I have found there to be various contradictions in the purpose behind the minutemen/bikers counter-protests during the pruitt's boycott demonstrations. One being the issue of pruitt's importing furniture and playing a part in the decrease in u.s. jobs via the closing down of furniture factories, as detailed here. A couple other issues came to mind when i read the recent Outside Phoenix store, border debate rages on.

According to this article and what i have heard in passing, the mayor of phoenix (or rather, his people) arranged a truce which involved Sal Reza creating a day labor center. Here's the thing; many of the same folks who are supporting sensing, the business-owner who agreed to stop hiring officers to protect his business if reza created a day labor center, are the ones who have been protesting day labor centers! Stacey o'connell and the minuteman civil defense corpse (not a typo!), protested at the day labor center that Sal Reza ran back in 2005, harassing and videotaping the folks, and even trying to get inside the center (see Minutemen Invade Phoenix). The american freedom riders (what an insult to the freedom riders of the 60's- which is why i call them the american freedumb riders), including rusty childress, and possibly members of riders usa, another bike gang who has been counter-protesting, had been protesting a day labor center in cave creek in late 2006.

The Sonoran News, a publication (only online?) that doesn't even pretend to be unbiased, in this article, wrote, "Rusty Childress, co-founder of the AFR, is baffled as to why a church would condone and encourage illegal activity," referring to the day labor center at the church. Funny, he doesn't seem baffled that roger sensing would condone or encourage a day labor center.

Based on this pattern, had Reza been able to start a day labor center to get the workers from the 36th st. and thomas area to gather instead of in front of the businesses, the same people currently supporting pruitt's would've been out there protesting the day labor center, even though pruitt's owner sensing undoubtedly finds that a day labor center would benefit his business (even though i still don't believe that day laborers were actually negatively affecting his business). It is likely that no one will financially support a day labor center because they don't want the minutemen and bikers to protest.

The issue is not, therefore whether this business is being negatively affected by day laborers, but is in fact just another action against undocumented immigrants- and in particular, that the day laborers and their supporters have been expressing power via a boycott that is affecting someone's business. It is the power that has motivated so many to come out to counter-protest.