. Representatives from at least 10 organizations spoke at two press conferences held throughout the evening event.
The coalition’s attorneys filed suit on Wednesday alleging that legislators have violated Arizona’s open meetings law. They claim that quorums of at least five legislative committees were formed while attending ALEC’s policy summit.
Protesters carried signs that read “ALEC GO HOME,” “LEGISLATORS SOLD HERE,” and “RED FOR ED.” People joined together to chant “When public education is under attack, what do we do? STAND UP FIGHT BACK” and “Immigrants are welcome here.”
“We demand that our state legislators, like Karen Fann and Rusty Bowers, JD Mesnard and John Allen, cancel their membership with ALEC, and we call on Arizona voters to vote out all legislators who refuse to do so,” said Katie Nash, a public school teacher and organizer with Arizona Educators United.
“The Koch donor network is behind ALEC and the policies so many of these community groups are organizing against,” said Samantha Parsons, Campaigns Director with UnKoch My Campus.