Now I know what it feels like (just a little bit). I can’t say I really relate, because my experience was so minimal and filled with so much less drama than, say, a hispanic person might feel if pulled over in the Southwestern part of the US.
I was talking with a friend and I asked, “What are the main points to the opposition to the Arizona laws?” I couldn’t really understand what people were up in arms about. I’d heard that racial profiling was an issue, but what did that really have to do with the push for amnesty and such? I didn’t like the answer I heard, but I listened anyway.
Seems that the Arizona laws, which I assume were passed to basically enforce the immigration laws already on the books … it seems that a police officer could pull anyone that appeared to be an illegal immigrant over and ask for their documentation. Turns out the laws are still centered around reasonable (i.e. legal) suspicion and the search and seizure laws. It’s not like cops could just pull over anyone with brown-tinted skin and ask for their papers. It still has to be a legitimate stop.
When I read the paper I was given, though, it shed some light on the whole experience being talked about. I was driving home with a 4×8 trailer and a lawnmower on the back. One of my trailer tires was flat due to a broken valve stem, so I was driving slow and with my hazards on. I was pulled over as I pulled onto my street. The paper says “Reasonable Suspicion.” The policeman asked for my driver’s license and ran my information and plates through their law enforcement database to see if I had any outstanding warrants or anything. Since I did not and I hadn’t done anything, the guy let me continue on home. It was a hassle. I did not like it.
I still think illegal immigrants are “cheaters” and that cheating isn’t right, but I can understand a little bit more how some of the opposition to the Arizona laws (which I’m sure you’ve heard is supported by a majority of the people in that state and all across the USA) are perceived.
Maybe I could say my empathy has increased a little.
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