The Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti has been arrested near Brescia, in Italy.
He was strolling among courtyards and condos in the city, looking for his roots. One of his parents is supposed to be from Brescia (I don't know the story exactly).
Well, as it happens, the police spotted him, conspicuous old bearded man, mistaking him for an illegal immigrant, and turned him in.
He took it rather well, considering that after the incident he posed for a picture with the policemen. This short story is told in Italian by Ansa.
I would like to comment something sarcastic and cynic about the stupid Italian police and its fixation with immigrants. About the new global order of random persecutions and fear.
I would like to comment how it is all so ironic, anyway. After all, what Ferlinghetti was looking in Brescia, were the possible remaining traces of the past immigrations of his family.
Well, instead of prolonging this, I'll just end quoting few lines from a 2004 Ferlinghetti's poem.
It's part of the coda of "Totalitarian Democracy". Its entire version is readable on Citylights website.

Cut down cut down the alien corn
Cut down the crazy introverts
Tongue-tied lovers of the subjective
Cut down cut down the wild ones the wild spirits
The desert rats and monkey wrenchers
Easy riders and midnight cowboys in narco nirvanas
Cut down the wild alienated loners
Cut down cut down all those freaks and free thinkers
Wild-eyed poets with wandering minds
Soapbox agitators and curbstone philosophers
Far out weirdos and rappers
Stoned-out visionaries and peace-niks
Exiles in their own land!
O melting pot America!

* * update:
Ferlingetti tells this story to the NYTimes (November 6 2005).
After all he wasn't arrested. He was "only" kept standing for three quarters of hour by the policemen, after "very hostile" folks called them after him.
People from Brescia. What do you expect.
Here's a couple of lines from the interview:

They mistook you for a burglar?
There's a climate of fear and paranoia since 9/11, and in this country it was generated by Bush.
But you can't possibly blame President Bush for fear and paranoia in northern Italy.
It's the same with Silvio Berlusconi in Italy. Is it true that Bush believes that anyone caught reading books should be banned from government?
That's such a flaky, California thing to say.
I made it up.

Dear Ferlinghetti. Oh, I'm sorry so much. That hostile rudeness you endured has nothing to do with 9/11, Bush and Berlusconi - although 9/11 made everything worse-
That's just us, the Italian province, our pitiful stinking ignorance and mistrust.
I wish I was one of those policemen to read your name on the papers. I would have looked gravely at the hostile folks from Brescia and said to them: "This is a very important person. You are so screwed. I hereby order you to go and buy his books. Immediately! Get Pivano's translations! Marsch!".