Another native-born American, reportedly drunk, allegedly killed a Hispanic man in a car crash last weekend. It’s the second such incident in the past two weeks.
Will we witness legislation introduced against native-born people? Will we see snarky comments in the anonymous buzz sections of The Rhinoceros Times and the Observer calling native-born men with cars “weapons of mass destruction”?
Probably not. The death of Roberto Rodriguez Perez likely will emerge as just another horrific, cautionary tale of drunk driving. We probably won’t be hearing people talk about the propensity of black men or white men to get hammered and hit the road. If race or ethnicity is injected into the mix at all, it will be at the urging of Hispanic residents and activists, who already in recent weeks have been filling the pages of Spanish-language newspapers.
They aren’t making accusations that native-born Americans have a unique problem with drunk driving, and they aren’t using the incident to fan racial prejudices. They’re concerned instead that Hispanics have been unfairly targeted in a problem occurring anytime people drink and drive.
There’s ample reason to believe these activists are right. The tragic death of Dominican Robinson Lora didn’t get nearly as much ink as the equally tragic death of Scott Gardner, both killed by drunk drivers. Lora, 22, died earlier this month after his car collided with a pickup truck driven by Richard Lynn Sellers of Chesterfield, SC. Authorities suspected Sellers of drinking, but since he also died, he won’t face charges. Neither Sellers’ race nor his citizenship status was an issue.
It’s not likely much will be made of Laurence Paul’s race either. Paul has been questioned in Perez’s death, and the Mecklenburg County DA’s office says Paul could be charged within a few days. News 14 reported Sunday that Paul told police he had been drinking and also that he didn’t report the accident until hearing of a fatal hit-and-run on TV.
No one disputes that Ramiro Gallegos and Jorge Hernandez Soto, two undocumented immigrants charged this year in drunk-driving deaths, would not have committed their crimes here had they not been in the United States to begin with. But that’s not the point. Latino activists are doing the right thing by campaigning against drinking and driving. Other concerned citizens might follow their example. Immigration reform may be sorely needed, but it has nothing to do with drunk driving.
This article appears in Dec 14-20, 2005.
