Kanye West, Massive Attack, Rage Against The Machine Form Artist Coalition Against Arizona

Politicians may be fighting about Arizona’s fairly new immigration bill (SB1070) in their fancy ties for the cameras but most of us both in and outside of the state fear for the people there who are just trying to live a normal life there. We aren’t the only ones who are concerned.

Although they may be rock stars now, musicians such as Rage Against The Machine, Massive Attack and Kanye West have come together to form an anti-Arizona artist coalition because they too still have some compassion as human beings (even Kanye). According to our buddies over at Consequence of Sound, they are calling themselves The Sound Strike. See who else is involved after the jump.

Other artists who have joined RATM/One Day as a Lion’s Zach Dd la Rocha for The Sound Strike include: Cypress Hill, Juanes, Conor Oberst, Los Tigres del Norte, Cafe Tacvba, Calle 13, Joe Satriani, Serj Tankian, Rise Against, Ozomatli, Sabertooth Tiger, Street Sweeper Social Club, Spank Rock, Sonic Youth and Tenacious D. Michael Moore has also joined this group, however, we don’t find it that surprising.

The website has a statement specifically penned by de la Rocha which goes like this:

Fans of our music, our stories, our films and our words can be pulled over and harassed every day because they are brown or black, or for the way they speak, or for the music they listen to. People who are poor like some of us used to be could be forced to live in a constant state of fear while just doing what they can to find work and survive. This law opens the door for them to be shaked down, or even worse, detained and deported while just trying to travel home from school, from home to work, or when they just roll out with their friends.

Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law (SB 1070) takes it to a whole new low. If other states follow the direction of the Arizona government, we could be headed towards a pre-civil rights era reality. This unjust law was set into motion by the same Arizona government that refused to acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. day as a national holiday.

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, “we’re not going to ride the bus”, saying we are not going to comply. We are not going to play in Arizona. We are going to boycott Arizona?!

Think of family and friends in Arizona who are unfairly penalized by this bill and go over to The Sound Strike’s website where you can sign a petition to encourage President Barack Obama to act a little faster in regards to this injustice.

What do you think of all these musicians teaming up together? Will you be helping them out?