Standing Up for What's Right

Last week, Arizona passed a law requiring law enforcement to determine the residency status of individuals they had "reasonable suspicion" of being in the U.S. illegally. Many people, myself included, were outraged and began boycotting the state as a result. Such a decision doesn't come without consequence.

To be fair, Arizona really does have a serious problem with illegal immigrants. There are a lot of them there; their presence has strained state resources, brought about an increase in crime, and given the Mexican drug cartel a stronger foothold in the U.S. Tired of waiting for the federal government to address the issue, the Arizona Senate crafted and passed their own bill to deal with the problem. But this bill isn't the right way to achieve their goal.

When the law goes into effect, local police officers will be required to question people about their immigration status if they have reason to suspect they are here illegally. Those who fail to produce documents could be arrested, jailed for up to six months, and fined $2,500. Of course, those who are found to be here illegally will be deported.

But what is sufficient documentation? Last week, two different truckers were stopped and detained until their wives could produce birth certificates for them. A driver's license and social security card were considered insufficient evidence. One waited for four hours in handcuffs. Turns out he really was born and raised here in the U.S.

Some say the law can only be enforced if an individual is stopped for some other observed offense. If that is true, it seems to be on paper only. Not waiting for the law to actually take effect, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Phoenix conducted an immigration sweep two days ago and said in a post-sweep interview that he considers the inability to speak English reasonable suspicion. But before that, he said exactly the opposite.

Others say the law is only enforcing the federal statute. Even if that is true (which I don't believe for a second), the state does not have authority to circumvent federal authority. (Hint: it says that right there in the U.S. Constitution: Article I - Section 1, Article I - Section 8, Article VI - Clause 2, the Fourth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment).

Either way, the law makes racial profiling legal. It not only allows it, it requires it, all the while thumbing its nose at the silly notion that the federal government has supreme authority over this issue. Folks can deny it all they want but the actions of law enforcement and the seeming tacit community's approval of same tell a very different story than what proponents of the new law claim.

While the bill was being considered in the state legislature, people from all over the country, including Arizona's own member of the House of Representatives, Raul Grijalva, warned of a nationwide boycott if they passed the bill. Now folks are all up in arms because people like me are actually following through. How dare we hurt innocent citizens? Don't we know the economy is already terrible in Arizona? It's not fair to make things worse. Or so they say. My thinking is this: if you supported the bill, you deserve to be boycotted. If you didn't support SB1070 but did nothing to prevent it, you lost your right to complain about the outcome.

But now that it's done, the country has quickly become divided. Hate mail, threats, and violence has increased against elected officials who oppose hate, threats, and violence. Personal attacks are no longer limited to elected officials or public community leaders. More and more, individuals are being targeted on websites, social media outlets, and in their communities. How do I know? Because I'm one of those targets.

All because I'm doing what I said I would do if they did what they did. I have been subjected to vile and hateful missives, promising to do all kinds of terrible things. I'm receiving threatening emails from people I've never heard of. Callers hang up when I answer the phone. And though I haven't been able to verify it, I'm told that my picture and my personal information have been posted on two Republican websites with the note that I am a target.

The racist, homophobic, misogynist, intolerant people among us are willing to use tactics we are not. We won't fight fire with more fire. They know that about us and get away with their garbage as a result.

We all know that racist, bigoted people have been subjecting minorities to all kinds of atrocities throughout time. The difference between those situations and this one is that Arizona is a legal entity of this country, bound by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and it made discrimination and racial profiling legal. This law says to all the world that we're done limiting discrimination to good ole boy circles and KKK cliques; we're done trying to keep it quiet. We're taking our hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance public and declaring to all the world that this piece of trash represents the new America.

It will be up to the courts to decide if the law is actually unconstitutional. I think it's just another stellar example of GOP hypocrisy: Accuse Democrats of injecting too much government into the private sector when it suits you but consider a law like this to be completely appropriate and not at all intrusive when you want to put "those" people in their place.