‘Roots’ Remake to Air on History, A&E and Lifetime Next Year

[landtuna]

One of the many things that made me sell my home in Arizona was an incident where, while chatting in a Basha's checkout line in Spanish, a trashy white woman told us that neither of us wold ever get a good job if we didn't quit speaking "Mexican" and learn English.

And I will be willing to bet that woman was an import from elsewhere and not a native Arizonan. Those of us who grew up here tend to treat Latinos as we would anyone else. We live with them. We eat their food. We share their music. Unfortunately, this state is full of people from other parts of the US who bring their prejudices with them. Your house was in one of the most beautiful parts of the state and next door to even more beauty. It is a shame you let this bigot drive you out.

 

[frankberry]

Please get this back on topic.

 

[landtuna]

Absolutely. I would bet that the "vast majority" of Maricopa County voters that landtuna speaks of are not Latino. I would not appreciate being stopped by police and required to show my ID constantly because my skin was dark. Fortunately for me, I'm a pasty faced white guy, so I guess I would be fine in Phoenix.

I would agree with you but only since most Latinos, legal or otherwise, do not support restricted immigration. Latinos have been coming into this region of the USA since it became US territory without restriction and they don't want it restricted now. Were I a resident of Mexico and unable to make a living down there for my family I would likely be one of those who came here to find a job. It is a very tough situation and our Congress has really dropped the ball allowing the problem to fester and divide families and law enforcement. Unfortunately, some Latinos have made matters worse by taking an aggressive stance, waving the Mexican flag etc., which does tend to inflame people who otherwise have compassion for people in this situation.

Also - I don't have statistics to back me up, but I'd bet that illegal immigrants as a group commit fewer crimes than most other ethnic or social groups. I live in an area of San Francisco where there are a lot of illegal immigrants standing around hoping to get work. In my experience, they are respectful and pleasant - never cause any trouble that I have seen, and are just trying to make a living. In my opinion, Police have no business detaining people who are not suspected of committing a crime. Yes, I know - being "illegal" is technically against the law, but that should be up to ICE, not local police.

Judging by the stories on local news daily I would estimate that a majority of violent crimes in the Phoenix metro area are committed by people with Latin names. I have no idea whether they are legal or not but when we hear about someone who commits a violent crime and is eventually captured and found to be illegal having come into this country more than once (and frequently many times) it infuriates local residents. Even Sheriff Arpio had to create two Tent Cities to segregate illegals from citizens due to their tendency to commit violent acts while incarcerated. The legal Latinos don't like them any more than the rest of us. The problem is that our federal government has completely dropped the ball on border security and it is way too easy for criminals to cross the border. Add to that the problem of children brought here illegally when young and you have a real family-tearing nightmare.

From time to time we have constructions projects that are manned by craftsmen we know are illegal. They work hard and cause no trouble. They really earn their money despite being cheated out of it sometimes by bosses who know they can't go to the police. I always make sure I talk with the boss when the crew first shows up to ensure the workers will get what they are owed. My wife has been known to tell several bosses to give them a longer lunch breaks than normal (which we pay for) when it is very hot here. They have been invited to eat at our table or we make a burrito run. They are free to use our household facilities as needed. In short, we treat them just as we would any other person doing work for us. When our sons moved out they left furniture, TV's and clothing they didn't want. We gave it all away to the worker's families. They are working very hard to become productive citizens and I have absolutely no problem giving them a break. And there are a lot of people like me here.

 

[frankberry]

This has become an off-topic racial thread which has nothing to do with the original subject. It also has nothing to do with radio. I'm closing the thread.