Fear among Ariz. Hispanics dampens Cinco de Mayo

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: AP

Rumors circulate of an immigration raid at Cinco de Mayo festivities. Markets normally bustling with customers preparing for the celebration are quiet. Family picnics are scaled back.

Many Hispanics in Arizona — both legal and illegal — are increasingly anxious about being targeted under the state's tough anti-illegal immigration law. Some are afraid to leave their homes, even on the day when the nation celebrates Hispanic heritage.

Some have left the state, and some of those who remain wonder if they should follow.

"They don't want to go to the park or clubs to celebrate because they're scared," said George Cortez, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Mesa, as he took a break from sweeping hair clippings at Eagle's barbershop in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in this Phoenix suburb.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0TKl0X_6XLaoaRV5tMvLQwbHuCQD9FH16QO0

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. It sucks that any community should have to live in fear. I hope Congress..

can find the will to take action on this soon.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[zazen]

2. afraid to leave their homes? sounds like Jews in the late Weimar Republic, or

African Americans during Jim Crow, victims of white-led pograms.

[RKP5637]

4. Yep, same old shit. n/t

[EFerrari]

5. Al Sharpton, some Phoenix officials and 2500 people marched

from a church in town to the capitol and held a vigil tonight.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/05/05/20100505arizona-immigration-law-sharpton-visit05-ON.html

[ORDagnabbit]

6. I'm confused...why would legal immigrants be scared? n/t

[Bette Noir]

7. Because cops have been given permission to brutalize brown people.

I guess you don't get it.

[ORDagnabbit]

9. how are the legal immigrants and for that matter illegal immigrants being brutalized?

[pinboy3niner]

14. What, about being singled out and targeted, do you not understand?

[ORDagnabbit]

19. what part of define how people are going to be "brutalized" do you not understand? n/t

[pinboy3niner]

21. The term may connote physical violence, but . . .

it may not be seen as too extreme when applied to the deprivation of constitutional rights--and encounters with law enforcement officers, when actual physical brutality sometimes does come into play.

Is your objection to the use of a term that may seem extreme, or something else?

[AlphaCentauri]

18. Well if you are brown your chances to get a traffic ticket would increase

let say your are driving in Arizona and the police officer spot your skin color instantly you become a suspect so he start looking for burned brake lights, no seat belts anything that would justified to stop you.

[ORDagnabbit]

20. if this was the case, I still dont know how this "brutalizing" somebody? plus...

If they stop you and you are a legal immigrant white or brown there is no problem... "here is my drivers license for which I presented proper immigration status to obtain. My I go now officer? Thank you and have a nice day."

[pinboy3niner]

23. Historically, the Fourth Amendment has protected EVERYONE in America

. . . from demands to show our papers, or our I.D., absent probable cause, or, in some cases, reasonable suspicion. Now, we have a state law that is virtually impossible to enforce without racial profiling. The only valid reasonable suspicion I can think of would be a case of a cop observing someone crossing the border at a place that is not a border checkpoint.

At some point in the near future, nonwhites will become the majority in the U.S. I can only hope that a humanistic view will prevail then, and that that majority will not seek to treat the minority as they were treated . . .

[LanternWaste]

28. I imagine may people may...

I imagine may people may limit the definitions of words to merely the physical plane...

[AlphaCentauri]

29. Psychological torture?

well, if you are white the chances are that you are not going to be a suspect so the police officer would not look for a excuse to stop you

[No Elephants]

35. Here's the catch: You don't have to be driving to be stopped--and those here legally

have no obligation to have proof of status with them at all times. So, if you are a legal immigrant walking to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread, you might be stopped and have no ID on you.

And, if heaven forbid, you get indignant about being singled out to be harrassed because of your skin color or your accent, no telling what might happen. I mean, the officer might reasonably conclude you are attempting to resist arrest or creating a public disturbance or any of a number of things that typically justify an officer doing stuff in our society.

[ixion]

25. Are you seious?

There is ample documentation in answer to your question to render it moot.

[strategery blunder]

8. Lots of racists in AZ

The Maricopa County Sheriff (Phoenix area is in Maricopa County) has a long history of civil rights abuses, that really *is* reminiscent of Jim Crow, and plays to the racist crowd to get re-elected. Additionally, AZ has some issues with the Mexican drug cartels, so it's very easy for local politicians to stir the pot of racial hatred with broad brushes. There is quite a lot of dogwhistling there.

It's impossible to tell the difference between a legal immigrant and an undocumented immigrant by looks alone, so legal immigrants believe they will be targeted by reason of guilty by association.

I used to live there. There are many good people in AZ fighting this, but the fear is perfectly justified (and may come as a rude awakening for those out-of-state not familiar with AZ politics).

[47of74]

26. Yes

There was this lady at work swooning over that son of a bitch Arpaio. What she doesn't understand is the shitty response time to calls for regular law enforcement work, the backlog of unsolved crimes because he's too busy preening for the cameras, and all the lawsuits that come with his showboating.

[EFerrari]

11. Not only legal immigrants but native born citizens who look Latino.

And if you don't understand not wanting to be harassed by police, then you are confused.

[bitchkitty]

48. You're very kind. Confused is not the word I would have used.

[Zorra]

13. Dunno. The Norwegian immigrants don't seem to be worried. n/t

[amandabeech]

43. My heritage is UK, Ireland and Sweden.

Unfortunately, I have dark hair and eyes, and am frequently assumed to be Italian or Spanish, particularly in the summer when my normally fair, but golden tinted, skin turns darker.

If I should travel to AZ, I'll take my birth certificate with me and expect to be asked for it.

The law, and I have only read the Wiki, was carefully written to pass Constitutional muster.

The is supposed to come into play only when there is reasonable cause for the cops to suspect that you are involved in unlawful activity. Then, they must have reasonable cause to suspect that you are not legal.

The theory here is probably OK with the Roberts court. The practice is likely to be bad enough that the law will be overturned once some cop harasses someone just walking to the corner store for some pop. This will probably happen at the preliminary injuction, or even a temporary restraining order, stage of a Constitutional challenge. This damned law won't be enforced for very long.

That will put the quietous on all the clones of this nasty thing.

[pinboy3niner]

15. Because THEIR papers can be demanded

Despite the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against illegal search and seizure. It's not paranoia when they really ARE out to get you.

[pampango]

30. And why would honest people be afraid of government wiretaps? As the repubs say, "If

you're not doing or saying anything wrong, you have nothing to be afraid of from wiretaps. Let the government do whatever it wants. It knows best."

[No Elephants]

34. You just don't get profiling. Probably 100% of people fearful of driving while black

are in the country legally and most of them have never broken any more laws than I have. (I have a tendency to jaywalk.)

[KamaAina]

39. Oh, I don't know

perhaps because they might be stopped for Driving While Brown, not happen to have their birth certificate with them, and get "deported" to Mexico a la Cheech Marin in "Born In East L.A."?

[amandabeech]

44. No, legal residents and citizens won't be deported.

They are given an opportunity to get their ID, although they'll probably put in some time at the police station, maybe in a holding cell.

It won't be pleasant, but I don't think that those legally here will face deportation unless something gets totally and absolutely screwed up.

However, as I've written here and elsewhere, I doubt that this law is going to be enforced for more than a couple of weeks before the courts get involved. It's a loser in practice.

[KamaAina]

46. Oh, well, that's OK, then.

As long as legal U.S. residents only spend a little time in a holding cell getting beaten with a rubber hose when they haven't committed any crime. :eyes:

[amandabeech]

47. Read my post again. And again. And again,. And again.

Nowhere in that post did I say that this law is good. Nowhere. Nowhere. Nowhere.

You are letting your emotions get in the way of your reading comprehension.

FYI, I think it is a stupid law, and my point is that it is so bad and so unconstitutional that it will be struck down by the courts shortly after it takes effect.

[Posteritatis]

42. Because most of the people cheering this law aren't drawing much of a distinction. (nt)

[Grassy Knoll]

10. How bout possum kkk pie, you like us bedder ?

[thelordofhell]

12. Mesa------short for

M-ormons
E-verywhere
S-tay
A-way



:hide:

[Iliyah]

16. At least

the KKK have them in a corner. Thank you GOP.

Sounds like the Nazi movement has awoken.

[Iliyah]

17. In reply

to the poster who can't figure it out. Legal Latinos don't won't to be harassed. This law will focus on people who don't look like Americans that means even legalized and American citizen people of color will have problems. What the law is portraying, in my opinion, if you are not white you need to have papers.

[EFerrari]

22. AP has a few images of the vigil tonight at this link:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100506/480/urn_publicid_ap_org1ada6d3cc964492498e352eb91193d29/

[ixion]

24. To invoke fear was one of the intentions of this horrible piece of legislation

Arizona is becoming a gaping maw of paranoia.

[Odin2005]

27. This was exactly the intention of this law.

[slackmaster]

32. You mean the law that hasn't even taken effect yet?

:argh:

[No Elephants]

37. Perhaps if you look up "intention" in the dictionary you will see it has nothing to do with

whether a law has gone into effect yet or not.

[slackmaster]

38. I think the real intention of the law has been obscured beneath layers of exaggerated accusations

Of xenophobia and racism.

[No Elephants]

40. No, the intent of the authors of this legislation has been documented. Hell, even Scarborough

agrees to that one.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

45. yes, it was

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[workinclasszero]

33. And that fear is brought to you by the republican party!

Don't ever forget that!

[Xenotime]

36. That's so sad that the racists have allowed thugs contol national holidays.

[No Elephants]

41. Isn't it amazing how posters who ostensibly don't post at DU often

fly their homophobic or xenophobic flags?