The modern day airport is full of amateur sleuths “specializing” in racial profiling, and predictably most are as dumb as rocks. Recently, I was informed that I could no longer board a parked airplane in the morning to check the water gauge to determine if the night shift had done something besides sleeping, watching TV or playing cards all night. I had been doing this for 2-1/2 years, and now, suddenly, someone detected a “security” risk. But then again, it only takes one paranoid bigot to make that determination. I know how these folks “think”: last year, a glorified waitress (i.e. “flight attendant”) asked me if I had the swine flu. I said nothing, but the look I gave her persuaded her to answer own question: “I was just joking,” but not very convincingly. There is a certain employee for United Air Lines who every time he sees me, he imitates a police siren noise; he thinks it is “funny.” But you know what the funny thing is? "No, what's the funny thing?" I don’t think it's a funny thing.
Airline passengers often complain of the minor inconveniences they have to endure. But this would only be an issue of vital concern if it was “targeted” for specific people; even Timothy McVeigh would have passed by those TSA guys a million times and they never would have suspected him of anything even once. But this is but a trifle: it is much worse if you are actually a target because of the prevailing prejudices. Take, for instance, another experience that I have had. Early one morning I took an elevator up to the concourse to avail myself to a cup of coffee; it was raining and cold outside, and so I decided to sit in a waiting area and watch the news on a television monitor. Since it was before 6 AM hardly anyone was up there, accept a few passengers who showed-up early. Two white men were sitting in front of me, engaged in light conversation. Five minutes later, probably summoned by a suspicious and/or bigoted gate attendant, there appeared two white blue-shirted TSA guys and two black port security guys from the elevator, and made straightway to our location. The security guys were instructed to stand on the periphery, apparently to insure that no one got away. The TSA guys approached one the white men, informing him that they were conducting a “random” search of bags. The first passenger “joked” to the second that this was “All your fault,” but was obviously annoyed by the goings on.
While the man’s bag was being searched, I looked at my watch; there was a plane I had to service coming arriving in five minutes, and reluctantly acknowledged that I had to leave then instead of finishing my coffee in warm comfort. I thought nothing of the activities of the TSA people; I was not getting on any plane, and I was an employee who had already been subjected to an FBI screening. I walked past the port security guys, who apparently thought nothing of delaying my departure. Once outside, I retrieved my tug and arrived at the designated gate just as the plane arrived. While I was servicing the plane, a van suddenly shrieked to a stop a few feet from me; inside were the two TSA guys, both glaring at me with look of deep resentment. Uh-Oh—they apparently forgot to tell the security guys that the two white men were not “the target”—that was just for show. I was “the target”—I, because of my “ethnicity” was a potential terrorist threat because I was drinking a cup of coffee in the concourse. Such is the fact of simple minds. Prejudice is always the product of simple, moronic minds.
There are in fact very few “Mexicans” out of the thousands who work at airport; most of them probably work for the vendor I am employed by. It is unknown if this is a conscious political act, in order not to disturb passengers who are influenced by the current wave of xenophobic hysteria; if they were aware that many if not most of the African immigrants employed at the airport are Muslims, they’d probably have a double-fit. But the media has not seen this as fit for propaganda use, since it doesn’t want to be accused of “racism.”
On another occasion, I was standing at the bus stop, waiting for my bus to go home. A Port police officer appeared. He stood about 10 yards away. He smiled at me. I smiled back and looked away. When I turned back, there he was standing right next to me. He asked me if that was my laptop. I said it was. He demanded that I show him where my name was on it. I became very upset, but did as he said. Right in front of a crowd of people he had me sit on the curb, remove my laptop and locate my name on it. What a jerk. I conducted a running commentary concerning police harassment, racial profiling, etc. I had to type in a password; I invited him to type it in. I was obviously embarrassing him. He called in the serial number, which came-up negative as stolen. I repeatedly asked why he singled me out. He became agitated, and wishing to avoid a further scene, finally allowed me to go. I filed a complaint with the port, along with statements from two colleagues. There was an investigation, but naturally it was found “justified.” A month later, the same officer, apparently miffed that he had been investigated, reappeared at the bus stop. I was just standing there with a backpack when I noticed the officer standing not 10 feet away from me, sending sneaky glances at my pack. Nearby was one the colleagues who had sent in a statement; I laughed and pointed at the cop, he’s back. The cop, realizing that he could now be legitimately accused of harassment, said you could be more friendly. Well, I tried that before, hadn't I?
At this juncture, it might be useful point out for the unfamiliar with it the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” The Fifth Amendment, meanwhile, contains something about persons shall not “be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.”
But some people seem to have no rights that some other people are bound to respect. One of most routinely ignored rights a citizen has from police abuse is not being stopped and/or required to produce your identification for any arbitrary reason, including race or appearance. That is until the Hebiil case in which the fascist five on the Supreme Court once again trampled on a person’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. Police are now allowed to stop anyone or demand ID on mere “reasonable suspicion.” What does “reasonable suspicion” mean? I know what “reasonable suspicion” means to xenophobic whites, and by extension their police. Skin color or “ethnicity,” walking alone, speaking a different language, reading a book—these are all sufficient “reasons” for “suspicion.” In Arizona, it could mean merely looking like a “Mexican.” When I was singled out of scores of others waiting at a bus stop, it was clear that there is not a low standard for “reasonable suspicion” or even “probable cause”—there is no standard at all.
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