For the past few years, politicians such as Gov. Pete Wilson (R-CA), (Pat) Buchanan, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and Sen. Bob Dole (RKS) have been busy blaming all of the country's problems on immigrants. And even though only one-quarter of undocumented immigrants enter through the southern border, the term "illegal aliens" has become synonymous with Mexicans and Central Americans. When speaking of the complex issue of international immigration, the politicians don't factor human beings into the equation -- only "illegal aliens." And in this context, all Latinos are suspect and all Latinos have become, in the collective mind of a programmed population, "subhuman."

 In this incident, before we indict the officers, let's indict the politicians who have made this behavior acceptable, and the media for perpetuating the false belief that violating the law somehow grants officers permission to conduct "curbside justice."

 Finally, let's consider appointing special or independent counsels to investigate and prosecute police brutality cases as hate crimes; law enforcement agencies and district attorneys have already proven their inability to do so -- and statistics clearly show that it is Black and brown people who suffer the brunt of this abuse.

 Roberto Rodriguez, a senior writer for Black Issues, also writes a nationally syndicated column. In 19 79, he was assaulted and badly beaten by Los Angeles County sheriff's officers. In 1986, he won a lawsuit against the sheriff's department. He has written two books on police brutality, "Assault With a Deadly Weapon" and "On the Wrong Side of the Law," to be published in 1997 by Bilingual Review Press.

 COPYRIGHT 1996 Cox, Matthews & Associates
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group