COLORLINES: COPS TARGET MIGRANT OIL SPILL WORKERS

June 10, 2010 ColorLines Direct. News and commentary from ColorLines magazine and RaceWire blog. Louisiana Cops Probe Oil Spill Workers for Immigrant Gangsters  A local sheriff has set up checkpoints and called federal agents to BP’s cleanup sites because he says “illegal aliens” are building “criminal enterprises”–just like they allegedly did after Katrina.  Oscar Grant Took Photo of Mehserle Holding Taser Gun Opening statements are scheduled to begin today in the murder trial of Johannes Mehserle, the BART cop who shot the unarmed Oscar Grant in the back. Minutes before he was killed, Grant used his sister’s cell phone to take a photo of Mehserle holding and pointing his Taser at him, Bay Area ABC affiliate KGO reported yesterday.    More from ColorLines.com and RaceWire.org: Anger, But No Shock at Border Patrol Shooting of Teen This week 14-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca on the Mexican side of the El Paso-Juarez border was shot and killed by a Border Patrol officer, who was on the U.S. side. Reports of the actual exchange vary; the FBI has called the incident an “assault” on the Border Patrol officer, while others have focused on the death of an unarmed boy. Whitman’s Spotty Voting Spells Confusion for California The contest between California Republican gubernatorial candidate (and former eBay CEO) Meg Whitman and former Governor Jerry Brown may come down to two issues: job creation and immigration reform. But analyzing Whitman’s voting record is tricky, largely due to the fact that she doesn’t really have one.  A Tale of Two Recessions Newsweek confirms what we already knew: people of color have been hardest hit by the recession. They are calling it a “tale of two recessions.” Newsweek’s conclusion: “economic disparities in this country will keep growing.”  Will Janelle Monáe Survive Our Obsession? The success of Janelle Monáe’s new album puts her a step closer to the scrutiny we reserve for heroes. Jan Brewer, Obama Have A “Cordial” Chat About SB1070 Arizona Governor Jan Brewer met with President Obama for a half-hour meeting about immigration issues in her state. Brewer said the two promised to work together on a solution for immigration and border security issues. She said Obama promised much of the extra money and 1,200 National Guard troops he is sending to the border will head to Arizona.  Even Border Patrol Says: Talk of Border Violence Overblown According to a Customs and Border Protection report, Border Patrol agents face fewer risks than cops in the rest of the country. Three percent of Border Patrol agents were assaulted last year, “mostly when assailants threw rocks at them,” versus the 11 percent of street cops who are attacked in the rest of the country, usually with knives and guns. The Gaza Blockade is the Real Problem  An Israeli human rights advocate says the flotilla raid is but the latest reason why the siege is as self-defeating as it is inhumane. PLUS, GAZA IN PICTURES

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