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Comment by cratermoon | Hacker News Reader

Key fact missing from headline: This was a relatively well-off white woman. Happens all the time to poor black Americans, and they don't make the news, or have the means to sue, if they even get their freedom. It's only national news because of her socioeconomic status.

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Do you have any evidence to back up "if they even get their freedom"? I've never heard of this being a problem, I assume (although no article I can find gives much information) that this only happened because stolen identities are extremely common on the Mexican border where people try to enter illegally, and cops are (often rightfully) suspicious

I'm also not sure that she's white, I suspect she's Mexican but, again, the NPR doesn't usually go into detail with facts they're much more into opinion reporting.

It’s safe to assume that when it happens to poor people, nobody cares. Because nobody cares about poor people in general. I don’t think race has anything to do with it other than certain races are over-represented in low income brackets, so it’s going to happen to them more.

Blacks are over-represented in the prison population generally.

It's not just about "not caring", it's also about being able to get your message out. If this person hadn't hired a lawyer, sued the LAPD, and maybe even contacted the media on their own initiative about it, there most likely wouldn't have been a news article.

> Do you have any evidence to back up "if they even get their freedom"?

https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/03/waiting-for-justice/

> I'm also not sure that she's white, I suspect she's Mexican

Are you saying this about a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman?

I dated a blonde, blue eyed Mexican who was born in Mexico and traveled back to Mexico city (most) years so yes, although I understand your confusion. A lot of hispanic people just look european (and may have majority european ancestry). I would like to maintain though I don't know this for sure, the article didn't say. All we know is that she lives in LA and is traveling to Mexico

Someone can be hispanic and white. Indeed 58% of all hispanics in the US and 60% of those born in the US self identify as white.

You suspect she's Mexican because she lives in LA and is traveling to Mexico?

...wow.

No. I said this could be happening/is likely exacerbated by identity theft on the Mexican border (where police will probably be less trusting of official documents because of this problem; not that it's fair just that this is the reality). I then said you could be blonde haired, blue eyed and be Mexican and gave a personal anecdote.

More importantly, however, is what exactly does your comment add to the conversation?

Oh, you're correct. There are plenty of people with Spanish backgrounds and no of very little indigenous heritage who look European. It's worth noting perhaps that as far back as Spanish colonial times, people of mixed heritage were disadvantaged compared to their more European relatives.

Let's start here (yes, it happens to white people too, but a lot more to black people) Wrongfully jailed: Records detail more than 500 mistaken-identity arrests in Denver in seven years https://www.denverpost.com/2012/01/07/wrongfully-jailed-reco...

A Black man was misidentified, arrested and held for 6 days in place of a White felon twice his age https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/27/us/nevada-man-jailed-misident...

'The Computer Got It Wrong': How Facial Recognition Led To False Arrest Of Black Man https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882683463/the-computer-got-it...

This comment shows someone will always mess legal with racial politics.

The only way racial equality can be achieved is to forget the racial factor and treat each ease individually.

a chance to get awareness on the issue Nonetheless

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