A North Carolina sheriff, Terry S. Johnson, is being accused of discrimination and racial targeting along with his deputies. Huffington Post reports:
According to the federal report, Johnson referred to Latinos as “taco eaters” prone to drinking, drug dealing and other crimes. He ordered special roadblocks in neighborhoods were Latinos live, during which those with brown skin were stopped while whites were waved through.
Johnson also ordered his deputies to arrest motorists who appeared Latino – even for minor traffic infractions – while letting white drivers off with warnings, according to the report. His deputies, in turn, were as much as 10 times more likely to stop Latino drivers than non-Latinos, according the federal review of the department’s traffic stop records. Hispanics make up only 11 percent of the county’s population.
The sheriff is also quoted as saying ”If you stop a Mexican, don’t write a citation, arrest him,” while insisting on Tuesday that ”We have never discriminated against Spanish speaking persons in any way, shape or form. The Obama administration has decided to continue to wage war on local law enforcement.”
We must consider the possibility he doesn’t think Mexicans are people.
The report is the result of a two-year investigation by the federal government into racial profiling that reported that “In an 11-page report issued Tuesday, the federal agency said Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson and his deputies violated the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and legal residents by illegally targeting, stopping, detaining and arresting Latinos without probable cause.” (Huffington Post)
Racial profiling is actually a widespread problem throughout the state; a 2012 study by a faculty member at the University of North Carolina revealed that Latinos are 90% more likely to have their cars searched during traffic stops as compared to whites.
The sheriff tries to use the excuse of wanting to combat illegal immigration; I guess that must be a real problem in North Carolina, with at least five states between them and Mexico.
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