Andrew Biliter

You Are Not Free to Move About the Country

In parts of the U.S., you can still get pulled over for a DWB (Driving While Black). In Russia, it's WWT (Walking While Tajik). Migrant workers — and brown people in general — from Central Asia and the Caucasus are constantly being stopped by Moscow's police and made to show their passports. The interaction often ends with a bribe. RUSSIA! illustator Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva has depicted this familiar scene on, of all things, a passport holder.

There's no better way to inform the fuzz that even though you're complying with their request, you still think racial profiling is totally cliche!

P.S. People in Russia actually use, and, arguably, need passport holders because you're never supposed to leave the house without documentation — even if you're a citizen, not having your "internal passport" with you can result in a fine. And don't try to argue to a Russian that the concept of an "internal passport" is inherently contradictory. You'll get a funny look.


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