Border security and racial tension must never clash
LINDA SHOEMAKER: Border security and racial tension must never clash
Posted May 28, 2010 at 6:04 p.m.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Like Arizona, we share a border with Mexico. Unlike Arizona, we do not have a law that makes racial profiling legal.
Just imagine that you are a young Hispanic professional, born in the U.S. to immigrant parents. You live in Arizona. You stop at a convenient restaurant for breakfast before going to the office.
As you enter, you notice two police officers seated at a table. They both look up as you enter and then watch you as you are seated. Their surveillance makes you nervous because you are aware of the new law.
When your coffee is served, you begin to add cream and sugar. Your nervous hands cause coffee to spill on the table. Now you are more rattled than ever. You look at the officers and see that they are approaching. Your nervous actions have aroused their suspicion.
One of them asks to see your driver’s license while the other officer stands nearby, his feet spread slightly and his hand resting on the butt of his gun. You nervously dig for your wallet.
Oh my God! Where is your wallet? You can’t find it in your suit coat pocket. You must have left it at home on your dresser.
The officers ask you to accompany them outside. When you cannot produce any identification, they tell you that you will be taken to jail. What crime have you committed? You look like a Mexican.
Is that the crime committed by Johnny Silvas and Jesse Martinez, two outstanding community leaders who are running for office in Tom Green County? Is that why Russ Duerstine, Tom Green County Republican Party chairman, said in a recent article: “We must defeat the likes of Jesse Martinez and Johnny Silvas.â€
