May 7, 1999
By Julio C. Calderón
I have always disliked writers who overstate their views with analogies for shock purposes, ethnic would be one of them. But how else can one describe the constant attack on immigration at the polls? As if by closing the borders and deporting Latinos will stop our growing population and influence. America is and has been the beacon drawing people from all over the world. People seeking freedom and prosperity. They will come here through legal channels, and they will come here illegally, and they come speaking every language in the world... not just Spanish.
But is it the Spanish speaking who are attacked. Prop 187 Jr. is named "The Local Immigration Officer Training Act," and will mandate the training of local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws in California. The Irish and Canadian or any other White European wetbacks shouldn't worry, since they are not detectable from the White citizenry of California. Latinos and Asians, American born, naturalized, and illegal should worry.
We have the best peace officers in the nation. They are the best trained in enforcing our state's penal codes, but when going into unknown territory, they are fumblers, and step all over people's civil rights. We have read much in recent months about "Driving While Being Black" in various states, where African Americans are being profiled and unjustly stopped by police. If this proposition passes, we will see what "Living in California Being Brown" will bring.
This isn't speculation. It isn't paranoia. It isn't over-reaching. It is a fact. It happened in Chandler, Arizona, in July 1997.
Arizona Republic reporter Julie Amparano wrote in her article, "Hispanics Lack Political Clout," that, "The Chandler community activist (Juanita Encinas, a community leader) noticed the leadership darth shortly after Chandler police conducted a five-day immigration sweep in July 1997, in which many U.S. born Hispanics were pulled aside and asked to prove their citizenship. Two children reported being stopped on their way home from school and warned to carry birth certificates. A professional golfer complained of being barred from leaving a grocery store in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Teenagers said they were hauled out of a restaurant by officers who demanded they produce proof of citizenship."
These accusations were not made-up. They happened. The INS recruited the help of the Chandler Police Department for the five-day round-up of illegal immigrants. For five days Mexican Americans were pulled over by police, stopped on street corners, children were questioned outside school, only because they were Brown in Chandler, Arizona. In five days the Chandler Police and the INS netted more than 400 illegals, but in the process stomped all over the civil rights of hundreds more brown-skinned American citizens. Not one White Chandler citizen or person visiting that fine city, complained about being unduly stopped by the police to prove their right to be on American soil.
Raoul Lowery Contreras cited the "Findings and Declaration" section of the proposed proposition in his April 30 article in La Prensa San Diego. It is necessary to repeat it here because the language speaks volumes about the nature and philosophy of the authors. "Section 1. Finding and Declaration. The People of California find and declare: That the federal government's enforcement of the United States immigration laws has failed to prevent millions of aliens from unlawfully entering California and taking up residence in the State; That the unlawful presence of millions of aliens imposes intolerable burdens on California public schools, public health resources, and other state and local government services and facilities and fosters a climate of lawlessness that threatens social peace and stability." The authors are pursuing every emotional button that God-fearing, law-abiding Californians worry about.
As Latinos in California gain more and more political and economic power in the state, we will see more and more friction between the races. The Mexican American population, historically, was the worker-bee community. We were expected to harvest their crops, clean and trim their yards, and wipe their babies butts, and fight this nation's wars. We were to stay in the working class, not elevate ourselves into economic or political powers. We were not to excel in academics. And we certainly were not supposed to grow in the numbers we have. But we did and we will continue to do so.
According to Contreras, the authors have recruited the support of Blacks in Los Angeles to make this look less a racial issue. It is an attempt to mirror the organizing for proposition 227, the Bilingual Education initiative of last year, where Latino in favor of the initiative. Their involvement kept the debate from eroding into a racial debate. However, African Americans have no stake in immigration issues. If a Black Cuban is walking down the street with a Mexican American, he will not be asked for papers.
This initiative targets only two races of people, Latinos and Asians.
Racism and bigotry are human frailties, when there are no solutions to the state or nation's problems, we find people to blame. Usually, it's bad economic times that bring these things on, but there are those who are relentless. This is why the authors found it necessary to write "...fosters a climate of lawlessness that threatens social peace and stability." I wonder why how many illegals there are in Littleton, Colorado, where children erupted in rage to massacre other children? The only Latinos involved were among the victims of two white, upper middle-class children.
Perhaps... no.. ethnic cleansing is an over-reach on my part, but is seems the authors of this initiative are bent on ridding the state of any Latino influence, and they are using African Americans, who should recognize racism when it occurs, to provide them a facade of color. If this initiative does reach the ballot next year, the campaign will be uglier than that for proposition 187. This time, rather than a voice saying, "they keep coming and coming." We will see Black actor and leaders pointing to grainy black and white photos of illegal immigrants rushing the border.
The danger in social peace and stability will not come from immigrants, but from the divide this initiative will bring to our state. This initiative will force a battle pitting Blacks and Whites against Latinos and Asians. Latino political influence was just emerging in 1994 when Proposition 187 passed. We had a governor who not only embraced the initiative, but championed it. Things are different now.
This instability will effect the Democratic structure in the State Capitol. It has begun between Gov. Gray Davis and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante... and while there are some Latino legislators who have come to Davis' defense, they will divide when the ever-cautious Davis refuses to put resources to defeat this proposition.
The success or failure of this proposition will be in the hands of Californians of all stripes. The true nature of the state's social conscious will be on display, it will be tested.
(Julio Calderon is the publisher of "Calderon Newsletter." E-Mail latsec@aol.com)
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