Activists: Park Rangers need new uniforms to make illegal aliens more comfortable
Posted on May 2, 2016 by Sam Rolley
A coalition of civil rights activists and lawmakers are urging the federal government to consider changing the uniforms worn by National Park Service officers to make illegal aliens more comfortable on public lands. Currently, the activists say, NPS officers look too much like immigration enforcement officers.
The call comes as the Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary amid declining park attendance numbers. The activists say the decline is occurring because NPS officials are doing too little to draw in minorities as they’re becoming a larger share of the overall population.
The coalition of activists is asking the Obama administration to do everything it can to make the nation’s taxpayer-maintained public lands more welcoming and multicultural. They’re asking the president to direct the Department of the Interior to “adopt guiding priorities for a more inclusive approach to conservation of our public lands, including a full reflection of the faces of our country, a respect for different cultures, histories and approaches, and a responsibility to actively engage all people.”
That, according to Hispanic Access Foundation president Maite Arce, is going to require federal officials to make some “drastic” changes.
“One example I can give you is with the Latino community, especially among the Border States, but even nationwide, just the simple color of the uniforms that rangers wear,” she said in a press conference filmed by CNS.
She added: “It’s such a shame that something as simple as the uniform and it’s similarity to the border patrol’s uniform – in the coloring – could be very threatening to certain segments of the Latino population. So a discussion about that is going to be really tough.”
In addition to changing the way Park Service officials dress, the activists say they should use vehicles that look less like those driven by other law enforcement agencies.
The groups are also urging the NPS to review the names of public sites in the U.S. to make sure they are politically correct.
“Some may require comprehensive name changes to reflect a broader and more inclusive history,” the group said.
Poster Comment:
The wetbacks seem to have a problem with La Migra, otherwise known as INS. Is it the uniforms? Maybe the colors? Olive drab is a standard issue uniform for G-men.