(Image from gringomask.com.)

cnews.canoe.ca
May 7, 2010
Gringo Masks protect Arizona minorities from immigration law
By SHEENA GOODYEAR, QMI Agency

A Miami-based ad agency has a solution for visible minorities in Arizona who fear racial profiling in light of the state's new immigration law - wear a Gringo Mask.

The law calls on immigrants to bring their registration with them everywhere they go, and requires police to question anyone they suspect might be in the U.S. illegally.

Critics of the bill, which passed on April 23, say it will open the floodgates to racial profiling.

That's why Zubi, a Hispanic ad agency whose business model is to erase stereotypes, is offering up cut-outs of white faces with golden locks.

Of course, wearing the mask won't really make cops think you're white. Its true purpose is to protest the new bill, which Joe Zubi, chief operating officer at Zubi, calls "ludicrous."

"It's our way of saying, 'You guys are out of control out there," Zubi told QMI Agency.

"I mean, here we are doing what we can to present Hispanics in a positive light ... and all of a sudden, we're back to being stereotypes again," he said.

Zubi said the the agency has no issue with immigration reform and supports proper documentation for anyone coming to the U.S. However, he believes the new law will cause Hispanics to be questioned and arrested simply because they look Hispanic.

"This is a statement against racial profiling," Zubi said.

The masks are available at gringomask.com. Zubi says the campaign is gaining momentum, with the site averaging 30,000 hits a day, and 15,000 masks downloaded so far.

Zubi also plans to print out a couple hundred Gringo Masks and hand them out on the streets.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/ ... snewsworld