http://www.vueweekly.com/articles/default.aspx?i=5556

FRONT
NEWSFLASH: BORDER GUARDS ARE INSENSITIVE DINKS
ROSS MOROZ / ross@vueweekly.com



A Detroit-based rap producer and label boss is suing 95 Canadian border guards and two former Immigration Ministers over what he sees as racial profiling of black rappers at the Canadian border.

Murdercap Records owner Jerome Almon claims that he was detained and questioned 117 out of the 120 times he’s entered Canada, adding that on several occasions border guards falsely accused him of having a criminal record (Almon concedes that he has been arrested twice but has never been convicted) and that some border guards made “racist comments.”

His suit, which seeks $900 million in damages, was reportedly prepared with the help of Detroit’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and mentions several high-profile incidents where American rappers like DMX, 50 Cent and Eminem were either detained at the border or refused entry into Canada.

“I don't see this as any different than what Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks did in Alabama,” Almon told the Globe and Mail.

“I would never have expected that of Canada; maybe North Korea or Iran, but not Canada.”
If the lawsuit—which was filed on Fri, Jan 12 in Michigan—actually goes to trial, Almon promises to call an impressive slate of witnesses, including rappers Jay Z and Diddy and even Oprah Winfrey and former US Secretary of State Colin Powel.

The Government of Canada has not yet released a statement on the legal action, but a representative from the Canada Border Service Agency has indicated that his organization believes Almon’s accusations are unfounded.

“The burden is on the applicant to prove they are admissible to Canada,” CBSA spokesperson Derek Mellon told the National Post.

“Our program is universal and our offices do not discriminate on the basis of race, nationality or religion.” V




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