Asian-American says Latinos not only ones hit by Ariz. immigration law

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: USA Today

Jim Shee says he never experienced discrimination, let alone racial profiling, until his 70th birthday. Shee, a Paradise Valley, Ariz., real-estate investor of Chinese and Spanish descent, was driving to meet friends for lunch on April 6, 2010, his birthday, when he stopped on a side street in west Phoenix to check a text message.

A Phoenix police officer approached and tapped on his car window.

"Let me see your papers," Shee says the officer told him.

"That is the very first thing he said," recalled Shee, now 72.
Shee, whose civil-rights battle against Arizona's strict immigration law is credited with highlighting the law's impact beyond the Latino community, was taken aback.

Born in Tucson, Shee has been a U.S. citizen all his life. No police officer had ever asked him for his "papers."

When he asked why he'd been stopped, Shee says the officer told him, "You looked suspicious."

Less than two weeks later, Shee said, he was profiled again by police.

This time, he was with his Japanese-American wife, Marian, driving back to the area after taking her across the border in San Luis, Sonora, to have some dental work done.


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/11/26/arizona-immigration-asian-americans/1726535/

[Texin]

1. There are many Asian-American or ethnic Asian individuals

whose facial characteristics are similar to Native American and Latin American individuals whose ancestors were descended from the native/aboriginal Indian populations of Mexico and other Latin American countries. For most of us who believe that humans have been around for millions of years and weren't plopped onto the planet only about 5,000+ years ago by a blue-eyed, white-bearded God, the theories about that archipelago of islands and land masses that connected the Asian continent with the American continent is a pretty sound one, and might explain why a lot of folks from Asia look a lot like folks from Meso-America and Latin America. It might explain why a cop in Arizona could have a bit of trouble with that "Papers, Please" law in Arizona and elsewhere it exists.

[heaven05]

3. those

cops "have a bit of trouble" because they are racist clods dropped from the behind of a hog!

[Texin]

4. I'm not defending their racism. They're definitely racists.

I'm merely stating that this disgusting law is a problem for more folks than just the ones the law was intended to harass and challenge. It should be unconscionable as well as unconstitutional.

[freshwest]

5. The mindset goes back to the Confederacy's basis on the subordination of non-whites.

They claimed it was the natural order and God's plan. They were traitors then and those who follow them are traitors now to the ideals of the Founding Fathers.

Thanks for the lesson on the similiarities, I knew this but has not seen it so well laid out for those unfamiliar. Good post.

I hope this gentleman is able to stop this and it proves why it is so important to vote in majorities in the House and Senate as well electing a POTUS to nominate candidates for the USSC who believe in equal rights.

If he can go far enough, eventually this may end up in the Supreme Court. They will consider an appeal by states against the reauthorized Voting Rights Act. Same mindset, different century:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/1110/Voting-Rights-Act-Why-many-Southern-states-are-glad-of-Supreme-Court-case

[Rozlee]

14. Some of them were shit fully formed from Medusa's ass.

[heaven05]

2. if

the right wing get's control of this country, their new mantra will be "show me your papers" for all who are not white males. god bless amerikkka and the state that is showing the way to an enlightened future.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Welcome to Prescott Arizona and show me your papers.

Got to remember,to many people that are the new Protect and Serve are the folks who were bullied in High School and now have a badge and they are now the new BULLIES with a Badge. When you are making only 20k a year with a Gun and a Badge,what do you expect. Garbage in garbage out.

[patrice]

7. Personal ambitions in the War on Drugs is part of what drives this + "Whites" are never in

the drug business.

What if police searched everyone who pulled over so not to endanger others by using their personal communication devices?

[CreekDog]

8. The law is horrible and I'm upset at the DU members in particular who supported this law

despite being warned of all the nasty things that would happen if it were enacted.

we were all mostly against it, but dozens of people here, thinking only of themselves, vocally advocated for this horrible law.

[Michigan-Arizona]

9. Our last trip through Ohio

Every time we go through Ohio on the way to Michigan we get pulled over with our Arizona plates. The last trip I was patted down ( first time in my life ) & detained for a long time along side of the road on I-75. She claimed I was speeding but said she could not tell me how much over I was going, said if she told me she'd have to issue me a ticket. Hubby & I are retired & white. I called my retired detective brother who said she was absolutely profiling us with the Arizona plates. We can pretty much know we'll be pulled over when we cross that line into Ohio! She asked me so many question's such as where my husband worked, how long we were going to be in Michigan, she asked me a few times what my address here in Arizona was , she had my license in her hand plus she had already ran it, etc..... After all this she just issued me a warning note.

[knitter4democracy]

10. Ohio's really a police state.

They'll pull you over for going 5mph over or less, give out a million parking tickets with rules that aren't posted anywhere but are supposed to be magically known (*cough* Cleveland Hts), and worse. Seriously, I'd never dealt with the police half as much growing up in Michigan as I did after going to college and living in Ohio.

[Michigan-Arizona]

11. Exactly!

We both grew up maybe 35 miles north of the Ohio -Michigan border. Always hated driving into Ohio even with Michigan plates, they seem to just hate Michiganders. My retired (Michigan) detective brother would say when they had training's together the Michigan cops would tell the Ohio ones you'd ticket your own mother, even he said he hated driving through Ohio. Ohio is our worst state going all the way from Arizona to Michigan, we both just dread it once we cross that line into that police state. You really think it's 5 over, I always thought it was 1 or less, lol...... Ohio car's speed every day on I-75 & Michigan never seems to harass them like Ohio does us.

[knitter4democracy]

12. There's no reciprocity, either.

Get a ticket, and you have to pay in cash right then. I got a speeding ticket (for 7 over on dry pavement, low traffic, sunny day, divided 4 lane highway--seriously), and the only reason the state trooper didn't make me pay immediately is because I had my Christian college sticker on the back and he figured he could trust me to pay it.

My brother's a cop in Michigan, and he says the same thing.

[Michigan-Arizona]

13. Have to pay in cash on the spot

Yes I forgot about that as well. A friend of my daughter's had that happen to her down in Toledo, her cop didn't trust her so she had to pay right then & there. If it wasn't already a long trip I'd go straight through Indiana into Michigan, it would add quite a few miles. Our family is all in the lower SE corner of Michigan just above Toledo, Ohio.

[AsahinaKimi]

15. Guess I won't be going back to Arizona any time soon.

Funny, because in the two years I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona I was never harassed or heard comments about my race, other than one woman, who I have told the story about, on here, that asked me if I was native American. She apparently had never seen an Asian woman before.. (though how that could be, I have no idea).


I really liked it there, especially Camelback Mountain. I loved the cactus collection I had, and all the little lizards that ran every where were kind of cute.

[Pterodactyl]

16. The timeline makes no sense.

The first incident occurred on 4/6/10. The law wasn't signed until 4/23/10 and was almost immediately stopped by the courts. The so-called "show me your papers" provisions did not go into effect until much later.

[AlphaCentauri]

17. So there was racial profiling prior to 4/6/10

In Landmark Racial Profiling Settlement, Arizona Law Enforcement Agents Agree to Major Reforms

In response to a class action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and local attorneys, the Arizona Department of Public Safety has agreed to make sweeping reforms to prevent racial profiling by patrol officers along the state's highways and streets.

"This is an historic agreement that will benefit both the public and law enforcement here in Arizona," said Flagstaff attorney Lee Phillips, who is lead counsel in the case. "After years of reports that Black and Hispanic motorists have been illegally targeted by patrol officers, the Department of Public Safety has finally agreed to adopt concrete measures that will help identify and eliminate racial profiling on our highways."

The new measures come in response to a 2001 class action lawsuit brought on behalf of 11 motorists by Phillips and the ACLU, which charged that law enforcement officials engaged in a continuing pattern and practice of race-based traffic stops, detentions and searches. The class includes all non-white motorists stopped by Department of Public Safety officials anywhere in Arizona.

As part of the settlement, the Department of Public Safety agreed to collect and review statistical data relating to traffic stops and vehicle searches statewide. The data will be analyzed by external consultants on an annual basis to determine why, how and where motorists are stopped, detained and searched. The ACLU said that the information will help identify possible racial profiling by patrol officers.

http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/landmark-racial-profiling-settlement-arizona-law-enforcement-agents-agree-major-refor

[Pterodactyl]

18. Perhaps, but wasn't related to the law.

The article tries to link the incident to the law and that makes no sense.

[AlphaCentauri]

19. The law was an attempt to legalize racial profiling n/t

[Pterodactyl]

20. And the incident happened before the law was passed.

So police are expected to enforce laws that have not even passed? I don't think so!

[davidpdx]

21. I can imagine

So much of the focus has been on Latinos and Asians are kind of caught in the middle of the whole thing.

[kelliekat44]

22. You don't even have to be an immigrant to be stopped if you are black.

It's time to begin to stop non-English speaking whites if they want to go this route. Lot's of "white" illegals go undetected and un-harrassed.