The real reporting on the shooting of Walter Scott is disturbing, but nowhere near as disturbing as the counterfactual reports written as though there had been no video. With what we know now, the Huffington Post story written from only the police statement and local accounts is chilling, particularly given the echoes of other shootings that were considered justified.
The video was made by Feidin Santana, a barber in North Charleston, who was walking to work and adhered to the post 9/11 maxim “If you see something, say/do something.” Santana is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, which elicits another counterfactual narrative: What if Santana were undocumented? (Note: I do not know his immigration status.)
It is impressive enough that Santana came forward; given the disinterest he was apparently shown after telling police at the scene that he had a video. He admits that he feared for his own safety. Imagine if he also had to fear deportation.
The question is particularly timely in light of the Immigrants Shape California bill package introduced in the California legislature to expand access and protections for undocumented immigrants in California. While offering Medi-Cal to undocumented Californians stole most of the headlines, other bills will protect civil rights, ensure due process and protect victims of crimes.
Opponents are focused on the cost of these bills. As Speaker Toni Atkins pointed out, that must be compared to the cost of doing nothing. The arguments will likely focus on numbers, because they make good sound bites and mailers. We can/can’t afford it because “X” number of immigrants times “Y” average Medi-Cal fee minus the current ER costs “Z” and projected chronic disease savings “Q” is greater or less than zero.
If that sounds like the full equation, it isn’t. Offering Medi-Cal helps more than just undocumented immigrants. It takes a huge financial burden off their families, allowing them to invest in themselves, either through education or as a business. What is the cost of the innovation California is missing out on right now?
Regardless, debating the math misses the point. This is about making people feel they can fully participate in society, or as the alternate name of the legislative package suggests, “Liberty and Justice for All.” The numbers will never reveal the impact of business owners who discriminate against undocumented people, or who don’t treat undocumented employees fairly. They tell neither the stories of undocumented crime victims who are too afraid to come forward, nor the horror of the next victims of perpetrators who might have been caught.
Those scenarios don’t have dollar signs, but they have a cost. Had Feidin Santana been unable to come forward, the cost would have been the truth. And justice. And fairness. Those can’t be found on a budget line, but they are what is at stake with the Immigrants Shape California legislation. Support it, and our own Speaker Atkins for putting it on the table.
The Immigrants Shape California Legislative Package
• SB 10: Office of New Americans
• SB 4: Health Care for All
• AB 622: Protecting Immigrant Workers from Unscrupulous Employers
• SB 600: Civil Rights Protection for California’s Immigrants
• AB 60: Thwarting Immigration Service Fraud
• SB 674: Immigrant Victims of Crime Equity Act
• AB 899: Juvenile Confidentiality
• AB 1343: Ensuring Due Process for Immigrant Defendants
• AB 900: Extension of Probated Jurisdiction to Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Children
• AB 1352: Preventing Unintended Immigration Consequences for Rehabilitated Immigrants
