Mesa Ordinance 5609

Mesa Ordinance 5609

ACTION ALERT | PRESS RELEASE

EAST VALLEY NAACP – ARIZONA (1008-B) SUPPORTS MESA NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE NO. 5609; CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS

April 6, 2021

MESA, ARIZONA (April 6, 2021) – On March 1, 2021, after more than 7 years of discussions, the Mesa City Council voted 5-2 to adopt Ordinance No. 5609 “prohibiting discrimination in public accommodation, employment, and housing on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, veteran’s status, marital status, and familial status and establishing penalties for violations thereof.”

The adoption of this non-discrimination ordinance is a victory for Civil Rights. Sadly, for every step forward People of Color make towards equality, there is a “Group Announcing it will
Attempt to Strike Down” our progress. They ignore the fact that “The Supreme Court has made clear that ‘dislike’ or ‘discomfort’ with a group ‘is not a legitimate justification for discrimination,’ and the Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination against one group in order to accommodate the prejudices and discomfort of another” (NAACP Legal Defense Fund – LDF).

The East Valley NAACP – Arizona urges the residents, workers, and visitors of Mesa, and every one with loved ones in Mesa, to ensure Ordinance No. 5609 is codified. Do not allow the voices of bigotry to be louder than the voices of justice.

We urge you to thank Mayor John Giles and Councilmembers Jenn Duff, Francisco Heredia, David Luna, and Julie Spilsbury for agreeing that People of Color living, working, and traveling in Mesa are worthy of protections against discrimination, and condemn votes protecting discrimination cast by Councilmembers Mark Freeman and Kevin Thompson. All Councilmembers’ contact information is available at https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/mayor-council.

The East Valley NAACP – Arizona will continue to work in support of laws and ordinances which will bring our City another step closer to ending all forms of discrimination so that all Americans can enjoy the freedoms and protections guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution.

Thank you,

Kiana. M. Sears, President
East Valley NAACP – Arizona (1008-B)