We feel that the presence of these council members on the side of the SBNP and its anti-immigrant allies points up their long history of discriminatory policies and practices towards our community. Both Hotchkiss and Francisco have supported racial profiling in Santa Barbara and have been openly dismissive of Latino concerns during city council meetings.
Those who support the SBNP's use of hate speech for undocumented Latino workers are acting with a complete lack of regard for the people of Santa Barbara, a city that prides itself on its rich Mexican heritage and seeks to capitalize on its ethnic diversity. We at PODER feel that race-baiting tactics of the Santa Barbara News-Press are divisive, irresponsible, and ultimately unacceptable.
For these reasons, PODER is calling for a general boycott of the Santa Barbara News-Press and urges businesses and community organizations to pull their advertising from its pages until the paper complies with accepted AP-reporting standards on the issue of immigration and Latino affairs. PODER believes that hate speech masquerading as free speech must be accountable to the citizens and that fair and ethical standards of journalism should prevail in our news media.
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