Whites Now Minority in 1 in 10 Counties

[ms]

Whites Now Minority in 1 in 10 Counties
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 9, 1:59 AM

WASHINGTON - Whites are now in the minority in nearly one in 10 U.S. counties. And that increased diversity, fueled by immigration and higher birth rates among blacks and Hispanics, is straining race relations and sparking a backlash against immigrants in many communities.

"There's some culture shock," said Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington-based research agency. "But I think there is a momentum building, and it is going to continue."

As of 2006, non-Hispanic whites made up less than half the population in 303 of the nation's 3,141 counties, according to figures the Census Bureau is releasing Thursday. Non-Hispanic whites were a minority in 262 counties in 2000, up from 183 in 1990.

The Census Bureau's report has population estimates by race and ethnicity for every county in the nation. They are the first such estimates since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, scattering hundreds of thousands of people.

The biggest changes in were in Orleans Parish, La., home to New Orleans. The share of non-Hispanic whites in Orleans Parish grew from 27 percent in 2005 to 34 percent in 2006, while the share of blacks dropped from about 68 percent to 59 percent.

Many of the nation's biggest counties have long had large minority populations. But that diversity is now spreading to the suburbs and beyond, causing resentment in some areas.

Many Latinos say they see it in the debate over illegal immigration.

In northern Virginia, Teresita Jacinto said she feels less welcome today than when she first arrived 30 years ago, when she was one of few Hispanics in the area.

"Not only are we feeling less welcome, we are feeling threatened," said Jacinto, a teacher in Woodbridge, Va., about 20 miles southwest of Washington.

Woodbridge is part of Prince William County, which recently passed a resolution seeking to deny public services to illegal immigrants. Similar measures have been approved or considered in dozens of communities across the nation. In all, state lawmakers have introduced more than 1,400 measures related to immigration this year, the National Conference of State Legislatures says.

Supporters say local laws are necessary because Congress has failed to crack down on the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. But many Hispanics legally in the U.S. say they feel targeted, too.

"I think across the board all of us feel like we're not welcome," said Jacinto, who was born in the U.S. and volunteers for an advocacy group called Mexicans Without Borders.

Prince William County has seen its Hispanic population more than double since 2000, to nearly 70,000 last year. Non-Hispanic whites account for a little more than half the population, down from about two-thirds in 2000.

Greg Letiecq recently helped form a group to fight illegal immigration in northern Virginia, called Help Save Manassas. The group is named for a city surrounded by Prince William County.

"It's not about ethnicity, it's not about race. It's about lawful behavior versus unlawful behavior," Letiecq said.

Still, he complained that many newcomers eschew American culture in favor of their Latino heritage.

"It's the folks who come in and try to maintain the culture of the country they came from," Letiecq said. "They don't seem to embrace the American culture, the English language, the social norms of American culture."

Nationally, the number of minorities topped 100 million for the first time in 2006 _ about a third of the population. By 2050, minorities will account for half of U.S. residents, according to Census Bureau projections.

"I don't think Latinos or any other so-called minority group are seeking to make white people a minority," Jacinto said. "It's just a reality."

___

On The Net:

Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov

Mexicans Without Borders: http://www.mexicanossinfronteras.org/index.html

Help Save Manassas: http://helpsavemanassas.org/index.php

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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[Graybeard]

But you can bet your ass that if and when the time comes they are the minority in 99% of the counties they will still NOT be recognized as such and those then in the majority will still be looked on as the minority and still get all the special treatment. Such is life.

[ms]

Gb your right. 

[oldandslow]

Amen, GB.

[Mikey]

Hmmmm, something about this 'study' and other news reports of other studies involving 'minorities' seems a bit out of line.

Inna first place, the study referenced here involved 303 counties out of the 3,141 across the nation - less than 10% and possibly not statistically significant, from a 'study parameter'.  In addition, the 'study fails to mention the location of the counties involved in the study.  Those counties could easily have been in southern CA, or southern Texas, or included Chicago/Chicano Town or 'Chi Town',  or Neuvo Puerto Rico/NYC and as such would have easily biased the study.  I seriously doubt the study included counties in upstate NY, or Mt. or the Michigan peninsula or the Dakotas, or simply eliminated those counties with a low registered hispanic population.  And, as far as hard feelings are concerned - this is something that I believe may be developing more of late than previously and may be due to more recent news concerning hispanic gang warfare, jobs lost to Mexico, and the concerns about illegal immigrants.  I have a hard time swallowing studies like that because they are the type of thing some people use to prove a point - it's like if you want data to prove your point you can probalby find it somewhere but it doesn't mean it's a valid point, study or statement. 

That's not to say I'm not stock-piling necessities.............

However, to prove the above mentioned point or to support it, 'recent' studies have shown that although there is a national decline in violent crime rates, minorities or minority communities do not enjoy this as much as 'non-minority' communities do.  Murders, rapes, violent assaults and other violent crimes are on the increase in minority communities and crimes are much more likely to be committed with a gun or a knife.  There are more shootings and stabbings in cities with higher minority populations than with non-minority populations. 

Hence, one could make the point that 'minority communities' or those with a higher minority population are more violent and one is more likely to encounter a violent assault, or a murder or rape in those communities. Therefore, one could propose both more intensive law enforcement efforts and disarming minority populations in conjunction with arming non-minority populations for greater self protection, and that could/should/would have the effect of reducing violent crime, especially murders by firearms in those areas. 

So, I move to initiate 'Minority Disarmament legislation' to disarm all minority personnel in any of the counties involved in the original study and to enhance the ability of law enforcement to openly monitor minority movements for illegal weapons and or firearms possession and immigration status.  This could come all the way down to 'green card' checks if you even appear to be a minority and could include body searches for illegal weapons.  Also, let's drop the 'citizen's rights' concerns for non-citizens, including free health care and legal representation. 

It's pretty easy to see how this works and what the results of studies like this could have, although I believe I have made my point (s).  Just another two cents worth.  Mikey.

[ironglow]

   So what's new ? We have been treated like an abuse-deserving minority for years now...by our left-leaning fellow Americans...

[Bob Riebe]

OK, define white.

[Mikey]

Ironglow - you're right, but we get treated like that because we pay for it with our taxes and every candidate who wants to raise our taxes simply wants us to pay for more abuse. JMTCW.     

[Swampman]

Cool, now I can finally get a Civil Service job.

[Brett]

"Hence, one could make the point that 'minority communities' or those with a higher minority population are more violent and one is more likely to encounter a violent assault, or a murder or rape in those communities. Therefore, one could propose both more intensive law enforcement efforts and disarming minority populations in conjunction with arming non-minority populations for greater self protection, and that could/should/would have the effect of reducing violent crime, especially murders by firearms in those areas. 

So, I move to initiate 'Minority Disarmament legislation' to disarm all minority personnel in any of the counties involved in the original study and to enhance the ability of law enforcement to openly monitor minority movements for illegal weapons and or firearms possession and immigration status.  This could come all the way down to 'green card' checks if you even appear to be a minority and could include body searches for illegal weapons.  Also, let's drop the 'citizen's rights' concerns for non-citizens, including free health care and legal representation."

Sounds like a rational and prudent move to me.  If a dog has a history of being mean you don't let your kids play with it do you?  We have been trying this PC bs long enough now to know it isn't working.  How stupid is it to have airport security shake down a some little 75 year old, white grandmother while they let a group of people of obviouse Arob decent walk on threw because of the fear of being pegged for racial profiling.