But Renteria is Hispanic and Davenport is not. The two women believe that explains why Renteria’s identity and citizenship were scrutinized more closely than Davenport’s following their arrests April 25 on suspicion of blocking Central Avenue during a protest of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 1070.

 

The circumstances of their arrests were identical. Both decided beforehand to get arrested in an act of civil disobedience. Both were sitting on the pavement and refused to move when ordered by the police. And both intentionally carried no form of identification.