One has to wonder what Alabama cops have against foreign car executives anyway. Oh wait: they have no choice but to ask for papers, please.
The Guardian reports that Honda manager Ichiro Yada was arrested earlier this week at a checkpoint in Leeds, Alabama, despite being able to show police his passport, US work permit, and international driver’s license. He was not taken into custody, however, but was ticketed and released on a signature bond.
Yada’s international license was apparently not sufficient to satisfy the letter of the law, which required him to carry either an Alabama license or one issued by Japan. The charges were dismissed only when his attorney faxed a copy of his Japanese driver’s license to the judge.
The mayor of the city of Leeds defended his officers, saying, “The police are instructed to follow the law as written. People are trying to use this to make the law look bad. That’s not our problem. We’re going to enforce the laws of state of Alabama.”
And you know, when laws against interracial marriage (which by the way technically existed as part of Alabama’s state constitution until 2000 long after the Loving v. Virginia decision in 1967) and Jim Crow laws were in place in Alabama, they used the exact same excuse. Here’s a tip, man: it’s the law itself that makes Alabama look bad, not the stringent efforts to enforce it.
And yes. It is your problem as an elected official in the state. It’s a law forcing you to be a racist, reactionary douche bag. Saying “that’s the law, it’s not our problem” immediately makes it your problem.
I’m guessing at some point, these automakers and other foreign companies are just going to stop doing business with the state. Alabama’s already lost major agriculture business due to the law. It really is an example of “job-killing regulations”.
But it doesn’t matter. Gotta rid the state of the unclean and the impure.
Ben Cisco
My folks are native Alabamians and still live there. They fear that things might actually regress to how they were when I was a child.
__
Stories like this give me no reason to disagree.
Logan
The people who voted for it are tone deaf and the ones most impacted won’t vote anyways.
When I attended Tulane we used to joke that Louisiana’s unofficial motto was “Thank God for Alabama and Mississippi”. Here is another case of that coming true.
Southern Beale
The best part of this story was the state of Missouri’s response, inviting Honda to relocate their factory there. They said, “we’re the Show-Me state, not the Show-Me-Your-Papers state.”
LOL. Would have been a great line for Tennessee to use, sadly we have an Arizona-style “show me your papers” law too so we screwed ourselves. Stupid.
Odie Hugh Manatee
A good motto for the foreign auto companies if they end up fleeing the state:
We came for the cheap labor and left because of the racism!
Sometimes saving a buck just isn’t worth the hassle.
schrodinger's cat
Immigration is what motivates the GOP base. Its the xenophobia, I think, the urge to blame outsiders for your problems. They make a convenient scapegoat and they also cannot vote.
Linda Featheringill
@Ben Cisco:
I have wondered if some of these people were regressing. Maybe they are.
RalfW
I’m all for the mayor, police and sheriff enforcing the law as written. As eagerly as possible. Let’s just see how long Honda and BMW either a) stick around or b) ride the asses of the legislature to overturn their racist, anti-immigrant crap.
cathyx
@Odie Hugh Manatee: You make a good point. They came for cheap labor. And why is labor cheaper there? Because the government doesn’t respect workers the way other states that pay a higher minimum wage do. And in that lack of respect comes laws asking for your papers.
schrodinger's cat
Also the GOP base is against most immigration. period. They are not all that friendly to the issues of skilled immigrants either.
Ben Cisco
@Linda Featheringill: Like really f’d up versions of Benjamin Button.
Ken B
It seems to me the assumption being made here is that the police are just stupidly stopping foreigners. It may be that they are stopping big shot auto executives to show how dumb the law is.
Southern Beale
OT but there’s no open thread so …..
Megan McArdle defends Netflix’s Reed Hastings, saying his repeated fuck-ups HAVE to be part of some magnificent grand plan because, after all, he started the company and it was really successful so ….
God that woman is such a fucking idiot. The only proof we need that sometimes big important people make really stupid decisions is the fact that Megan McArdle still has a job.
karl
Seems obvious to me that the police there don’t like that law — that’s why you get news-worthy cases like these. If the police only ticketed poor nationals there wouldn’t be much bad press but when bigwigs get the law’s smackdown there might be some action to repeal (or “reform”).
Enhanced Voting Techniques
I can see the mayor’s point though that it’s not up to the cops to selectivity enforce the law like people wrote it want.
karl
@Southern Beale: Yes, McArdle is a goof — but she’s right (somewhat) about this. Hastings’ plan to disconnect the streaming and mailing services was based on other companies’ past experiences and made good business sense; the implementation was surely bungled, but I think that Netflix still delivers a solid product (yes, I am a subscriber) and will recapture some of its former customers. Even if it doesn’t there are other good options available, net neutrality willing.
Omnes Omnibus
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Another thought on this is that it is being done by the cops to publicize a bad law that is a pain in their asses.
burnspbesq
One wonders how many meth labs are cooking away in peace because the local cops are too busy harassing Honda employees to be doing real police work.
jeffreyw
@Omnes Omnibus: I think that is exactly what is going down here.
burnspbesq
@RalfW:
BMW is in South Carolina. Alabama has Honda, Mercedes, and Kia.
Ooparts
I live in Alabama. The local talk radio folk were pumped about the law before it passed. Now that it’s hitting people other than its intended target (that is, those dirty Mexicans), it’s been a never ending chorus of “We needed this law, but it’s was not implemented correctly!”
Bill H.
@Southern Beale:
Missouri still has a law on the books which requires “motorized vehicles” to have a chain affixed to the underside of the vehicle such that if a pedestrian is struck and dragged under the car he can grab the chain and hold it to avoid being run over by the rear wheels.
Omnes Omnibus
@jeffreyw: Malicious compliance can be interesting.
burnspbesq
Also, it’s not just about lower labor costs in the US. The Tier 1 suppliers all have extensive operations in Mexico, where labor costs are even lower.
Supply chain efficiencies also played a role in the decisions to be present in the world’s biggest car market. Which do you think is less expensive: (a) shipping a car by rail from Alabama to New Jersey or (b) shipping a car by water from Korea to Long Beach and then shipping it by rail to New Jersey?
Raven
@burnspbesq: KIA’s in Georgia too.
jeffreyw
@Omnes Omnibus: I like “work to the rule” better, being a union man and all.
Elizabelle
@burnspbesq:
Alabama has Hyundai too. Near Montgomery.
Omnes Omnibus
@jeffreyw: I think they are related strategies, but I see differences. I have always seen malicious compliance as having an element of looking for the inconvenient and stupid ways to enforce the rule. On the other hand, “work to rule” requires doing a good job within the requirements of the rule but not doing a thing beyond it. Fundamentally, malicious compliance is focused on the rule, while “work to rule” is focused on the job (and its pay, benefits, etc.). Of course, this could just be me.
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: Inspired by you I made omelets with chipotle salsa, onions and feta cheese and served them with some good Trader Joe bread, toasted with butter, for breakfast this morning.
Also, the thread needs more kitteh, I offer Sparticat
Elizabelle
Just happen to be in Alabama as I type.
The Birmingham News top opinion piece yesterday: Our View: Repeal this Law
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/12/our_view_alabamas_overreaching.html
handsmile
Perhaps in his comment above (#7), RalfW meant to write Mercedes Benz rather than BMW. MB maintains an enormous assembly plant in Tuscaloosa and is one of the state’s leading employers.
A German national Mercedes Benz executive was arrested in mid-November by Alabama cops for driving without state identification. Both he and the Honda executive were arrested at police checkpoints seeking unlicensed drivers. This perhaps goes to burnspbesq’s snarky point (#16) about prudent application of police resources, particular in a time of state budget woes.
slippy
A buck-toothed, chaw-stuffed face with a NASCAR hat over the top of it, devoid of intelligence or human empathy. An asshole face.
Yeah, I won’t forget that face for a long time.
Elizabelle
@slippy:
Ya gotta admit, it’s a marginally nicer face than Jim Crow’s.
cathyx
@Elizabelle:
This is an easy fix. Just train the police to cite only brown people, you know, who the law was meant to target.
dcdl
My husband’s company has an office in Alabama. I always tell him make sure they never ask you to go there for anything or have someone else go in your place. Otherwise, be prepared to get pulled over and bring your citizenship papers.
kindness
See and what we DFHs fail to get is that these folks like being this kind of asshole. To them stunts like this are a badge of honor. Not only do they get to draw a distinction between Us (white folks (with jobs)) and Them (anyone with browner skin than Queen Elizabeth) but it also allows them to instill fear into those others.
It’s a twofer for them. Of course they’re assholes. But here again, if DFHs think they’re assholes, that’s just one more point of pride in their eyes.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@schrodinger’s cat: And of course then the base is surprised when the “immigrants” can and do vote against them, since their idea of outsider is anyone other than white descendant of north west Europeans and English folk. Though I guess now Irish/Scots descent is allowable too.
Fuck the base. With a rusty, well heated farm implement, preferably with some of rust chipped off so the bare steel is extra hot. Not that I have a violent streak or anything.
Hal
The only time I had ever been pulled over and had my car searched for guns and drugs was by a state trooper in good old Alabama. Then he faked calling a friend of mine to try and see if I was lying about driving to Georgia, and finally let me go with a warning.
My fave part was the last thing he said to me; ‘Don’t be offended, we do this to everyone.’
Montysano
I (happily) live in Alabama. That said, this law is chock full of unintended consequences. As noted above, if you’re pulled over by the police and don’t have your driver license (i.e. your proof of citizenship), technically you’re supposed to go to jail until you can produce it. Of course, the cops can make a judgment call based on your level apparent foreign-ness.
Also: to get car tags, you now have to show up, in person, every year, and prove your citizenship. No more buying tags by mail or online. Naturally, the elderly and the infirm have a hard time dealing with standing in line for 6 hours.
But wait, there’s more. Is a driver license adequate as proof of citizenship? Technically, no. But the legislature may paper over that one to avoid sending thousands on a mad scramble for a birf certificate.
On the plus side, we’re off for a hike in the Sipsey, surely one of the most magical old growth wilderness areas in the country.
Benjamin Franklin
I thought the Corn-fed conservatives wanted smaller gubmint?
John
Remind why it’s not an unreasonable search to stop random cars and ask to see a license? Or is this like the seatbelt or drunk-driving stops?
Birthmarker
Huntsville AL has a Toyota engine plant. I’d love to hear the phone calls to the gov…
I believe the law says individuals can sue the departments if the police fail to enforce the law, thus the statements from law enforcement. Trust me there are people here just crazy enough to do that.
Gex
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Cops can’t stop everyone and check their papers, so there’s already an element of them selectively applying the law. Like when everyone on the highway is speeding, but only one or two people get ticketed.
@burnspbesq: So the Kia guys ought to prepare themselves. They’re next.
Mike G
@Benjamin Franklin:
‘Smaller’ as in less restrictive, for corporations, the powerful and privileged; but bigger, more authoritarian and heartless, to stomp down ‘undeserving’ little people.
Alabama will always make sure, with flexible judges and calls from the governor’s office, that the ‘right’ people ensnared in their papieren laws will be quickly released.
There are always loopholes for the ‘right’ people in authoritarians’ laws.
Gex
@Elizabelle: You can tell the difference between identical twins?
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike G: As I said above, I am not sure the cops like this law. I suspect an element of malicious compliance here.
RalfW
@Elizabelle:
HaHaHa HAH HahHah Haa.
Stop it! That’s just too much, Birmingham News.
piratedan
@Benjamin Franklin: they do, they intend to place a small one in every uterus in the country.
jeffreyw
@Omnes Omnibus: I always assumed that “malicious compliance” was how management saw “work to rule”. Kind of like a term Frank Lutz would come up with to make labor look the villain.
Napoleon
No it doesn’t, its legislators that make the law. I sure hope cops in my town are not jackasses like Zander who think they can pick and choose what laws they should pay attention to.
Smedley the uncertain
@Ken B: Me thinks you give them too much credit.
PIGL
@burnspbesq: I call bullshit. There are no ports in New Jersey? The reason labour arbitrage across oceans is possible is that shipping costs are so low as to be neglible.
If you know different, please provide some data.
Villago Delenda Est
@Napoleon:
Yes. By all means.
Remember, the Holocaust was the law in the Third Reich.
Got to obey the law, unthinkingly, unyieldingly.
Birthmarker
Once again too lazy to look up, but aren’t there import tariffs on cars? Or steel? Thus the auto manufacturing here.
Bama has great interstate systems and a port in Mobile, too. Plus of course right to work laws too.
Smiling Mortician
@Villago Delenda Est: Some bits of Godwin bait are so juicy that it’s impossible to ignore them.
b-psycho
Interesting how the second Important People are bothered with it that’s when the doubt comes in. Says a lot about the real intention.
Mnemosyne
@PIGL:
Wait, you think it would be more efficient to ship from South Korea to New Jersey than it is to ship from South Korea to Long Beach, California, and then send the cars by rail? Have you looked at a globe lately? Any idea what the transit time would be by ship from South Korea to New Jersey as compared to Long Beach, which is at least 3,000 miles closer, not counting the detour south to go through the Panama Canal?
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
You are leaving out unloading, storage, reloading and the cost difference between ship and rail. Yes there is a reason the west coast ports are huge and unload a lot of stuff. There are a lot of people living in the western half of the country. There are also a lot living east of the big muddy. If you were correct that it is cheaper to ship by rail then the ports of the east coast would be much smaller as they would not need to unload all that crap that we import, because that’s all a lot of us can afford.
ETA for clarity
Ken
@Southern Beale: Yikes. That was some article and some conclsion by the divine MM.
burnspbesq
@Ruckus:
Umm, has it occurred to you that not everything comes from Asia? There are ports on the East Coast because there was a time when virtually all of our imports came from Europe.
gaz
Yes I’m going to play the race card here.
I’ve got a royal flush.
Racism is the *only* motivation behind this stupid law.
I hope the state burns to the ground. Maybe then it’s residents will wake up.
Fuck. This. Shit.
Kathy in St. Louis
I vacationed in Alabama several years ago, Gulf Shores, I believe. It was ok, nothing special. I haven’t had the urge to do it again any time soon. That said, I’ll never return to Alabama as long as this law is on their books. I’m a native born American, but I see no reason to spend my vacation bucks in a police state where people’s rights are violated just for the hell of it.
Kathy in St. Louis
@cathyx: Very well said.
Ruckus
@burnspbesq:
True that. Many things came from europe. Many still do. How many more come from the far east? Lots. But the economies of shipping over rail? They aren’t building another, wider lock system in Panama for shits and grins.
Caz
He was arrested, but not taken into custody, being given a citation/ticket. So he wasn’t arrested? Ok, whatever.
The mayor is the top man in the executive branch, whose job it is to enforce the laws. The legislature makes the laws, the mayor enforces them. So it’s not really his problem if you don’t like the laws. Is he supposed to selectively enforce them? That’s not legal. If the legislature changes the law, then he won’t have to enforce them the same way.
For someone who is so pissed about overbearing govt action, you sure support those at the fedearl level an awful lot. Either you’re a big govt person or you’re not, make up your mind. How can you rail against a city mayor for enforcing laws you don’t like and then support Obama for violating and skirting the laws?
I guess consistency and facts are not real big priorities for you. You ought to go occupy somewhere, where facts and reality don’t matter, and the main goal is cause havoc and disrupt the lives of people who are productive to society.
Try being part of the solution instead of the problem for change. First, you have to realize how much a part of the problem you are.
Brian
AL guy here. Another problem was the law has a proviso that citizens could SUE the police for not enforcing the law:
http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2011/08/alabama_immigration_law_option.html
Puts police in a no-win situation. Ignore the law and some person sees it? Lose funding.
pseudonymous in nc
In all honesty, the IDP is meant as a supplement to a foreign licenses, not a replacement — it’s a booklet that provides a translation of what’s on the foreign license, so locals can verify it. But: visitors don’t always know that, and local cops don’t always know either.
Librarian
“I know the laws of the state of Alabama, thank you!”