Friday, June 18, 2004

ID Card

My job issues ID Cards. Part of my job is outreach to farm worker housing to make sure they get information about their rights and community resources. Generally we help them with wage claims and try and get small stuff fixed in their cabins/trailers or bathrooms.
A lot of the farmers don't like us, especially when we're on their property. They'll scream and curse us and threaten to call the cops. By law,ORS 659.253(1) specifically, we have a right to go on the property and talk to the workers. This is exactly the kind of stuff we learned in Property. (Remember State v Shack, man I'm living the bundle of sticks theory of property. Just try to enforce your right to exclude. Hah! You can't because that stick is short and limited.) So we always invite them to calm down and call the police if that's what they would like to do. If we have to we can go get a warrant to enter the premises and come back later.
The ID Card informs the farmer of who I am, who I work for, my legal right to enter the premises and the statutory authority for that right. So when a farmer comes up to me screaming "Get the fuck off my property mutherfucker, I'll call the cops!" I say please do, whip out my ID, and explain my right. That doesn't really calm them down, but usually they storm off and leave me alone.
I'm pretty thrilled, I'm an "authorized person", so don't even try to restrict my access. It's empowering and the ID looks official. I can also see how you could get a big head as an attorney.

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