This News Story Infuriates and Scares Me

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In October of 2025 a group of people were detained for hours supposedly thought to be a part of a gambling ring. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) filed a federal class-action lawsuit in February 2026. This on behalf of 3 Latino families who were involved in a large-scale law enforcement raid at a horse racing track in Wilder, Idaho (which is 43 miles from Boise where I live and is a small farming community.) All the plaintiffs in the action are American citizens and/or lawful permanent residents and includes children aged 3,10, 15, and 16. 400 people had come together to enjoy a day of horse racing, food and children's games. This event is a popular weekend gathering for the local Latino community and is held with a county permit. At about 1p. that day over 200 federal, state, and local officers rolled in with armored trucks, helicopters, flash-bang grenades, and with guns drawn. Officers in tactical gear and face coverings ordered them into the horse track area. Most were restrained with zip ties. This had to do with supposed illegal gambling at the track. The owner had a permit for horse racing but had no state license for parimutuel gambling. The lawsuit says none of the detained families were even questioned about gambling. Instead, they were separated into groups of those with light colored skin and those with dark colored skin. The complaint says that some officers used racial slurs directed toward the Latino detainees. An ACLU attorney commented that she had never seen so much direct evidence of racial and ethnic targeting in one single case. The families involved told of how badly they were treated. They were unable to use the restroom or to feed and take care of their children. This inhuman and racial treatment by officers is horrible. Having it done so close to my hometown is scary and makes me wonder how many others are vulnerable and could be harassed like this in the near future. I used to think surely it would never come to my state. But here it is. Have you heard of any in your area?