Now being redrafted to include a punitive measure fee of $25,000,000

 

Mr. Eddie Basha, Chairman, Bashas (owner of Food City stores)

 

June 28, 2007

 

Dear Mr. Basha:

 

We have heard your store advertise on radio station 550 KFYI.

As you are aware, Food City is where Arizona Hispanics buy food and other store merchandize.

The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention supporting anti-migrant conservative talk radio hosted by J.D. Hayworth and others degrades Hispanic consumers who make up nearly 99% of your shopping clientele at Food City stores located throughout Arizona. On a typical day at the Food City #104 located at 3202 East Greenway Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 99.8% of consumers were Hispanic.

Hispanics are known for spending a greater percent of their disposable income on food as compared to non Hispanics and it this revenue Food City partially uses to buy radio space at KFYI for Bashas.

This is a slap in the face at the Hispanic community.

What is particularly disappointing it is we who bring this to your attention to stop the support of anti Hispanic rhetoric on conservative talk radio. You should have known better for you claim to be a friend to the Hispanic community but it is evident you talk out of both sides of your mouth.

It is seen by the entire Hispanic community this is a contradiction by claiming you are a friend of the Hispanic Community and the very same time you are financially supporting conservative anti-migrant conservative talk radio that daily attacks the Hispanic community.

We begin by singling out Bashas to issue an apology to the Hispanic community for supporting anti-migrant Hispanic sentiments on conservative talk radio. We further require Bashas publicly issue a statement Bashas will no longer purchase radio talk advertisements at KFYI or any other similar radio station.

If Bashas does not issue an apology to the Hispanic community for supporting anti-migrant Hispanic sentiment and Bashas continues to purchase radio talk advertisements at KFYI or any other similar radio station, a boycott will ensue of all Food City stores and other Hispanic grocery stores will be recommended as part of moral purchasing for Hispanic consumers.

We also require a full page advertisement in the Sunday Arizona Republic apologizing to the Hispanic community for using conservative anti-migrant talk radio to promote and market any Basha company or program. The full page advertisement must include an apology to Hispanic News and Immigrantes sin Fronteras from Bashas for supporting anti-migrant rhetoric and sentiments on KFYI and a pledge never to support any other similar venue.

A boycott promoted by us is part of our moral purchasing. We can not support any entity that degrades our patronage.

If the conditions are not agreed to and taken, Hispanic News and Immigrantes Sin Fronteras will begin a state wide boycott of Food City stores. We will single out one store each weekend and march in the front of the store to request Hispanics not enter the store.

Should we ensue the boycott, we will not end the boycott until all conditions are met and the longer the boycott ensues, the more conditions we will impose.

It will behoove you to honor our requests. If you think you can obtain support from other Hispanics or from other Hispanic organizations, only a fool would come to your rescue. The Hispanic community speaks with one voice on deploring anti-migrant rhetoric coming from conservative talk radio and KFYI's J.D. Hayworth lost his reelection bid because he was seen as Hispanic anti-migrant and a hate monger. To associate with the likes of him makes you a pea in the same pod.

Maricopa County, Ariz., gained 696,000 residents between 2000 and 2006, the largest numerical increase of the nation’s 3,141 counties, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This increase surpasses the total population of all but 15 U.S. cities. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has 3.8 million residents, making it the nation’s fourth largest county.

Hispanics have long memories. The latest numbers for Maricopa County, Arizona according to the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,635,528 residents of which 1,055,573 are Hispanics. It is this group of residents which is fueling the growth of Maricopa County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the year 2097, 50% of the entire population of the United States will be Hispanic. Here in Arizona, growth is presently 1% per year and accelerating. Within the next 10 years, Hispanics will make up the majority of Maricopa County.

Any savvy entrepreneur would recognize this is the population with the greatest purchasing power of food and other grocery store merchandize. It would be penny wise and pound foolish to loose this market to Ranch Market or another grocer.

Lastly, you should be ashamed of yourself for aligning yourself with the likes of J.D. Hayworth.

Jon Garrido, Hispanic News, Ayuda USA

Jon@JonGarrido.com