Forest Service warning called racial profiling

phr

phr

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Forest Service warning called racial profiling
AP
8.28.09


DENVER - A federal warning to beware of campers in national forests who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music because they could be armed marijuana growers is racial profiling, an advocate for Hispanic rights said Friday.

The warnings were issued Wednesday by the U.S. Forest Service, which is investigating how much marijuana is being illegally cultivated in Colorado's national forests following the recent discovery of more than 14,000 plants in Pike National Forest.

"That's discriminatory, and it puts Hispanic campers in danger," said Polly Baca, co-chairwoman of the Colorado Latino Forum.
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A spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service had no immediate response to Baca's comments.

Forest Service officials said they believe illegal immigrants are being brought to Colorado by Latin American drug cartels for mass cultivation of marijuana.

Michael Skinner, a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, said warning signs of possible drug trafficking include "tortilla packaging, beer cans, Spam, Tuna, Tecate beer cans," and campers who play Spanish music. He said the warning includes people speaking Spanish.

The warning signs were included in a slide presentation put together for drug agents in Colorado and the public.

Skinner said this may or may not represent criminal activity, but are indicators and he urged any campers who encounter long-term campers meeting the profile to "hike out quickly" and call police.

"Our goal is to not allow organization using foreign nationals or any other persons involved in illegal drug production to take over our national forests," the department warned.

Baca said there is no evidence that Hispanics are the only people involved in large-scale drug operations and said she was "appalled that anyone, especially someone from the federal government, would say something like that."

Marvink Correa, spokesman for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said federal officials are painting an unfair stereotype of Hispanics.

"When I go camping, I'll be sure to play nothing but Bruce Springsteen," he said.

The recent discovery was the second large seizure this summer in Colorado. Two people were arrested, but federal officials refused to provide details, saying the investigation is continuing.

In July, authorities spent more than 24 hours clearing another marijuana growing operation in Pike National Forest. They say the plants' street value was about $2.5 million. No arrests were made.

Link!
 
"Our goal is to not allow organization using foreign nationals or any other persons involved in illegal drug production to take over our national forests," the department warned.
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The solution is to allow farmers to legally grow whatever they want on private land. Don't harass campers. Just leave people alone.
 
Coronas are okay, as only white people drink that shit.
 
All the mexicans I know eat tacos y burritos, listen to accordion music, smoke marihuana, and are usually very tired/sleepy.
 
This makes me want to load up with a cooler of taco mixins and go hiking.

Hey man, I'll cook yall a bad ass dinner if you hook up some buds!
 
The Mexicans put out a warning in Tijuana. Their citizens are told to look out for gringos eating hamburgers, drinking Miller Lite, and listening to rock. They're prolly looking for pharmaceuticals.
 
Oh also i forgot to mention i like how they said "Spanish music"8( fucking retards, dont they know there is so many different kinds of "spanish music" and mexicans aint gonna be listening to the same shit dominicans or puerto ricans are, how ignorant can u get, one size fits all, they all the same?this is some of the most stereotyped shit i seen in a long time wat a discrace
 
this is all kind of making me miss that crazy screaming Spanish death metal all the illegals used to listen to back in the kitchen at that restaurant I worked down in Florida lol
 
US Forestry Service apologizes to Hispanics for marijuana 'insensitivity'

^^ Here's the article from the link. Posting the whole thing on the basis that everyone should know the kind of racist bullshit thinking that went into making drugs illegal.

fuk u so hard harry


September 15, 5:40 PM

Broward County Liberal Examiner

William Skordelis


Cannabis plants are being grown on federal landsThe U.S. Forestry service has issued an apology for its insensitivity last month when it used the same racist logic in its war against drugs that started the federal government’s armed war against its own citizens more than 70 years.

The “regrettable” and “insensitive” remarks were issued in the form of a warning during a media briefing on August 26th as the result of their recent discovery of a cannabis grow consisting of more than 14,000 plants in the Pike National Forest. The Forest Service officials said that they believed illegal immigrants were being brought to Colorado by Latin American drug cartels to cultivate the massive illegal marijuana crops. They then warned forest visitors to beware of campers who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music because they could be armed marijuana growers. Oops!

The Hispanic community was outraged, and rightly so. Two weeks ago Forest Service officials met with 17 Colorado Hispanic leaders and apologized for their poorly chosen words that were intended as a well-intended safety warning. On Monday the U.S. Forest Service issued a written apology to the Hispanic Community in a New Release on the USDA.gov website.

But the entire incident is just another result of the government’s incompetent handling of the problem of addiction in this country and their misconception that prohibition and incarceration of “users” and traffickers is the only way to deal with addicts. “Make it illegal and they will stop.” Or the other prohibitionist favorite, “Build the prisons, and we will fill them.”

The racist comments are nothing new, when you consider the words of Harry Anslinger, the architect of the “Reefer Madness” style campaign against marijuana that insured that the former Bureau of Prohibition agent could enjoy over 30 years of job security in his position as Commissioner of the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Masterfully using the media, Anslinger effectively lead a campaign of lies and racism to shift the public’s opinion to acceptance of the government’s prohibition of marijuana that officially became law in 1937 despite objections from the American Medical Association.

Harry Anslinger quotes:

“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”

“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”

“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”

The U.S. Forestry Service points to the damage done to public lands by illegal marijuana cultivation, yet it fails to correctly identify the cause of the damage. The damage is not caused by the cannabis plants themselves which grow like a weed and thrive in most climates. The damage is caused by prohibition. Prohibition makes it impossible for people to grow their own cannabis, prohibition forces people to purchase marijuana from organized crime, prohibition gives marijuana its high profitability and reason to use the public lands as a means to avoid losing private property in seizures.

Marijuana use will not go away despite the government’s efforts to demonize it and stop its cultivation, sale and use. Marijuana has proven medical value despite the federal government’s denial of the medical evidence, and with their refusal to remove it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Even racist undertones won’t stop marijuana use any more than prohibition stopped alcohol use. All prohibition does is reinforce the strength, power and profits of organized crime just as alcohol prohibition did.

Tecate beer, tortillas, and Spanish music have no distinct connection to today’s marijuana use, except maybe when the munchies set in, but they definitely do in the eyes of the federal prohibitionists because they have made Latin American drug cartels more powerful than the Latin American governments. So just to be on the safe side, if you are planning a trip to one of our National Parks and forests, eating hot dogs and hamburgers while listening to Frank Sinatra would probably be a much safer bet, than tacos and Ricky Martin.
 
drug_mentor said:
Pretty appaling ignorance there, why don't they just say look for any sign of Mexicans or Mexican culture? Ignorant pricks!
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I am willing to bet this whole incident was caused by an awkward attempt to say "look out for Mexicans" without actually actually saying "look out for Mexicans".

I can see some poor intern preparing the press release telling the boss "we can't tell people to watch out for Mexicans that would be racist" so the boss says to use indirect code words and cultural symbols in such a way that all readers will still know what they mean wink wink nudge nudge.
 
immigrant_crossing_san_diego_03-18-2004.jpg


Yup, and this family quickly crossing the street could represent ANYone =p

...I wonder if they purposly made the child look the way they did. Is it a girl with long hair in a little dress? A boy wearing a ninja head band in shorts? Who knows
 
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