We the People Rising, a group based in California, is demanding that Arizona state Sen. Ricardo Lara remove a cartoon from his office that the group says implies anyone against illegal immigration is racist.

We the People Rising is "a grassroots, all-volunteer nationwide network seeking to influence -- via activism -- institutions of political corruption: the federal government -- as well as state and municipalities -- and the corporations and employers that hire and exploit illegal aliens," according to its website. The organization told Fox News Latino that it is open to all interested in immigration and has more than 500 members.

The group first noticed the cartoon this summer while visiting the Long Beach Democratic state senator's office. It features a sign that says, "Velcome to Arizona," wit words added to it, "If You're Brown Leave Town." Police officers in the comic point guns at a car and say, "Stoppen yer auto," "Achtung! Ve want to see your papers!" and "I'm dying for some schnitzel." A man with an "AZ Lawmaker" sash says, "Carry on, my good little soldiers."

In an interview with Long Beach Press Telegram, Wes Parker, a We the People Rising member, said the cartoon implies that "anybody who is against illegal immigration is a racist."

"Had this been a white senator and minorities were complaining, I think the wall hanging would have been removed at the first complaint and never been put up again," Robin Hvidston, We the People Rising executive director, told FNL. "Honestly, I think a white senator wouldn't even dare to take this action."

During their visit, members of We the People Rising took down the controversial cartoon and told staff members their opinion. They have since been told, however, that the cartoon is back on Sen. Lara's wall.

Now, the group is demanding an apology and for the City Council to ensure the cartoon is never hung on the wall again.

"What are you doing with this cartoon in a taxpayer funded senator's office presenting an inappropriate, divisive, negative depiction of law officers?" Hvidston said. "It's a cartoon. That's freedom of speech. We think it's inappropriate for it to be in the senator's reception area in his foyer."

In a statement, Lara said he got the piece while receiving the Legislator of the Year Award at an ACLU of Southern California event.

"The satirical piece depicts Arizona's well-known discriminatory, anti-immigrant and anti-Latino attitudes in recent history," he said. "The Republican Tea Partiers who visited my district office, many from outside of my district, also enjoyed my personal collection of LGBT and Cambodian art, as well as Latin American art. ... The art piece will remain on the wall and my district office will continue to welcome all constituents, even those belonging to groups like the Tea Party."

Check out the cartoon in We the People Rising's video below:


Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.
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