Every time I start to think that race relations in this country are getting better, I just remind myself that Arizona exists. I’m not sure why or how, but every time there is some sort of race-based stand to take in this great nation of ours, Arizona ALWAYS makes it a point to be the sacrificial lamb. I’d like to blame the Arizona government and not the people, but the people elected the government officials who sign such f*ckery as the two most recent pieces of legislation into law. Jan Brewer, I’m looking at you, you racist f*ck you.
Seriously, if I didn’t know any better, I’d SWEAR Arizona really doesn’t f*ck with Hispanics, like at all. Ironic considering the sizable Hispanic population IN ARIZONA.
In the past month, Arizona has signed into state law both SB 1070 (basically giving the authorities carte blanche to profile those individuals for which a reasonable suspicion lies on their immigration status) and the law banning ethnic studies from a Tucson school district because of the possibility of those classes causing animosity towards white people and promoting ethnic solidarity. AND let us not forget the Arizona Department of Education has banned teachers with what can be deemed an accent from teaching English.
Just in case I’m not clear and don’t remember to state this later: f*ck Arizona.
Let’s start with SB 1070, a bill that’s caused a firestorm throughout the nation. A lot of people are all for it. But most municipalities in Arizona are dead set against it. Why? Because it encourages profiling. While everybody engages in a little playful racial profiling from time to time (who do YOU expect to cut your grass?) the police, generally an uneducated individual with power and control issues, are now given the right to request anbody’s immigration status. So you can just be walking down the street, whistling some mariachi music, and the police can suspect that you might not have your papers. At which point they can search you and deport you – if you don’t have your papers. Look, I have a problem with illegal immigration too. Maybe it’s the term illegal that throws me for a loop. If you’re illegal, you’re illegal. But profiling the cholos is just a gateway to profiling EVERYBODY. It opens the door for harassment under the guise of ensuring that no crimes are committed. I have a problem with the civil liberties of Americans being violated to appeal to the conservative base of a party that’s struggling for an identity. White people are okay with this until it happens to them. Lucky for them it won’t. But Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike Juan, Pablo, Miguel and Maria, you’d better watch you back.
Then we have the ethnic studies f*ckfest inTucson. So let me get this right, you don’t want to teach classes like Mexican Studies, or African American studies, etc because they preach ethnic solidarity and breed animosity towards white people. Yet, you are going to require all Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc students to continue to learn European history (basically a white solidarity class) which teaches ALL OF US that European history is the only relevant history we need to know. Oh, and I’m guessing they’ll gloss over slavery, internment camps. the Mexican-American war and Thanksgiving, in order to make sure that no ethnic kids get pissed at white people. So kids of color can’t learn about their history but its TOTALLY okay to learn about European history, a history that largely relegated most folks of color to random footnotes, Pocohantas, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. I watched a video of Tom Horne, the state schools chief, trying his best to convince somebody that ethnic studies was detrimental and preached separation, whereas American History was all the rage. I hate him by the way.
And let’s not even really get onto the “heavy accent” thing. I went to school down South. Like, for real. Half of my teachers could barely speak English and they were teaching everything from English to Trigonometry. I guess really bad Americanized English accents are okay, but Hispanics with accents teaching English is totally out.
Straight up, the government of Arizona puzzles me. Why go SO far to make a stand against a people that comprise such a sizable portion of your state. I understand appealing to your base but damn. I used to think Texas had everything backwards but clearly Arizona is the state that needs be dropped from the union.
For a change, this doesn’t have much to do with Black people but still, racist policies are racist policies, but I wonder: should we even be surprised that any state has gone to such blatant and f*cked up means of showing overt racism? Is anybody shocked by this or is this just more of the same?
Is anybody else ready to move to Arizona with me?????
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL, HE A 3
This is the one issue that makes me realize, beyond a reasonable doubt, that white people are PISSED about Obama.
Why else would something like this be allowed to pass AND not repealed by the people (cause we have that power you know)?
I haven’t figured out what conspiracy this is a part of yet, but once I figure it out, I’ll share it. . .
“I haven’t figured out what conspiracy this is a part of yet, but once I figure it out, I’ll share it. . .”
Jim Jones.
@GoldinPhoenix – at least various members of local gov’ts and national orgs are challenging the law’s constitutionality. But you know why? Bc it stands to possibly infringe on the rights of Americans. if it’s one thing that white folks don’t f*ck with, its folks infringing on their rights. Piss off enough white people and you’ll get change…good or bad.
Yeah this is craziness and the more people I talk to the more I realize that I am definitely not the only one who thinks Arizona is sniffing that white stuff….How did these laws seriously get passed? Like where was the opposition, where is Obama…Arizona is going to look like Detroit in the 60′s if something isn’t done soon…like yesterday type soon.
I’m sure these particular white people would’ve tried this nonsense even before Obama…they probably just didn’t have an opportunity til recently.
European history? Really? American History uplifts while Black and Hispanic history seperates? I am from Oklahoma and were not even that damn backwards. That is just racist period!
How is it legal to search a random person anyway?
True… like how dey know you not visiting! Douches
It’s not legal to just do a random search without probable cause.
However, in this case of SB 1070, the probable causes would be an officer of the law encountering an individual who SEEMS to be of Hispanic decent, and, one who appears to be here illegally.
Now, the law is to be free of ambiguities for a reason. If police officers are simply stopping people based on their own personal judgements and not solidified and concrete laws and facts (for instance, using judgement to stop someone of suspicion of a DUI is has tangible scenarios allows officers to make sound decisions void of personal and biased discrimination), then the opportunity for abuse of power, and abuse of the people that should be protected, are almost guaranteed.
@Pe. Riche – that’s absolutely right. there’s too much wiggle room in the law. You’re putting the decision making responsibilities in the hands of people who don’t know how to interpret the law themselves. It turns into a rope up now and figure it out later scenario.
“one who appears to be here illegally”
How do you appear to be illegal? Are they hopping from bush to bush? Scaling walls between homes? Peeking behind trees? That’s the most retarded requirement/indicator to stop someone I’ve heard of. Even the KKK is scratching their heads about that one.
Actually, it would have to be “lawful contact” by the officer with the person. And as you stated, unlawful search and seizure is just that….unlawful.
So the officer would have to encounter and make this “lawful contact” via legit cause….like a traffic violation.
Similar to the traffic sweeps done by Sheriff Joe Arpaio (maricopa county sheriff). The police cannot just run up on any person who looks Hispanic and demand proof of citizenship without legal cause.
I do agree however, that the law has alot of ambiguity and cause for concern. I do not agree with the law, but I do understand the frustration of arizonans when it comes to the failure of the Federal gov’t to secure the arizona/mexican border.
Phoenix is a city that has become the kidnapping capital of the WORLD outside of Mexico City because of coyotes kidnapping and transporting people to & fro Arizona and Mexico. There are drop houses all over the place and it’s out of control.
I never thought I’d be almost on the side of a bunch of red-neck cowboys, but the border issue is a problem….a FEDERAL GOV’T problem by their own declaration a “national security issue.” If that’s the case then step the hell up and do something about it. Because other states are already working on laws that mirror AZ-1070(b) and that’s not good news for anyone.
@Copelli21 I think you are right on most of what you say but there are a few things missing. First, lawful contact did not initially mean that it had to be related to a stop for some other offense. They later amended the law to add that some other reason beyond ethnicity or appearance had to be present. The problem is that there are so many obscure laws that would allow for a pre-textual stop that cops will still be free to stop someone who “looks” suspicious and pin it on some arcane law. This addendum will do little to curtail the racial profiling, in my opinion.
Secondly, while the proponents of this law have detailed crime as an exigency necessitating this law “NOW”. The fact is crime especially violent crime in Arizona (and honestly in all southern border states) has decreased precipitously. In fact a quick Google search shows that crime in AZ was at its lowest levels (save kidnapping which is almost always illegal v illegal) since the early 2000′s. So that argument they make dreally doesn’t hold up.
I actually think this is more political and more insidious than we are really discussing. This bill isn’t about 4th amendment rights v states rights. It is about suppressing the Mexican voters! The Governor and Srarh Palin are shrieking about the lack of effort by the Federal Govt (Obama Administration) when in reality Obama has increased resources and funding for that region by 20% over Bush (where was this law then?) deportations especially of violent illegal immigrants was at a record level in 2009 (and that’s with less people attempting to enter the US due to our economy). In essence this administration has DONE more to curtail illegal immigration than BUSH I, BUSH II, Clinton, and the Great Emancipator (Reagan) yet he gets blamed for doing nothing lol. I think you see where I am taking this argument. Being a black man who has lived in Tucson and Phoenix for over 20 years. This billisn’t designed to stop the flow of immigrants, its designed to intimidate legal voters from attempting to vote. In my opinion.
Meh.
Snowboarding in Flagstaff was fun as hell.
Arizona is run by a bunch of moist *ss ninjas.
But with such a sizable hispanic population why did it pass?
Anyway I am totally with you on the ratchetness of arizona. I just don’t even understand
Like yall for real with that?
And I’m equally as mad at all the “bout time they on someone else” black folks that don’t realize
That this shyt will eventually effect us 1 and 2 knowing first hand how it feels why would you take
Pleasure in someone else having to deal with it.
Can we force a state to secede?
Can we force a state to secede?
That is so funny!
@shay-d-lady @Sula
Easy on the secession talk ladies. Some of my fellow 2520 South Carolinians might hear you and try it again.
That this shyt will eventually effect us
exactly!!! ALL ppl of color should care. ethnic genocide and apartheid did/do not happen over night!!!! it happens with ppl’s right slowly and systematically being taken away.
and i for one am very happy that i know many colored (lol) ppl and organizations who are taken an active stand in economically boycotting the state of Arizona.
As an educator, I go the extra mile to give our kids some knowledge about their history. No matter what, I’ll find some way to work Black History into the lesson. Yall would be absolutely amazed at how much these children do not know! From black pop culture on down to politics, these churren are clueless sometimes!
I almost shat my pants last semester when a group of my students didn’t know who Sojourner Truth was! I promptly carried my self to the Afrocentric book store and scooped up her autobiography *$5 a pop* and had them girls start learning the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech pronto!
I blame BET & their parents. Running around calling themselves harajuki barbies and sheet. Hmmph, chile please!As an educator, I go the extra mile to give our kids some knowledge about their history.
I co-sign this. I am an educator as well. This is very important.
I doubly concur. I teach at an all-Black, all-boys school, and sometimes what these kids don’t know about their own past is cotdamn shameful…
And I do blame BET. Whilst chaperoning a class trip to a taping of 106th and Park (don’t ask), I was actually mandated by audience security to put away my book.
…now ain’t that a bish.
And I do blame BET. Whilst chaperoning a class trip to a taping of 106th and Park (don’t ask), I was actually mandated by audience security to put away my book.
Well d*amn. Just. D*mn.
Wow. That is all.
I blame BET & their parents. Running around calling themselves harajuki barbies and sheet. Hmmph, chile please!
and
I almost shat my pants last semester when a group of my students didn’t know who Sojourner Truth was!
The youth of today are so lost…smh
My degree MA is in Latino/African American Studies (I know you’re thinking the same thing my family did, and yes I could have stdied my family for free instead of going to school) and am now working on my PhD in the same. I say this to say that in oth of my programs I am the only person of color. Everyone else is white and do you know what their future aspirations are? Well I’ll tell you. To work for federal agencies such as the FBI to make life unberable for people of color… on some J.E. Hoover type stuff. But you know what, my issue isn’t so much with these educated nuts, but rather with people of color who don’t take the opportunity to infiltrate programs like these. Shoot, they’re attending our HBCUs now on “minority scholarships.” My other issue is that people of color have this idea about “my suffering trumps your suffering.” Give me a break! We’re all in this together, racial profiling is racial profiling. And ethnic studies is ethnic studies. You think it won’t happen in your state/city/town? Search to see what PAC contributions your legislator received, and then we’ll talk, because money talks, which could lead to the passage of such laws in your neck of the woods.
The power lies in “ethnic people” (I hate that term… don’t we all represent an ethnicity?) coming together to form coalitions based upon similar experiances. This is the time for us to stand “juntos” (“together” for the non Spanish speakers). Chico Pepe Ramon De la Garza y Mendoza and Uncle Rukus have the same DNA and face the same issues, and no Chico is not taking Uncle Rukus’ job because Unc didn’t want to work in the Tyson chicken plant no way (“uppity arse negro”).
My other issue is that people of color have this idea about “my suffering trumps your suffering.” Give me a break! We’re all in this together, racial profiling is racial profiling.
This is why I hate the notion of “Asians as the model minority.” It puts us at odds with other people of color and sh*t.
“My other issue is that people of color have this idea about “my suffering trumps your suffering.” ”
I hate this ish too. And this goes for ANY oppressed group that does this. It’s the Oppression Olympics (term swiped from Sister T) and it’s bullsh*t. To me, it’s just another way to divide and conquer minorities or any oppressed group. Because Jeebus forbid, we all gather together, a lot of this B.S. we’re dealing with would cease to exist.
@Cheekie, i think its intentional actually. white people are slowly becoming the minority so they have to find ways to keep mental power. if you pit groups against one another, even without numbers as long as you control information and sh*t (American History, etc) then you are still in charge.
@Panama: this is one of the weaker ways they are trying to achieve this. smdh. Here’s a link that I hope publishes in my comment http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2010/05/study_white_and.php
I KNOW it’s intentional, Panda!
Oppression Olympics (term swiped from Sister T)
i actually prefer the term “olympics of suffering” swiped from Michael Scott of Dunder Mifflin.
Oh I see you PJack, tryna throw my state under the bus…lmao What’s so sad is some legislative kat is tryna get Texas to adopt a similar bill. SERIOUSLY? Leave that effed up isht in AZ. My city (austin) did boycott the whole state. City employees aren’t allowed to travel to or do any business with Arizona. Now there are other Texas cities boycotting us…hilarious.
Cosign T-lee
I used to think Texas had everything backwards but clearly Arizona is the state that needs be dropped from the union.
@Panama – I take offense to that.. but real talk?? With all the illegal hispanics and latinos in my great state I thought Tx WOULD be the first to pull what I dubbed the racist “Zona NO Corona”. *shrugs* Guess AZ beat us to it.
lol @ “zona no corona”
With Texas not having an income tax and relying moreso on sales taxes, I don’t think Texas will go the AZ route as easily. Yeah the ill-informed native racists will encourage and promote going in a similar direction, but knowing that the state needs money for budgets and sh*t, and knowing that even illegals pay sales taxes, I doubt we’ll see legislators on that bandwagon anytime soon…then again, these fools are full of surprises.
My city (austin) did boycott the whole state.
That’s why I heart Austin…
And please, them west texas cities can boycott you all day long, they ain’t got sh!t!!!
@miss t-lee, I didn’t mean to throw your state under the bus…lol…but errum, i’m just saying.
I agree with your eloquent post (great post by the way). I am in full boycott of Arizona. Since they didn’t want to have a King holiday they have been suspect for some time. So, to answer your question I am not suprised. I am not surprised John McCain’s state did this. I am however saddened (the state of affairs is sad and pitiful, but not at all weakened in sadness) and disappointed. I think I read something which stated that Bishop Desmond Tutu commented that this is how apartheid and wide sweeping descriminatory practices begin. I don’t doubt that one bit.
The hypocrisy is just beyond belief since that land was Native American Lands and Mexico anyway (zona arida =desert zone, thus Arizona). However, I think an interesting thing may occur. It points out that things are NOT equal since President Obama was elected (Some fools were actually touting that everything was hunky dory.) and it will bite Republicans in the butt later. Republicans enjoy support from people of Latin origin…Mexico, Cuba, etc. When the Republicans turn their back on such a huge and vital support base it’s going to adversely effect them (that’s what they get!). Besides it being foul and wrong, they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Another point I want to bring up is a good deal of illegal immigrants are European, but no one is thinking of asking for their papers.
This is a reminder for people not be complacent. Plus, for me, Arizona was only half-way cool because of the influence of people of color. ‘Ish is raggedy without Mexican and Native people, culture and influence.
@legitimate soul, I love how they like to forget that there are European illegal immigrants. It’s only the brown folks that are illegal right? LoL
@miss t-lee Exactly! But because they have white skin no one’s looking right? Or they’re turning their heads because their fellow white person feels as though they have entitlement. They see a black person: they’re reminded that they don’t want us here but can’t do nothin about it since most of us didn’t ask to be here. They see a brown peson and tell them to go back to where they came from even if they’ve been here for generations like the rest of us. I’m so disgusted with this! Black women have the highest abortion rates in America. There’s a real reason why there are so many abortion clinics in poor areas. If this weren’t the case we’d be a much more dominant race not so much of a “minority”. I’m about to grab up Tyrese real quick so we can make some babies and bring our census back up and let these fools know we ain’t goin nowhere, before they try to kick our black *asses out next.
girl, YES.
I am sure that the police are going to stop all the people from Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Russia, Romania, former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia) who also could be here illegally? Oh wait….no probable cause.
The MLB better move that all-star game.
I love how they like to forget that there are European illegal immigrants. It’s only the brown folks that are illegal right? LoL
girl didn’t you know?? only BROWN illegals come with drugs and crime. duh!
The hypocrisy is just beyond belief since that land was Native American Lands and Mexico anyway
OOOO you nailed it. I was having this same convo with my sister about this. ALL OF US are illegal immigrants. The only people who can truly claim America as their land are the Native Americans. I’m so pissed at Arizona. Who do they think they are thinking that they can go around saying ” you look like an immigrant with yo tan self so Go Home Jose Carlos Manuel!” Meanwhile Anastasia, Svetlana, and Joachim flies right under the radar cuz of their blue eyes and blond hair. Glory to white privilege.
This is sounding very Nazi-like to me “anything that appears Jewish” is now “anything that appears Hispanics”
Fricking ridiculous. I guess this is part of the NWO huh.
I’m so P.O.ed about this. Le sigh
what do you expect? US government has criminalized
–black people (lynching, police harassment and brutality)
–kids of color (curfews, gang bills)
–homeless (anti-loitering laws)
it makes sense that immigrants are next. this is why we all need to be out there protesting and boycotting and calling representatives. just like the poem says, by the time they come for you (if they haven’t already), there will be no one left to speak up!
great points
By The Time I Get To Arizona
they’ll have thrown my Black ass in jail.LOL
Phoenix Police Chief, Jack Harris had this to say about this SB 1070: “When you get a law that leads a state down this path, where the enforcement is targeted to a particular segment of the population, it’s very difficult not to profile. It takes officers away from doing what our main core mission is, and that is to make our community safe,”.
I agree with him and I’m not quite understanding how this state is cool with telling these officer’s to profile based on race alone…
Wonder how this lawsuit that some of the policeman have filed will turn out?
Is anybody else ready to move to Arizona with me?????
Un uhn, Panama. I can’t… I gotta wash my hair.
This is really sad. What laws are they gonna come up with to try to oppress us black people again? I really don’t know what to say but this is just really sad. Who’s to say that this isn’t a black issue? Suddenly I wanna whoop McCain’s old half dead *ss, I know he got somethin to do with this. I wish I knew what to say but if I start I’m going to get so mad because like you said Panama this is opening doors for more mess. I guess the saying is true: the more things change the more they stay the same. smdh
the govt of Arizona needs to go practice safe sex n go FCUK itself.@Officer Ricky
LMAO!
*highfive*
Bwahahahaha!
*applauds*
They better not bring that foolishness to Cali. *b-girl stance*
@BSQUARED86, or nowhere near Detroit cuz we don’t play that crap here. We bust heads and ain’t afraid of anybody’s legal system. We’ll tear this place down. They better be careful and ask somebody. Truth be told it’s only a matter of time. We gotta help fight this no matter who you are or where you’re from. They’re trying to erase our history! I better start picking up the right books (by W.E.B DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, Booker T. Washington) before they burn them all like Hitler did in his country. *sorry for the ramble* smh
Umm, they have already started the legislation to do the same thing in Michigan…folks are already mobilizing to fight it, but I can totally see the same thing happening if we don’t watch out. I would share a link but I don’t have one one yet…I’ll post later.
@Moni thanks I hope you post that link. I saw some people protesting in Southwest (Detroit) but I haven’t heard such a thing. We have enough f*ckery going on in Michigan as it is. I’m not surprised and I’m going to look more into this
As a Los Angeles native myself, you can rest assured that Cali will not pass such tomfollery. (Schwarzenegger made that VERY clear when he was on Jay Leno some weeks ago). If all the illegal immigrants moved out of Cali, the entire state would shut down! There’s one thing California’s about, and that is their money, and illegal immigrants comprise much of Cali’s financial foundation. No. Going. To. Happen.
i’m not a political person, by ANY means.. being from Jamaica, i know that i have no rights when it comes to me and this country.. however, being that my mother F*CKED up my paperwork, thus rendering me unable to work, go to school, and travel abroad.. i can say that i’m P*SSED that anyone would consider this a LOGICAL law to pass..
the thing that annoys the h*ll outta me is the lack of forethought, foresight, and EVERYTHING that this bill means.. how exactly do your lips fix themselves to say something like “the police officer will write down a description of the person?” why didn’t you think of the loopholes that would come along with this BEFORE you rushed to sign the crap in the middle of a festival (rally? parade? whatever?!)
it’s annoying.. arizona is the stupidest state i’ve seen in a long long time..
and they say that Florida’s next.. hopefully i’ll have my papers by then… DANG!
it’s annoying.. arizona is the stupidest state i’ve seen in a long long time..
and they say that Florida’s next..
I don’t think they got chance in h*ll of that passing down here in florida. With this Cuban and Haitian population down here in south Florida, they can shut Miami down.
@ KIRK LAZARUS “I don’t think they got chance in h*ll of that passing down here in florida. With this Cuban and Haitian population down here in south Florida, they can shut Miami down.”
Unless I am mistaken, a good portion of those Cubans are Republicans themselves.
no, you’re right.. A LOT of Cubans are Republicans… i would say the common thought why.. but i’m not gonna post it up here.. cuz it enters into the “not so politically correct” side of me that a lot of people don’t like…
@Nick_L_Odeon
“no, you’re right.. A LOT of Cubans are Republicans… i would say the common thought why.. but i’m not gonna post it up here.. cuz it enters into the “not so politically correct” side of me that a lot of people don’t like…”
it’s funny how all those Republican Cubans look the same. They are all drooling waiting to get back to Cuba and have people working for .02/hr. I don’t agree with all of Castro’s policies but he has Cuba in a better position than those Florida Cubans would have the country.
@IVR
Unless I am mistaken, a good portion of those Cubans are Republicans themselves.
Yes a lot of cubans are Republicans, but I don’t see them backing a change in law that would allow them to be profiled.
Yeah, that crossed my mind that FL would be next. But the city of Miami was practically built off of illegal cubans, haitians and drug money. Not gonna happen. But this whole thing is gonna open Pandora’s box for allot of other opportunities for the govt. North American Union…coming soon. (Yall not ready…)
@Kirk Lazarus and Tx10inch
i was gonna mention Cubans in my initial post, but then i remembered what was really up.. Cubans don’t have it so bad down here.. with the “wet foot, dry foot” policy.. ANY Cuban that touches ANY part of the U.S. gets the opportunty to stay.. (not so for the Haitians..) i don’t wanna get in over my head with political talk.. while there are still illegal Cubans down here, the number is NOWHERE near the amount of Haitians..
while i agree that there would be a “stink” that the community would raise if Florida tried to pass similar legislation.. i still think that Florida would try.. and since Cubans vote Republican, they would FINALLY be able to see what their political alliance hath wrought..
ever since the earthquake, the USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) has a new rule for Haitians trying to get to the US. if they have a sponsor, they’ll rush the paperwork (given the condition the island is in).. i dare say that the Haitians here STILL don’t take advantage of this opportunity (which i’m sure has Immigration happy) because of their lack of knowledge about the process..
granted, Florida isn’t as saturated as Arizona.. (South Americans also abound) i agree that this would open up the doorway for more profiling.. considering the obvious difference between Haitians and Cubans.. i would say that we’re in for some trouble..
yeah, they could shut the city down… But……… when i think about it, only the tri-county area would be the one that would have a problem.. once you get north of Palm Beach.. there’s not a lot that would care…
considering the obvious difference between Haitians and Cubans..
On the contrary, let’s not forget AfroCubans down here, whose physical characteristics (wider noses, kinkier hair, full lips down to their physique) come in as much of a variety of skin tones as Blacks (born american or of the caribbeans). Some you’d never know until they open their mouths and speak their native tongues….heck, even they can’t tell each other apart sometimes….I don’t know how many times they’ve come up to me asking. I have cousins who are afrocuban….and my great aunt is as dark as Djimon Hounsou (her husband Cuban) and she speaks fluently…even her mannerisms. And I won’t even get on my Mama…however, I did tell my grandmother, since I’ve gotta hunch that she (herself) will never fess up…. I suspect she’s taking a few things to her grave. She laughs it off with “chile hush”…but I’m dead serious.
Sadly, I won’t be surprised if this mess spills over to the rest of us….this is just the beginning. A lot of folks better dig deep into their inner Cinques (a la Amistad) . I suspect its ’bout to get ugly(ier).
…and Panama, you on ya’ own with that cross country trip, bruh.
I don’t think they got chance in h*ll of that passing down here in florida. With this Cuban and Haitian population down here in south Florida, they can shut Miami down.
lets not forget the HUGE mexican population in arizona and this bill still passed. population obviously does not dictate what kinda laws are passed.
gov arnold may not be quick to sign a similar bill but he sure is cutting programs to the POOR (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/14/MNO81DETHB.DTL) and there are plenty of poor ppl in cali who are the work force driving the economy.
bottom line: DO NOT BE COMPLACENT!!!!
@ Nick_L_Odeon…
Girrrrrrrrrrrlllll…..Did you just say that you aint got no papers??? I suggest you not even travel across the Mason Dixon line…
Hope you get your shyt straight.. I was born to 2 American parents, in Korea ( my dad is Puerto Rican, Mom-Dukes is from New Orleans ), and I made the horrible… HORRIBLE mistake of losing my bag that had all of my personal documents, and why the hell did I do that! I had to contact the State, to the Capitol, to D.C., to the Korean American Embassy…. Long story short, it took me 2 years to obtain record of my birth and citizenship. It was hell, and it was the American policies that made everything so hard….. I told the Bytches to look up my dayum TAX RETURNS!!!! You took my money, GIMMIE ME MY DAYUM PAPERS!!!
yep!! and let’s not forget that since the 9/11 dudes trained at the aviation school at the college i went to.. EVERYTHING just got tighter!! like wearing a corset, i’m being squeezed..
subsequently, i haven’t had a legal driver’s license in about 4 years.. i got pulled over earlier this year, and sitting in court.. i realized JUST how much trouble i was in.. especially when they start showing the film about “deportation proceedings”..
i travel everywhere with my passport.. but yeah, it’s not a piece of cake..
my mother screwed me over royally.. i’ve been trying to fix it since Janet Reno was in office.. however, since she became a citizen and filed for me, this time they’re gonna approve my file.. they just gotta get to my year.. it was supposed to take less that 3 years.. i’m in year 6.. and can’t do anything
but, at least i have time to write and read blogs.. lol..
“ignorance is NOT bliss”
Quick fun fact– Cubans are primarily republican because it’s the furthest thing they can get from communism.
Im originally from Boston, but I did my undergrad in Orlando, and my parents currently live down in Melbourne. While it’s true that northern Florida might as well be Alabama, anything south of Orlando is immensely diverse. Lots of Dominicans (my ethnicity btw), Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Brazilians, Jamaicans, Haitians, and of course Cubans. Also, let’s not forget the Jews in Boca (Im uncomfortable calling Jewish people an ‘ethnic group’ per se, they DO stick together like one, and they DO know the consequences of racism)
If you’re down in Miami, and look even somewhat Hispanic, everyone and their mother is going to speak to you in Spanish. That’s just how it is. We have definitely taken over South Florida. Haitians, on the other hand, have started to migrate towards Central Florida. At the personal injury law firm I used to work for, approximately half of our clients were Haitians (My proficiency in French and Spanish definitely came in handy in getting this job)
But I digress. The problem with legislation like this passing is that minorities in general DO NOT VOTE. They do not get involved in the political spectrum. Unless they’re voting for president, they dont show up at the polls when it’s a state election.
Im a child of immigrants. My father is a citizen, but my mother was not (at the time of her death, she was still a ‘permanent resident’). My grandparents, although citizens, did not come into this country legally. They definitely hitched a ride on a boat from Dominican Republic, and ended up where all Dominicans/Puerto Ricans ends up. New York.
I truly do not comprehend how in this day and age, f*ckery like this can still happen. Kind of makes you think we havent made any progress…
Oy Ve!! Lol, that’s pretty much the response I have every time Arizona pops back in the news these last three months. First the ‘show me your papers’ bill, I’ve had a couple of viewpoints on NPR from proponents of the bill: one is that the waves of illegal immigration has sky rocketed the crime rates there; a lot of the callers sited the death of rancher by the hands (allegedly) of an illegal transient about two months prior to the law. Second proponents claim that immigration activists, activists from the Latino community and any other opponents are only focusing on partial parts of the bill and grossly exaggerating or misconstruing entirely what the bill actually states. Apparently, according to an official that was featured on NPR, police officials can’t stop people all willy nilly and ask them for their papers. No, the police can only ask you to prove your legal status in the country if they had already stopped you for a legitimate crime and during the course of this interaction they observed signs/clues that led them to have ‘reasonable suspicion’ that you were not of legal status. Yes, and the third and perhaps only definitively ludicrous defense is that the government will have measures in place to somehow prevent or curtail racial profiling. I didn’t hear what those measures might be, but we can all agree…the phuck!
Anyway, I wanted to give arguments from the proponents…you know both sides of the coin and all that. I honestly think this bill is bullhonkey. I honestly feel for all parties involved. As an immigrant I know all the drama and fears that come with that, and honestly, most people who cross the border (we all know this is a keep the Mexicans out bill by another name) are just trying to feed their babies and families. That being said, dude the ranchers and even people in some major cities told some horror stories about the spate of crime that they’ve had since border crossing went up. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, burglary, deaths, drive by all type of ish; there was real frustration in those voices. Their argument was that something needed to be done. Even those that called in favor of the bill were more in favor of it not because they thought it was an excellent or even good solution but at least it was some sort of action. I guess if the Federal government stepped up and did something then Arizona would not pull some ‘I’ll just ignore the constitution and try and regulate something that is a Federal domain while trampling on 50-11billion civli liberties’ ish. Finally, and perhaps not a very popular view, I feel for the cops that have to enforce this mess. I know some department have already sued the state trying to get the bill revoked. The way the bill is crafted really puts the policemen in a lose-lose situation; from what I understood those arrested or questioned about their status in the country have the right to file a suit against the police if they believe that they were racially profiled by the arresting officer, on the other hand the general public has a right to file suit against their local police department if they believe those officers are not being diligent enough in enforcing the bill. Seriously, cops are sort of screwed if they do, screwed if they don’t. Not to mention the man power and revenue it’s going to take to actually work this thing.
I honestly gave up hope on pre K-High School education system in this country once I saw the proceedings from Texas when the state’s school board was voting on whom to include or exclude from the History books. Y’all that was scary. The decisions, from what I could see, were not based on any objective merits but purely on the individual opinions of the members of that board. These are the books that are used to teach students about national and global events. Sweet Jesus!!! Yes, so really the whole Tuscon drama does not shock me that much.
Them folks are STILL trying to pick and choose who will be included in the new textbooks. It’s a shame since if our state adopts these new books, they will likely be rolled out to the rest of the country. Mess, I tell ya!
RE immigration – “illegals” are only illegal if we call them that. Think about when we began hearing about the “illegal imnmigration problem.” It only became a “problem” when the immigrants in question stopped being of white skin and began being of brown and black skin. Specifically, I first remember hearing of the “problem” when it was Haitians in the 80s. For a couple centuries, white-skinned immigrants poured into Ellis Island (think border without barbed wire) by the millions. Not a problem. A few hundred Haitians–”problem.” Then attention focused on the brown-skinned brothers to the south, and it’s been on ever since. That lady in the harbor says “send me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearing to be free.” She didn’t say isht about a pigmentation requirement: “send me your tired/poor/huddled, as long as they’re white.” I’m just sayin’.
Re Texas – TX *does* have a lot backwards. I can say that, I live here. Even with the grand embarrassment of being the home state of W, Texans haven’t come up with anything quite as stupid as this bill.
Re police officers – can you imagine how the Hispanic officers feel? I hope they’re packing up their families forthwith and planning moves out of AZ and into any state where people have sense.
@Sunny – I read an article that was talking about the impact of SB 1070 on flight patterns from Arizona. I cant’ remember the number, but some insanely huge number (think hundreds of thousands) of Hispanics have already moved out of Arizona into surrounding states.
I have to say though…. the only people I ever hear complain about TX are the folk who live there and have no clue how nice it is. I mean compare your lovely state to Louisiana, and you will see what I mean.. The state of Texas has some of the lowest taxes in the country… The state is clean, you have 2 of the largest cities in the world, and the crime is under control. I lived there a year after Katrina, and it took my home being paid off by insurance to move back to New Orleans. I love TX! They must e doing something right… or is it that my state is so totallllllllly fugged up, that I just dont know any better! lol!
I would boycott AZ tea…but it’s made in NY. *takes tall swig of ice cold AZ tea while AC blows* why should EVERYONE suffer?
You know AZ tea had to issue a public statement letting the masses know that it’s just a name and has no affiliation to the bass ackwards state?
Me thinks a greater statement would be to change the name all together.
Yeah, no doubt. they had to protect that paper…
You know there was the “scandal” with the plantation scene on the Arizona Southern Style Iced Tea label a few years back…maybe something in the tea ain’t clean after all.
I gotta admit:
After reading about Aiyana Jones being killed by police while they were filming for “The First 48″.
2010 Miss USA Rima Fakih catching hell from Fox news over the fact that she is muslin and non-white leading them to suspect some affirmative action conspiracy created by the “color-folk”.
A Geometry Teacher in Alabama teaching kids about parallel lines using the angle a sniper would apply to kill Obama as an example.
My “dealing with racism” quota is full for his week(Its only Wednesday wth)
But as a immigrant myself, Guyanese, this is pretty creepy……and interesting. Just saying to yourself “Show me your papers” leaves such a queasy feeling.
But oddly enough I’m split. As a person who loves Politics, it is interesting to see the slow decline of human rights in America. To think, the political leaders of AZ is willing to pass bill after bill that disenfranchise POCs, Texas has enough power to alter schoolbooks nationwide and Thomas Jefferson was on the chopping block, and Confederacy history month just leaves me wondering when is the breaking point.
Only thing that’s positive about this is that alot of people from different walks of life is calling this out and supporting Latin community. Nice to see POCs supporting each other in times of crisis.
I wish I typed something funny or witty in my post, but the truth is I think they could pull it off no matter whose against it. And that is something not to joke about.
you keep up with any news from home?
Yup, there’s a website i go from a friend: Stabroek News. And my Grandmother knows another one bu, I always forget the name….
The other is GuyMine.com.
Poor America, trying to get rid of immigrants makes as much sense as McDonald’s not serving Hentz Ketchup.
Your analogies slay me.
@Mr. Gundam: r.i.p Aiyana Jones. It breaks my heart to hear her name but it’s a sad reality. Fox news if full of crap anyway. I wish I was out there in New York outside with Nas to protest their dumbasses. I knew they were cheap and pathetic when they tried to bring Wendy Williams on Fox 2 in Detroit and when they Fox 5 NYC called our First Lady, Obama’s “baby mama” instead of wife. I’m starting to believe all the conspiracy theorists who say they are trying to take away our rights and voice to prepare us for the end. This (“The End”) will affect every race, even old racist white people. OMG I need to start watching the news more. I didn’t hear about that Alabama teacher. That’s crazy.
This may not have much to do with Black people, but how long before it does?
When you take into consideration that many latinos in fact are as dark as former baseball slugger Sammy Sosa and soccer legend Pele….it already does.
Let’s also not forget that there are black Latinos. I work with some black Latinos who will be coming to the U.S. soon, and they are very worried about having to have their papers on them at all times. Honestly, they say they are used to it, cause in their home country (Brazil) they get stopped and harassed for “living while black”, especially in what is deemed as white middle class areas.
Besides, this has everything to do with anyone who is for social justice and democracy, regardless of your race.
@Moni,
Yep..
Exactly my point with my previous post —> Let’s also not forget that there are black Latinos.
This is all just a decoy….
Desperation to deception to victimization at its finest.
Besides, this has everything to do with anyone who is for social justice and democracy, regardless of your race.
Agreed.
I am on full blown Arizona boycott.
I wonder if these laws, along with the Martin Luther King Day issue are related to the fact that Arizona is where a lot of old people west of the Mississippi go to die. So basically you have a large population or people that still view minorities in the subserviant role that defined their era. Which leads politicians in the state to pander to that base.
I mean this is the state that still elects the ghost of John Mccain.
I thought I was the only one who knew about this cause my friends weren’t aware. I have some friends in Arizona (black and the black population is large btw) who were upset. You’re right, profiling is profiling. As a black person it should upset me even if it doesn’t directly affect me. AND Hispanics, Latinos, etc aren’t the only immigrants people.
As far as world history in schools, this is not news. I grew up in 2520ville and they HATE when you get to the slavery part in the history book, Black history month etc. You see them all nervous as they steal glances at you. I used to think it was guilt but it’s just the fear of looking bad cause they could care less if you hate them. They want to feel like American history is perfect and the truth just tarnishes their image. It’s mostly lies anyway but that’s another post.
Listen, racism is everywhere…subliminally and blatant. Just call a spade a spade and don’t insult my intelligence by leading me to believe that it’s for the greater good of America. Don’t tell me you’re not a racist while your entire body language and actions show different. This country was founded on greed, corruption, and murder….and we are lied to every day! I just try to educate myself and deal with it.
I heard someone say minorities are the most patriotic americans cause this country hates us, mistreats us, and misguides us….and we live here anyway.
*finger snaps and head nods*
@SmartFoxGirl
“I heard someone say minorities are the most patriotic americans cause this country hates us, mistreats us, and misguides us….and we live here anyway.”
Word. People of Color have fought in every war in this country and have been consistently treated as 2nd class citizens. You could arguably say that Black folks are the purest Americans because we are the only ones that are here without our past culture in tact.
“You could arguably say that Black folks are the purest Americans because we are the only ones that are here without our past culture in tact.”
You’re my Eboo. lol
I completely agree with your statement that minorities are the most patriotic. Dealing with everything we go through from each other and the “majority” ethnic groups, yet we keep the so-called “American Dream” alive. Fear and loathing is often the thanks we get. America will never be greater until it stops the nonsense and be truthful all the way. This bill is an example of the true feelings of a lot of people who are American. I just hope AZ is not setting a precedent, but rather will be an example of what’s wrong with our lawmakers and our system of passing bills.
“This bill is an example of the true feelings of a lot of people who are American. I just hope AZ is not setting a precedent, but rather will be an example of what’s wrong with our lawmakers and our system of passing bills.”
Well said…*hand clap*
I wish I still had the capacity to be shocked by this stuff. It’s just so pathetic, I can’t even be witty about it. – http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/neocon-pundit-whats-with-all-these-muslims-winning-beauty-pageants.php?ref=fpb
I’m honestly tongue-tied and really perplexed how folks can see this bill as solving a problem.
My heart hurts, this is so sad…and it needs to be a wake up call to us in other states who think this won’t having any bearing on us. Folks, we need to pay attention to whom we are putting in office. We came out in droves for POTUS, but we have a local elections down the street that we don’t pay a five cent to and wonder where the hell all these “bills” are coming from.
We need to find out who the people who are speaking for us are. Stop turning a blind eye to the politicians and voting/not voting for them based on one blurb we hear. We don’t realize how much personal freedoms are disappearing until they affect you personally and by then it’s almost always too late.
It’s time…time to come back out folks…we gotta do something…all of these “bills” are leading up to something. I love America…the freedom to express one’s self. If we don’t counter these bills, the tea party movement, and textbook rewrites…they will take over. Long time GOP members are being voted out of office. Being replaced by folks fueled by unabashed ignorance and racism. W and his crew will look like heroes if we let these folks get in control. They will reverse everything that Pres. Obama accomplishes. We need to be thinking about shaping the next 4 presidential elections, next 8 governor elections, and all local elections for life.
Long time GOP members are being voted out of office. Being replaced by folks fueled by unabashed ignorance and racism. W and his crew will look like heroes if we let these folks get in control. They will reverse everything that Pres. Obama accomplishes. We need to be thinking about shaping the next 4 presidential elections, next 8 governor elections, and all local elections for life.
You need to send this message EVERYWHERE. People are not realizing how the crazies like Sarah Palin are taking over…
This looks so much like Germany circa 1934… Le Sigh.
“This looks so much like Germany circa 1934″
May I see your papers fraulein?
Errr…. What has happened was…. Errrr.
*runs away from Wu Young Agent of SS*
It’s funny until it really isn’t anymore… May God (?) help us.
history is a good guide…..reconstruction n sh!t
I’m from Mississippi and I thought we were backwards…which we are, but we haven’t crossed these lines…yet.
Hey Homie, let’s not bash the home state. We’ve got AZ taking the focus off our issues right now…let’s just roll with that.
sh!t…..AZ is just the start…..phuck america
Is it true that they can just randomly stop anyone at anytime and ask for proof that they’re legal? I’ve read otherwise…that the police can only ask if the person is suspected of breaking the law. Like they can do it at a traffic stop or what-not…not just walk up to random Mexicans and say show me your papers. Also when you are ‘legal’ you’re told to keep your papers on your person AT ALL TIMES anyway sooo…..honestly I don’t disagree with this bill.
we should just have them wear stars! yellow ones, I think!
riiiiiiiight? *smh*
It’s all a part of the last gasp of a dying breed. White majority.
Expect it to get worse in the next 20 or so years.
No Bullsh*t
Yep. I love my country, but I fear my government.
The government should be fearing the people but the people too busy listening to dumbass Nicki Minaj and trying to get record deals, and feeding into light black vs. dark black, brown w/ European blood vs. the brown person with more Afro blood, black vs. brown, and “gettin $$$$” etc… etc…
Yep. Look at what’s going on over in Bangkok right now. They got protesters out there for 2 months dying for what they believe. That the government is corrupt and they demand new elections. A 2 month standoff that as of yesterday I believe resulted in a surrender by the Red Shirts. They may or may not get new officials in office, but they will riot in a hot sec when things aren’t right. France is the same way. Their government fears their people actin out against them.
We’ve (the U.S) have been conditioned to basically accept what they tell and give us is right (especially since it has a black face now) and that there’s nothing we can really do about it. So everyone gets upset, verbally condems the issue, shrugs their shoulders and goes on about their day.
@Tx10inch
“Yep. I love my country, but I fear my government.”
I always find this funny when 2520 men say this. As if redlining, jim crow, and the Tuskegee experiment were directed toward them. The only thing I find equally funny is when they say “freedom isn’t free” or “there is a price for freedom”. I’m like when was that true for you all? When only land owning 2520 men could vote? Or was it when the government gave land to 2520 for free after clearing out the Native Americans?
@Humble_One: Church! Well Well! *waves the handheld fan* preach!
SB 1070, the ban on ethnic studies, militia groups, and tea baggers are clues into a bigger issue. That issue is that some 2520s are scared. They have always been scared but now they are seeing the country change before their eyes. A Black POTUS, Latino on the Supreme Court, etc. is scary when you are use to minorities being seen and not heard. One thing these 2520s have to understand is that we(minorities) just want to live our lives. On the whole we don’t have that drive to decimate whole cultures for money(although there are examples that contradict this more than likely western corporations and imperialism is behind the nonsense). Part of me thinks that a lot of 2520s are scared that Brown people will seek revenge for past atrocities once they become the majority. They are scared. They fear losing their comforts and way of life. They fear it because all Americans(especially 2520s) and Western Europeans wealth and opportunity was created on exploiting people of color. This leads me to the ban on ethnic studies. Keeping you ignorant of the past will keep you docile and accept the status quo as if there is nothing wrong with it. I have always said that if we are to solve race relations 2520s have to acknowlege and face pat atrocities. This is what angers people of color. We have to deal with the hangover of hundreds of years of exploitation everyday and for some one to poo-poo it or downplay it because you don’t have the balls to deal with it PISSES you off.
“That issue is that some 2520s are scared. They have always been scared but now they are seeing the country change before their eyes.”
preach on
“They fear it because all Americans(especially 2520s) and Western Europeans wealth and opportunity was created on exploiting people of color. This leads me to the ban on ethnic studies. Keeping you ignorant of the past will keep you docile and accept the status quo as if there is nothing wrong with it.”
You said it. Keeping people ignorant of their past and their potential has worked from Biblical times, through the middle ages when kings kept the peasants poor and stupid. Why not try it again?? If people don’t know their struggles past, and the brilliance they are capable of achieving, they’ll be content to just get govt. checks and live in slums.
Very true.
*nodding head in agreement*
exactly.
this ish is ridiculous. I am most outraged at the law against teaching ethnic studies. If we outlawed every course that created some sort of animosity towards the white population we would be learning nothing but math. Minority students rely on courses such as African-American history and Mexican History to understand where their people come from and relate to their people’s past. Arizona is one phucked place.
If we outlawed every course that created some sort of animosity towards the white population we would be learning nothing but math.
Word. Motherf’n Life.
Panama – I live in Arizona, love your blog and have been reading for a while. I agree with you on the ethnic studies law, but you are WAY off point on 1070. The law doesn’t encourage profiling and two folks walking down the street cannot legally be asked their immigration status for simply walking down the street. If you want to debate the law – let’s debate the law on the facts and not on hyperbole. With that, back to you
Oh, and Hi Liz
@Antoine Cobb – fair enough. However, how you don’t think this law encourages profiling is beyond me. What is enough to be probably cause? It’s not like somebody will commit a crime and THEN get asked for them immigration papers. Does it take a Hispanic cat to start running AND then he gets asked? Like what constitues PC? You say it doesn’t allow for the police to stop and ask anybody whose walking down the street, okay. Fair enough. But short of that how ELSE will they implement the law? I’ve been stopped and ticketed while driving for “failure to have enough space between me and the car in front of me to pass” even though me and the car were the ONLY two cars on the road and I wasn’t tailgating (even the police officer stated i wasnt tailgating but I just didnt have the appropriate amoutn of feet – like 120 feet – in order to complete a LEGAL pass). no bullsh*t. i got a ticket for that. A crime can be created.
Volley.
Amen to that. I’ve been pulled over for not signaling a lane change when there was no real lane change involved. The single lane I was driving in split into multiple lanes. I agree with you, if a cop wants to pull you over, they will find a reason to. Oh, I forgot to mention that same officer who pulled me over was following me for about 3 miles. I know because I made sure I took a few unnecessary turns to get where I was going.
I gotta co-sign on a crime/violation being created. There are so many arcane moving violations that I could be ticketed for everytime I get in the car (neglecting to signal long enough, or at all, prior to a lane change), that I KNOW I would be pulled over in AZ. On top of all that, my first name is quite stereotypically Latino, so I’m thinking that right there could be probable cause to ask for my ‘papers’.
According to the law, police can also question you if you are approached as a result of a municipal violation. So, if you are parked on the wrong side of the street or your grass appears to be too high that could be enough for police to approach you and ask for proof of citizenship. Even with the provision that requires some sort of “legal contact” prior to requests for citizenship documents, there just seems to be too much room for profiling to still take place (that seems horribly understated).
I can’t wait to see how this convo pans out. @Antoine Cobb, what about Abdon? http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Man-says-he-was-racially-targeted-forced-to-provide-birth-certificate-91769419.html
He was doing his job when he was targeted.
Your approach sounded great as it was based on theory. Law enforcement agencies will have no choice but to profile. “Concerned” citizens will complain about the police not doing their job…hotlines reporting suspected illegals will be established. Nobody will know where to draw the line…and then you’ll be producing documents too. I know…it’s so easy to lose sight of reality out there.
Don’t let the few extremely liberal Arizonian circles that you travel within fool ya.
More police discretion is the LAST thing that this country needs. Giving more power to those who have the least knowledge of the legal system is never a good idea. SB 1070, to me, is just the 21st Century’s version of when we as Black people were required to show documentation that we were actually freed and not slaves.
I understand that illegal immigration is an issue, but using police power for profiling only takes away the exhausted public resources needed to solve real crimes against the public. I am offended and ashamed that Arizona would pass something of this sort. But what do we really expect from a state that refused to acknowledge MLK Day?
This was a great post PJ. You really hit the nail on the head.
thanks daaaahling.
o_O @ that entire government. Banning ethnic studies? REALLY?
Ya know, this reminds me I gotta ask my sister if she still wants to move there after all of this. She had always wanted to move there (she thinks it’s a beautiful state…plus they gots the Grand Canyon…somethin’ I still plan to visit!)
plus they gots the Grand Canyon…somethin’ I still plan to visit!)
You can visit it from Nevada.
LOL, oh wait, sure can.
Tell her to move to New Mexico.
lol, truth. I’mma do that after I ask her if she still wants to move…
I read an article about the ” invention ” of racism. Basically it stated that there are more have nots, than haves so what would keep the have nots from a radical uprising? Pit them against each other! if the have nots cannot come together they will not come together to become haves. Majority rules there are more poor than not poor. Hitler used this to perfection, why isn’t your life how you want it to be? It can’t be you, you are perfect it must be ___________ its them they took your job that’s why you are not doing what you want. Yes your life is bad, but its better because you are not ___________ at least you have that! The easiest way to make people feel better is to make them think they are better than a group of people.
The issue I have with Arizona is 1. Are you looking for possible Canadians in Arizona? No, Canadians come here all the time and make it big, and want dual citizenship and yadda yadda yadda and they are not getting profiled.
2. Who’s to say I won’t go to Arizona and let some French slip ? Am I from Haiti? Do I have paper work to prove I should be here? Oh well off I go until I can prove such, and why was I stopped? I looked like an immigrant? I spoke with an accent? I just didn’t seem to be from around “ here”
I think with the economic impact of people boycotting Arizona this law may be repealed, if not we need a voter registration drive there pronto and they need to vote more sane individuals into office.
Ideally, all of the Hispanic/Latino citizens of Arizona should take two weeks of from their jobs and see how all of the Teabag Party members who so vehemently support this bill get along without the necessities of refuse collections, groundskeeping, food service, etc. Then this bill would pretty quickly get repealed. But since they have families to support, I don’t really know that such a unified stance is possible. I guess the only thing that can ensue is what the social engineering behind this bill intended: a tipping point in the ultimately unconstitutional profiling at which violence will begin against police officers, which will “justify” more Tea-baggers to scream for harsher and more unscrupulous measures against the Hispanic people of Arizona. This bill should have never been passed in the first place. SMH.
All i can say is this, if the federal government actually did its job then we surely wouldnt be here, i would hate to play devil`s advocate but the point is Az being a border state faces a different reality than most other states, this situation has been brewing for years and folks in DC are playing politics as usual, for some to put the blame solely on conservatives or the republican party is in my opinion kind of naive and a stretch, do i have to remind some of you that the former governor of Az Janet Napoliatno who is now homeland security secretary had requested thousands of national guard troops to be sent to AZ to no avail
This issue is deeper and more divisive that it appears to be, democrats are just as opposed to immigration reform as republicans but the difference is republicans have grown to be the ones who say aloud what the rest think low, democrats want to grant citizenship to the illegal immigrants so of course legal immigrants say its not fair because most of them ( think african immigrants,asians,east indians and any other group not living in central america and south america) have to wait for years before immigrating to this country and worse of all wait even longer to bring a family menber here, so put yourself in their shoes and sense the fustration ,but democrats are trying to secure a future pool of loyal voters because think about if if they hand these folks citizenship then its obvious the political gains would be huge for them.
Some states tired of waiting for the federal governemt had began passing their own pro-civil rights law, seems like hisotry is repeating itself ,some states tired of the federal government unwillingness to move forward have taken matters into their hands and boycotting Az wouldnt mean much in my opinion
“legal immigrants say its not fair because most of them ( think african immigrants,asians,east indians and any other group not living in central america and south america) have to wait for years before immigrating to this country and worse of all wait even longer to bring a family menber here,”
really? you must not know a lot about immigration if your opinion is so narrow minded, I can say that yes many CENTRAL Americans and MEXICANS come in through the borders with coyotes and “swimming through the river” but there is a HUGE influx of asians, east indians, africans, europeans that FLY to Mexico to enter through the border, there are plenty of South Americans that do too, but for the MOST part they have to wait for a visa from a consulate just like Europeans, Africans e.t.c.
The problem is not the getting in part for most of these “NON-IMMIGRANTS” which is the type of visa that most of the people you mentioned have, stay in this country after their Period of Admittance has expired, so tell me now what is the difference between these “Immigrants” after that time period with those who entered EWI (entered without inspection)?
This is such a hot topic right now that even Miss Oklahoma and Fox & Friends (No surprise here!) are claiming that this question in the Miss U.S.A. pageant cost Miss Oklahoma the title against Miss Michigan (Who happens to be from Lebanese decent).
The problem with this law is that it is focusing on a percentage of the illegal immigrants that have never expressed harm to America as a country, I am not saying lets got lynch Mohammed because he looks like he could fly a plane I am just saying that this matter should be handled differently.
I personally I am not OK with EWI (enter without inspection) immigrants (Hispanic or not) because yes EWI’s come in through the Canadian border as well, but it is just plain wrong when it comes to civil liberties that based on the color of your skin you can be asked for your Citizenship status.
Obviously the Republicans and Arizona as well claim that in order for this to consequently happen you have to have probable cause (i.e. traffic stop, and we all know how those are not biased at all, shall we say DWB), probable cause aside it is racial profiling, it is violating human rights, and it is violating a person’s fifth amendment rights.
An amnesty bill is imminent before Obama’s term is over, and it will not include people with criminal records, but those upstanding immigrants who actually help the economy, wonder what the Republicans and Arizona will use to get rid of the Hispanic population as a whole and the what minority group they will target next,
This post is SO on point. Arizona done lost its damn mind and I’m glad to see that the ACLU is taking this bull$hit a$$ law to court. Anyone who doesn’t see anything wrong with 1070 has never been presumed to be a suspect/poor/uneducated/etc. based solely on their appearance. As for the ethnic studies ban – what. the. fcuk.
this doesn’t have much to do with Black people but still, racist policies are racist policies
This has everything to do with Black people (Middle Eastern and Middle-Eastern-looking people should be shaking in their boots too right about now). We (Black men in particular) have already been victims of this type of shady police business since the beginning of time, but this writing it into law ish is taking ish waaaay too far. An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I think that’s MLK, but I’m too lazy to look it up right now.
My thoughts are that this issue (“the big picture”) is a political war between Republicans (moreso on their part) and the Obama Administration. McCain and Palin have chosen not to take their arse whippin sitting down. Unfortunately, minorities are the pawns in the game of politics. If I read one more statement from McCain and Palin saying that the Obama administration isn’t doing their job by securing our borders, I’m gonna scream!!! Our national security wasn’t compromised yesterday people!
While I do agree that immigration laws are necessary and should be reformed for obvious reasons, I think something more comprehensive is in order (at the state and federal level). I believe entering into this country illegally has gotten out of hand (at the fault of our country being so money-hungry) and now it will be difficult to resolve without feeling some sort of pain. However, compromising constitutional rights is not the answer; plus it puts people and police at risk to violated civil liberties, strained social order, lawsuits, etc. Now, the banning of ethnic studies and teachers with accents not teaching English were thrown in pacify the racist leaders in AZ for their support in the “big picture”.
@CNotes,
My thoughts are that this issue (“the big picture”) is a political war between Republicans (moreso on their part) and the Obama Administration. McCain and Palin have chosen not to take their arse whippin sitting down. Unfortunately, minorities are the pawns in the game of politics. If I read one more statement from McCain and Palin saying that the Obama administration isn’t doing their job by securing our borders, I’m gonna scream!!! Our national security wasn’t compromised yesterday people!
^Yup. They were sure on humm (silent) when Bush was having his run. In addition, what happened to Bush referring to his family as “My lil’ brown ones”. They forget the history of their own party which is going to backfire on that a*s.
@legitimate_soul
It’s interesting because the only thing Bush did with regards to immigration laws is enforce what laws were already in place. AZ wasn’t in dire need then to push out a state law. o__O Not to mention that illegal crossing in AZ fell last year by about 250K. CA and TX have reduced their crossings tremendously (Why couldn’t AZ take a page out of their playbooks?).
Because we all know it’s more to the agenda than simply protecting citizens against an alleged crime wave from illegal immigrants. They know good and well most immigrants benefit and add to America. The fact that they coupled this legislation with the removal of Ethnic Studies (which a lot of people had to protest for to begin with) let’s you know there are major ulterior motives at hand.
@legitimate_soul
Yep…strategy.
I smell some funny business. The first step will be racial profiling, and when people decide to live in denial and say “all they trying to do is enforce laws and secure the border”, before you know it BAM! Hispanics will be rounded up like cattle and sent to concentration camps. Small measures always set the stage for greater acts. It happened in Germany and if we as a collective don’t do anything about it, it’ll happen here in Amerika.
‘Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’
It’s time for a serious revolution. That’s all I got to say.
P.S. Panama I would go to Arizona with you, but unfortunately I inherited my mother’s Haitian accent and I’m beautifully dark-skinned so they’ll throw me in jail the min I say Hi
@T’Lu
“I inherited my mother’s Haitian accent and I’m beautifully dark-skinned ”
This comment is useless without pics.
Only Humble will find a “non-valid without pics” comment in this seriousness… lol!
How’s she going to showcase the Haitian accent in a pic though?
Preach, brotha, preach.
I’ve always heard old folks talking about how “the end is near” for this world, and I always shook that off, thinking it to be the ramblings of old church folk.
But with shit like this happening seemingly every day (seriously? a bill allowing the police, of all people, to profile others… something they already do anyway?), I’m starting to wonder if maybe those church folk were on to something…
Just a new target. ‘They’ always need a scapegoat…if it’s not Black folk then it’s Eastern Indian type folk, & now it’s Hispanics. I don’t think this is right but I can say, maybe this will show others how we feel, as we have been racially profiled our entire lives.
I really don’t have a problem with profiling. I actually see it as necessary tool. I do however take issue with harassment. If I see a gold-toothed, saggy pants, white tee wearing, tattoo’d thug standing on the corner under the street light at 10:00 at night, rest assured that I’ve profiled him and am suspecting he’s up to no good. It’s instinctive and it’s self preservation. When you see the dirty looking dude walking towards you outside the restaurant talking ’bout “scuse me sir/maam”, and you suspect he’s about to hit you up for some change, then you, too, are profiling. Better yet, when you see a middle easterner on the plane with you get into the aisle at 30,000 feet and start praying to Allah, are you simply gonna roll over and go back to sleep, or will you start watching carefully in case some BS jumps off?
If I understand correctly, the law gives officers the authority to ask about their legal status once they have been given probable cause. I see no need to get all up in arms about someone asking me if I’m in the country legally or not. If you’ve got something to hide, then yeah, it’ll be an issue. If they are in the country illegally, getting medicated and educated by my tax dollars without paying into the system, then I got a problem with that. It’s bad enough that my biggest tax is a school tax and I don’t even have kids! The thought of paying more because some folks are making a withdrawl without making a deposit pisses me the hell off.
If the enforcement of the law slides moreso towards harrassment, then I hope black and hispanic officers will have the balls to enquire about the immigration status of whites as well. I believe only then would the white residents begin to see the error of their ways. People generally don’t give a sh*t about stuff until it affects them. If the profiling turns into harassment, then we should start asking 25-60 year old white males if they are pedophiles.
Regarding the ethnic studies ban….that’s some bullsh*t!
@Caballeroso, i’m with you on profiling. we all do it. police HAVE to do it. its an unfortunate side effect of the job. so why would anybody pretend that it doesnt exist. further, this law means that you have to take profiling to the next level, b/c once again, what constitutes PC? Cops harass mofos for talking back or not being compliant instantly. my boy went to jail b/c he said to a cop (who was beating down somebody else) that it was enough and that dude was down…myboy got hit with a charge for obstruction of justice and spent the weekend in jail (DONT F*CK WITH COPS ON A FRIDAY YALL!!!)
“People generally don’t give a sh*t about stuff until it affects them. If the profiling turns into harassment, then we should start asking 25-60 year old white males if they are pedophiles.”
*shudders* true though
@Anon I agree with that statement. (People generally don’t give a sh*t about stuff until it affects them.)
TheOpinionated1, I was quoting Caballeroso lol
Ohh ok lol
I’m so surprised to hear (read) this comment from a Black man. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Much to my dismay, gold teeth are not illegal (yet). So yeah, you may form an opinion about dude, but this AZ law is the equivalent of making it legal to walk up to him and make him prove to you that he’s not selling drugs… just b/c he has gold teeth.
black and hispanic officers will have the balls to enquire about the immigration status of whites as well <— You know this won't happen. An illegal Canadian immigrant could be in this country forever and never get looked at twice by a police officer. Meanwhile, Jose Gonzalez, whose GRANDPARENTS were BORN in this country, has to produce papers and PROVE who he is and PROVE his legitimacy every time he LEAVES THE FCUKING HOUSE!! Every time I even think about it it makes my blood boil and reminds me of South Africa's passbook laws during apartheid.
“Much to my dismay, gold teeth are not illegal (yet). So yeah, you may form an opinion about dude, but this AZ law is the equivalent of making it legal to walk up to him and make him prove to you that he’s not selling drugs… just b/c he has gold teeth.”
Not so fast…I think the probable cause aspect of the law would cause them to question whether he has any narcotics in his possession AFTER they caught him jaywalking or being out past curfew or some other miscellaneous/trumped up random charge.
Not in AZ. My understanding is that in AZ, they don’t even have to wait for you to jaywalk, they just have to suspect you of being an illegal immigrant (read: anyone with brown skin and/or an accent) and that’s probable cause enough. So that is the equivalent of walking up to gold teeth dude and making him prove he’s not selling drugs (or carrying a weapon or whatever). Is my understanding of the law wrong?
“..and make him prove to you that he’s not selling drugs.”
I’ve reread my post. I never suggested he was selling drugs. Why would the police ask him THAT question instead of something like “are you in possession of any weapons?” Are you profiling?
LMAO! Weapons? Drugs? I think you missed the point. The point is that he is assumed to be a suspect – of something – based on his appearance.
Meanwhile, Jose Gonzalez, whose GRANDPARENTS were BORN in this country, has to produce papers and PROVE who he is and PROVE his legitimacy every time he LEAVES THE FCUKING HOUSE!! Every time I even think about it it makes my blood boil and reminds me of South Africa’s passbook laws during apartheid.
this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the bill’s proponents swear up and down you can tell an “illegal” from a true-to-paper citizen. puh-leez. ALL mexicans or suspiciously-lookn-chicanos/others will have to carry papers wherever they go in the event they get pulled over for “probable cause” to prove their citizenship. the ish is f*cked. and there are sooooooooo many ways in which this could end badly for many ppl. being scared, humiliated and treated as a 2nd class citizen being the brightest side of the story.
Just a new target. ‘They’ always need a scapegoat…if it’s not Black folk then it’s Eastern Indian type folk, & now it’s Hispanics. I don’t think this is right at all, but I can say that maybe this will show others how we feel, as we have been racially profiled our entire lives.
Check out my site yall
http://proverbialmindcandy.blogspot.com
This is what happens being under-represented where it really matters, the government.
Awready.
Racial Profiling 101.
1. You need to stop a minority. How do you do it?
a. You look for any evidence of law breakage – tail light could be out, windows could be tinted – you have no idea if they’re using the legal amount w/o pulling them over and doing the light transmission test, they walked by a known crime area – good enough for suspicion.
b. Do they match the vague description of a minority committing a crime that your dept never manages to solve? You know, the one that just says “black male between 20 and 40 years of age, possibly 5’5 though nobody saw his shoes so if he was wearing lifts he could really be 5’0 or if he wasn’t and is wearing shoes now he could appear 6’0 so we can expand that height to 5’0 – 6’0. Similar ones exist for Latino males as well – does he fit the description? If so, you have a reason to detain and search.
2. Now that you have your minority detained, does he appear nervous? Because innocent crime free persons would never be nervous when stopped by the police, or angry, or sad. Or is he overly helpful – guilty people always overcompensate and happen to seemingly carry all pieces of information they are supposed to have. To be safe, if you step quickly away from him, there are angles at which it looks like he’s actually lunging at you – proceed to administer beat down.
3. Bonus, if they did have ID on them, but it came back w/o any outstanding warrants or tickets, it probably is fake. Since nobody rolls with their birth certificate to buy groceries, you are free to suspect them of being illegal. If you are wrong, then it doesn’t matter. They will be released from the holding cell in a few days when INS gets a chance to review the situation. It’s not like they had a job they were going to miss anyway.
You just highlighted exactly how many ways this friggin’ bill could go wrong in its application…
*smh*
this makes me laugh and internally cry all at the same time.
We’re not all horrible racists, just the old white people in our government offices.
Yes, move here, because I’m getting tired of only seeing white people wherever I go. Growing up in Seattle, a melting pot on par with NYC, makes me yearn for cultural diversity.
@Tyler Hurst,
chuckle Yeah….it would be unfair to actually believe an entire race of people are all alike…but each race has their share of “ignant mofos”, we just give them a different name…and on the contrary, they’re not just the old white people (who might I add are very set in their ways and would LOVE for things to go back exactly, to the way things were)….but lets not forget a lot of them are bringing up their offspring under the same exact
fearsbelief system….not to mention those who are considered immigrants, but whose ancestors owned slaves as well….so they’re not too far behind in their belief of superiority.I overheard a young latina debating with her peers that she was white….or that she considered herself to be. And she had plenty color! ….and neither one of her parents nor grandparents were of European descent….she based her beliefs solely off of the complexion of her skin and the fact that she married a white guy.
My disgust with her was not because of her marrying outside her race (isht, if you’re happy with the one you’re with – GO FOR IT.)….but she was clearly what some of us call “color struck” with such a negative outlook on her own people, as if she was excluded and of a much higher status who would not be
affected“touched”…with a sorry attempt to ‘pass’ for something she was not.My point is this whole charade may have started out in an attempt to
wipe outcontrol and/or target a particular race of people, but like someone stated this whole thing will ba for sure…and the strength and foundation of a lot of interracial relationships are about to be tested like a mofo.Because right now its being glossed over as some sort of last resort for the greater good of the country…but its funny as soon as it affects a lot of 2520′s all of sudden they treat it as if its an epidemic. Figures….
ba = backfire
@Tyler Hurst
“Growing up in Seattle, a melting pot on par with NYC, makes me yearn for cultural diversity”
I had the same feelings when I lived in San Diego for 2 years (moved there after living in NYC for 5 years). Not enough cultural diversity. I was literally ready to slit my wrists! lol!
CNotes,
It is so interesting and RIGHT ON, that you would make this comparison, because I made the same comparison myself. I definetely see the same lack of diversity in San Diego and the parts of Arizona (Chandler, Phoenix) I visited in the past. I can agree the cultural diversity is lacking in a major way. I’d get hella juiced if I saw anyone of color outside of my party.
@legitimate_soul
It was crazy for me out there in San Diego! (and I consider myself to me VERY adaptable to various settings….the Gemini in me! lol) But in addition to a lack of cultural diversity, their mentality is so warped. I was treated like the exception to the rule in that I was “articulate”, educated and didn’t wear “club clothes” to work. I had to enlighten several 2520s about being stereotypical and suggested they take a trip to D.C., ATL, NYC (and the like) to see that more black people “like me” existed and that I was not a unicorn or mythical figure. Granted, I was the only black person working at the pharmaceutical company; but I still found it frustrating that they had not been more exposed.
Thank you for your article. I just discovered VSB and am delighted with your lively and insightful commentary. Now to the business at hand.
I am an Af-Am woman who lived in Arizona in the 80s. My ex (my best friend) lives there now. He is Af-Am and his wife is Russian. He was recently stopped for no reason by a Sheriff. Not a police officer or a deputy but a Sheriff who only wanted him to produce ID and ask him where he was going and what part of town he lives in. His wife has dark skin, black hair and eyes. She looks Mexican. I can see the writing on the wall with the new law. This law will effect ALL people in Arizona that “look” or “speak” a certain way. I can imagine that if some ignorant cop hears her Russian accent (because they won’t know how to decifer where she’s from) and look at her features will ask her to produce papers.
I’m sure my ex is rethinking his decision to move back there. I got out when my sons were 6 years old. Thank God for that decision.
Well all I can say is my kids dad moved out there for the weather, so I hope they pull his dumbazz over.
Peace, Love and Chocolate
Tiffany
@Tiffany,
LOL!….you say that and end it with peace, love and chocolate….
@Tiffany
“Well all I can say is my kids dad moved out there for the weather, so I hope they pull his dumbazz over.”
LMAO!!!
Similar note:
Please read…
http://itemonline.com/local/x712212419/Texas-ed-board-to-vote-on-social-studies-standards
The “dentist” responsible for starting the rewrite textbooks bullshat in Texas…he lost his bid for re-election to his current position. But is still trying to leave his “mark” on history.
So…the people spoke (and said get the fvck out)…but his bass ackward self won’t quit. I’m proud to be from Texas again?
Government approved, sanctioned, and mandated racial profiling is problematic no matter how laudable the motives. Indeed, the road to hell is paved is good intentions. What galls me the most is that we are an entire country of illegal immigrants. What gives the immigrants who got here first the right to close the door behind them? Why do minorities constantly have to justify their existence or prove that they “belong”?
A few years ago, several white students called the police on a group of black kids congregated in a outdoor field at Harvard. Why? Because the white students thought they looked out of place and didn’t belong. Except the black kids were all Harvard students too. Many of whom lived in the same housing with the white students that surrounded the field. None of those white kids recognized them as fellow students and dorm mates. No, they only recognized them as dangerous threats–based solely on their skin color. How many upstanding brown citizens of Arizona are going to have to suffer the same indignation? Being invisible until someone white determines they are a dangerous threat. Give me a break.
Arizona is doing to “illegals” what the Afrikaners did to blacks, what the Germans did the the Jews, what the Isrealis do to the Palestinians, and so on and so forth. It’s just more despicable because this is America–so called land of the free.
“Why do minorities constantly have to justify their existence or prove that they “belong”?”
They don’t! The question is why the majority, many of whom got off the boat after the minorities, need to justify their seats at the table by trying to exclude others? I think It’s some kind of a crude inferiority complex in the darkess parts of their minds.
That or their daddies didn’t love them.
SB 1070 reminds me of so many historical periods where people of a certain ilk had to carry paper work.
1)As a southerner if I lived in the land of Dixie 175 years ago.as free man of color I would have had to show paper work if asked by the law or any other 2520 who just felt the need to ask. Upon me showing my papers I could be sent about my way or stand and watch as my freedom is literally ripped into pieces.
2)As a citizen of Facist Spain or Nazi Germany I could have been asked at any time to present my papers to the authorities. Certainly not models we Americans should follow.
3) Apartheid era South Africa. No need to expound on them.
4) The Soviet Union demanded papers to be shown when crossing from one Soviet republic to the next. Sorry, can’t go from Moscow to Kiev without the right papers. Imagine having to show id to go from Ohio to Indiana or any where else.
All of the above are examples of what could happend if f***ery of this type is allowed to stand. Yes, immigration needs to be regulated but not at the cost of the ideal of what America is (Yes, I may be an idiot for still believing in the ideal of America). If SB 1070 is allowed to stand I hope some idiot cop pulls over a Latino/Latina who happens to be a judge or something so that the profiling aspect of this crap is fully exposed.
Your post is well stated and quite scary. You raise very valid points and it seems like we’re right on the brink of history repeating itself if people don’t start paying attention.
Of course for those who have and want to maintain control that’s a-ok but for the rest of us we could have some serious problem.
My sentiments exactly.
Here is some info on what legislators are cooking up in Michigan:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100509/POLITICS02/5090311/Arizona-immigration-law-inspires-Michigan-initiative
There have been some developments since this article has written. Proponents and opponents have surfaced and are starting to get organized.
@Moni
I can tell you right now that ish isn’t flying here. Detroit has the 2nd largest Middle Eastern population in the world outside of the Middle East. Paris, France is #1. We also have a significant Latino and eastern European population here. They would have to arrest the whole city of Hamtramck and the Southwest side of Detroit. That would cause so many problems here. These Republicans are getting their “Southern Strategy” on out here. Michigan (more so Metro Detroit) is spitting distance from Canada and there are people who cross illegally but the border here is nothing like the Southwest. Nobody is swimming across Lake Huron, Lake Erie, or the Detroit River to get here. Michigan is more progressive than Arizona so I don’t see that gaining any ground here.
@Moni thanks for the link. @Humble_One you damn right. Speaking of Canada, we’re supposed to be building a new bridge that Canada is paying for (interesting) so we’re going to have two bridges to Canada now and the tunnel. Forget the politics. When I said above that they better not bring this mess to the D, I mean the people (who will tear the place down), I’m a D girl born and raised I already know too well. It’s bad enough the people here don’t hesistate to bust shots at the police. smh. We may not be the best city in the world but we protect our sh*t, what’s left of it.
As bad as this whole fiasco is..no one should really be surprised. White people need to keep control somehow. Instead of pretending to teach any ethnic history, they’re just saying outright that they won’t do it.
Soooo…..if they do ask for papers, who has papers on hand like that? Is an ID or license good enough? I haven’t seen any info about the after process of this foolishness…
I lived in AZ for 2 years, and there is no way in hell I’m moving back NOR am I shocked by this development. Whenever I saw someone else Black in AZ, we looked at each other like we just came out the other side of the Underground Railroad. Blacks make up about 6% of the population, 2520′s are around 75 to 80 and the rest are Hispanic. Now, when you are there, CLEARLY, there is more like 40% Hispanic but from those numbers, they aren’t registered. That said, I never see any of these “illegals” begging for change. They are always working, illegal or not. The homeless people I see, begging for change, 2520′s. So…draw your own conclusion.
AZ is on some bullish with this law. As a brother who has a mom that is light enough and hair fair enough to be “profiled” I can’t rock with this at all.
I think we can all agree the the law is some BS. The 2520′s are feeling threatened and they have to figure out a way to maintain control. I am all for dealing with the “immigration issue” but there are so many better ways than this. This is a lose/lose for everyone.
Unfortunately, Tuscon is finding a more creative way to do what Texas is also trying to do too; erase us and our contributions from history.
SB 1070 and HB 2281 need to be revised immediately. These bills are both reflections of overt racism and it is sad that the State of Arizona and other states soon to come can’t create laws that are for the betterment of American rather than again focusing solely on skin color.
I wrote a piece about the HB 2281 bill titled: “The Importance of Multicultural Studies’ Programs in the Classroom” @ http://casaraelgibson.squarespace.com check it out.
Casarae
@Casarae Gibson,
Nice spot and good read….very informative, like this place tends to be.
You know…something kind of sparked inside of me after watching that CNN piece/interview with school children and how they view their own or another individual’s skin color. Whoa… Initially, it threw me off somewhat with the first two (although, how they felt was so innocently candid)… midway/towards the end of the interview still gave me that little glimmer of hope. Still…we cannot allow ourselves to lose the young ones in this way…I look forward to reading future entries.
Excellent read you all. As usual, great entry Panama.
@Ms. Butta Worth
Thanks!
@Ms. Butta Worth
Thanks!
Unfortunately, there are a number of states that are trying to follow AZ’s lead.
I fear that too many people are trying to couch this as an “immigration” issue when, in fact, IMO, it should be considered more of constitutional issue — it is vague/ambiguous and the “state” shouldn’t be allowed to stop people randomly (I don’t care what probable cause requirement they have written into the statute, we know what will really happen) and ask for papers.
“The governor believes … public school students should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people,” Senseman said.
Sure students should be taught values and principles, is this an issue with history though? No, the issue with history is that the truth is the truth and it OUTS WHIFE FOLK!!. I believe that white folk are embarassed by their history and realize that in being outed by their history (in the history of other ethnic groups) they are the common oppressors.
Because WHITE FOLK ARE THE COMMON OPPRESSORS OF MOST ETHNIC OPPRESSION, we people of color should use this as a reason to come together and stand together.
Arizona has opened the flood gates for other states to “attempt” to pass such laws. I hope I’m wrong but I fear that I’m not.
I agree many white people are feeling threatened and are scared shitless. They want their country back from that black muslim president and all these brown illegals running amok. **rolls eyes**
Good points, all of ‘em.
Two things to consider though:
1) Gov Jan Brewer was not elected by the people. She was Secretary of State when our elected governor was promoted to D.C. by the Obama administration.
2) SB 1070 was modified by Arizona House Bill 2162 within a week of its signing, so as to only make it legal to check for documentation if the person is a suspect in an actual crime (not just, say, standing on the corner).
sorry cant agree with this post have two cousins would have police officiers in arizona..and the crime rate is on par with New York City, the kidnapping alerts at least 10-15 a day, car jacking, and assaults by illegal immigrants who get out of jail and cross the border back into Mexico or California. Sorry.. the bill does irritate me when its stretches pass the federal law. But boo the Mexican President tellling Arizona not to do something they are doing.
@Ericka yes but there are over 6 million people in that state. I won’t argue the numbers with you but check this link for yourself that is compiled by law enforcement. It will show you that AZ’s population has grown by over a million from 2002 to 2008 yet even with a bigger population there were less murders,less rapes, less agg assaults, and less burglaries (equals a lower crime rate). that is why I have to say that it IS NOT some sudden influx of new crime ala Chicago the facts don’t support that argument. Your cousins may be answering more calls because that broke assed state has laid off a ton of policeman.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/azcrime.htm
thats where the numbers are bull… the numbers only account for young immigrant children in schools, pregnant women who recently have children and receive services at the health department and jail numbers. I does not account for whole apartment complexes with 8 men renting a apartment and only one name on the lease. Be real OUR government cant even ACCOUNT for the all the minorities they currently have…they arent reporting and illegal folks arent self reporting…so yea for every 1 million they say influx its really 2 million or 1.5 million.
First of all I’m very against SB 1070, I’ve been to several protests at my state capitol, yes I said my state capitol, I live here, in Arizona.
So, I agree with your general distaste in arizona’s SB 1070 law passing…
That said, you’ you’re off base with a lot of what you’re saying.
You’re speaking on the people of arizona because we voted in Jan Brewer… actually we voted in Janet Napolitano, who Obama chose as a cabinet member, and if he had not, would still be our governor. Brewer backed into the position.
Now, there are many Jan Brewer supporters here, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many who don’t support Jan.
This type of Arizona-Hate is causing people who live here, who had little interest in the issue either way, to be against you and whatever people who have this opinion are for. Because they feel attacked, they just say F*ck you, as you say F*ck Arizona…
You’re creating more problems. Thanks, but we don’t need your “help”.
Do something productive? Find out the companies who support Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio, etc and start boycotts against them. You’re attitude is very counter-productive.
MLK didn’t say F*ck everyone in America, he used the people that were in agreement with him to his advantage…
When police