It's rare that I get searched at airports. Maybe I just have an innocuous look about me, or maybe what the airports like to call "random" searches really are random (right). However, the last time I flew they chose both me and my sister for full searches, i.e. a guy rifles through your bag while a woman thoroughly investigates whether those mysterious wires sewn into your bra are weapons of mass destruction. But whatever, right? It's in the name of Homeland Security. Basically. So it's never bothered me much. But during my search a similar investigation was going on next to me, this time to a wheelchair-bound Spanish-speaking woman who was maybe about 90. She couldn't hold her arms up very well as the airport security ran the metal detector over her, so they held onto her arms as she tried to pull them away. When they started rubbing their hands over her breasts and around her collar, I had to look away. The poor woman was so confused, visibly insulted, and shaky. The violation, not to mention the indignity, was incredible. And I thought, "there has to be some other way to do this." Then I promptly forgot.
Fast forward to today, when I'm reading this story about how police at Logan Airport stopped a man they deemed to be suspicious, apparently because he looked at a cop. They asked him to produce identification, and when he wouldn't (he said he was doing nothing wrong and there was no reason to) he was arrested. Turns out the guy was King Downing, a black attorney who serves as national coordinator of the ACLU's Campaign Against Racial Profiling. Oops! He's suing Logan Airport for having a behavioral screening process that he says encourages racial profiling.
Now, being searched as you pass through security and being stopped because you looked at a police officer (and happen to be a possibly Arab-looking, light-skinned black guy), are different things. But while airport employees are feeling up little, scared old ladies and arresting ACLU lawyers, a guy can be slipping on a plane with razor blades in his shoes (or something). So I repeat. There has to be some other way to do this.
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The "little old lady" story really got to me.
I think the most disturbing thing that I have had happen is that I had a cylindrical metal tube in my carry on and I wasn't even questioned about it at Orlando International. It could have been anything. I was about 16" long and about 4" in diameter. In Indy I was made to open it, dump out the contents, have it rubbed down for explosives, etc. but in Florida they didn't even look twice at it, or even ask me what it was.
BTW, it was just a metal thermos containing my meds…
in florida, they have a air-blowing machine they can have people step inside that checks for explosive. i asked, "how are people chosen?" security says, "at the officer's discretion." i said, "that's kinda troubling." he said, "well, if we see a lot of the same kinda people getting searched, we step in."
huh. okay.
just so happens that my bf who is biracial and can look kinda middle eastern if he doesn't shave was subject to their "discretion."
they are SO profiling.
Prior to 9/11, I was stopped everytime I came back into this country from the islands. Pulled me out of line. Pulled my luggage out of line. Apparently, well dressed black women who vacation alone are drug dealers. The customs agents always got real good about putting my luggage back in line when they got to the question about my occupation. Funny, how the idea that a black woman can be a defense lawyer plays with some people's minds.
Since 9/11, I've flown once. Got pulled out of line. Apparently, a black woman with a wedding dress bag in hand, the requisite french tip nail job and the sparkly new engagement ring, now resembles a terrorist.
I now mostly go on cruises for vacations.
Mwahahahaha. Tolerating the legions of blatant racists in Boston is a bit easier when you know they have to pay for it.
I always get randomly searched because my African last name is a bit too Arab looking for their comfort. I don't mind really but let someone rub against my breasts and they'll get a scene. What exactly were they looking for? I know someone who doesn't look suspect (elderly, presumably Latina, disabled) would be great if someone wanted to attack us in the same, now unoriginal manner. Still, they don't feel me up at the 2 random check points. My underwire sometimes sets off the hand held metal detector and I just tell them I have an underwire bra on. They don't press me on further or molest me. Also, the woman should have been taken to a private area if they truly felt a need to do that with several female guards present, at least one Spanish speaking.
I got searched once on the way to Mardi Gras b/c my purse set off the alarm that picks up explosive materials. I tried to explain to them that I do special fx and that I have to deal with chemicals all the time and that's probably what it was, but nooooo they went and found a ghetto TSA agent (goes w/o saying, right?) with the stankiest attitude to come and "search" me. I was so pissed that I began to cuss her out so two cops came over. One was a brother and he said, sweetie please calm down, it's just routine and I don't want to have to arrest you. I pretty much shut my mouth b/c I don't eff with the LAPD.
End of Story.
Flying domestically, I almost never have a problem, but with international travel , I am all but guaranteed to be "randomly" selected for a search. People tell me all the time that I look East African (Somolian, Ethiopian, etc), so when I travel to countries that have a African immigrant "problem", I always get the third degree. I guess they think I doctored up a US passport.
I made such a scene about my "random selection", saying "Three Russians, two Arabs and four folks speaking a language I can't identify just got on this plane and nobody but me got randomly selected. It needs to a little more randomly white up in here!" They started pulling white folks out of line like crazy right after that.
But that's just part of the TSA's stupidity. Like the new passport requirements. Like a terrorist is going to have a hard time getting one.
What they're trying to do is establish that they did their due diligence with the passport requirement. With 9/11, the TSA was negligent and they want to be free of that should it happen again.
What a lot of people don't realize is that this is BushCo's/PNAC's (Project for a New Amercian Century, look it up at Wikipedia) way of keeping people in a state of perpetual fear to mask their mass murder/theft in Iraq and in the Twin Towers (9/11 was an inside job and yes, I said it!)
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not as big a deal, but there's also a huge rodent problem at Logan. Just saying…
Stacy,
That sounded more like a dildo to me but I understand, we all have our 'secrets'. Thanks for sharing yours.jkjkjkjjk
Boston has a huge rat problem. They are the size of Maine coon cats (go to Google pictures). I've never seen one in Boston, but it was on the cover of the Metro.
NYC has a much more hazardous rat problems. I always see them in the city and it's gotten to the point that I don't eat in NY restaurants. I bring fruits, carrots and Larabars.
Ok, I know I'm going to see creatures out in the street in a big city, but running around inside an airport and scurrying close to unsuspecting passengers and their luggage? So unacceptable!
^^^^LMAO. Good one, JB.
I see was slow in responding to JB's dildo comment. I must be slippin'.
ten minutes…you really gotta do better!
They CAN'T be the size of a Maine coon. I have a maine coon cat. No rat on earth is the size of my cat. Trust. My cat used to kill pigeons when he was an outdoor cat.
I am not lying re the pigeons.
Pigeons are flying rats in my view. I can't find the metro cover. It was done 2 or 3 weeks ago
Jilly-
I knew you all would think that…LOL. That is why I clarified that it was my meds…
Uhmmm… so now I'm strongly reconsidering going to my conference in Boston this weekend…
I've never seen a Maine coon cat but the rats in Boston are HUGE. I've seen them near MIT the size of a regular cat easily.
I'm going to use Khia's "it better get a little more randomly white" line the next time I fly because I have consistently been the one selected every time I've flown since 9/11 and I'm sure it's because I'm black with a arabic name.
Maybe the rats in Boston are nutria? They have them down in Louisiana, and, yea, they are really, really big. Think biiiiig water rats. I think ppl eat them, too. People eat anything in Louisiana. Just throw it in the gumbo pot, baby.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.....REFON_.jpg
http://www.nutria.com/site.php
Daria - this one's for you:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/.....index.html