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With the increase in the number of protests against the immigration laws of Arizona, the state is losing its reputation.
Critics are urging corporations and organizations from staying away from the state and advising on economic boycott.
Major League Baseball is also being advised to shift its All star game to a different location. The state is expected to withstand the onslaught in the short run but in the long run the impact could be greater. Critics feel that the law will only lead to increased racial profiling of people.
Debbie Johnson, President of the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association had said that three conferences were canceled immediately after the announcement of the law. Meanwhile calls for boycott of the state and the law is coming in from all parts of the country. Some opposers like Chris Coleman, mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota have even planned to write letters to the chairmen of Democratic and Republican national committees urging them not to choose Phoenix as the host city for their 2012 conventions.
The Tucson and Flagstaff city councils voted this week to file lawsuit against the immigration laws in Arizona. Supporters of the law on the other hand are also slowly getting active and are planning to hold rallies to counter any boycott and show support for the law.
Brewer in an editorial in ESPN.com has said that the boycotts and the request to move the All Star to a different location are unfounded. In a interesting revelation it has been seen that a majority of Americans are in favor of the law inspite of believing that the law might lead to more racial profiling.
A CBS/New York Times survey released Tuesday seems to say that an overwhelming majority of the Americans tend to believe that immigration laws of the country need to change. As the calls for boycott keeps the law in the spotlight Brayden King, assistant professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management feels people who were apathetic about the issue could also take a side.
"Even people who wouldn't have cared in the first place are now becoming aware of it and are starting to develop opinions about it. They may have been lukewarm or moderate in the beginning, but they are probably becoming polarized as they become more educated about the issue," he said.
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