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¡Aparato! singer/guitarist Cat often sings about the plight of the undocumented in the initial batch of songs crafted by the new innovative jarocho-rock band. In the early Monday mornings hours of January 10th, however she was driving home to Anaheim from Laguna Beach when she herself was pulled over by Border Patrol in a secluded area away from the downtown of the city. With a recent incident of a boat washing ashore in nearby Crystal Cove State Park where a woman reported seeing a dozen or so people flee from it onto the sandy beaches, the agent who stopped Cat mentioned maritime smuggling. When he saw that no one was in her minivan, he returned to his vehicle and came back asking to search for marijuana. Again, there was nothing to be found before Cat was eventually free to leave.
This incident follows the targeting of bus riders who “looked Hispanic” by Border Patrol agents in Laguna Beach back in June 2010. “Maritime smuggling” was mentioned in an article by the city’s local independent newspaper as well only San Diego Border Patrol officials didn’t return the reporter’s phone calls.
When asked by me if Cat considered her recent run in with Border Patrol to be one of racial profiling, the singer responded “Yes.” To find out why, you can read my latest article on the OC Weekly’s Heard Mentality blog:
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2011/01/aparato_singer_profiled_by_bor.php
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