An Arizona official has threatened to cut off power to the city of Los Angeles following his decision to boycott Arizona economically following the state passed a controversial immigration law.
Gary Pierce, a member of the Arizona energy commission, indicated in a letter that the state was ready to cut off the electricity it supplies to Los Angeles in response to the boycott campaign. According to him, Arizona provides 25% of the Californian city’s electricity.
The elected officials of San Francisco and Los Angeles spoke out last week for the economic boycott of Arizona following the adoption in this state of a law which introduces, according to them, racial profiling.
“If you really want to engage in an economic boycott, I would be happy to encourage Arizona Electric Utilities to renegotiate your electric contracts so that Los Angeles no longer receives electricity generated in Arizona”writes Gary Pierce in a missive addressed to the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.
“I’m sure the Arizona Electric Utility would be happy to stop sending you any more watts”he adds.
The threat did not convince the authorities of the city of cinema. A press release indicates that the mayor is “strongly favorable” to the economic boycott of Arizona and that he will not respond “to the threats of a state that has ostracized itself from America and its values of freedom and civil rights”.
A law adopted on April 23 by Arizona, a state bordering Mexico, allows the police to arrest any foreigner suspected of being an illegal immigrant. Until then, he had to have committed an offence.
(Source AFP)
