Special treatment and the fraternity that is America

The scene in West Side story when the cop kicks the Puerto Rican gang out of the candy shop and then tells the white gang he’s for them reminded me of how different groups of people who do the same things are sometimes seen in a different light.
The scene I’m referring to is after the dance when the jets have a war council in the candy shop to discuss their rumble. The cop comes in and makes the sharks (who are all supposed to be first generation Puerto Rican immigrants) leave. One of the sharks makes a comment to the cop about America being a free country. The cop basically dismisses the claim and makes them leave anyway even though neither gang was breaking any laws. On the way out the sharks whistle “My Country ‘tis of thee,” or a similar patriotic tune. Then the cop talks to the jets (all supposed to be second generation European immigrants) and tells them he’s for them.
This reminded me of a presentation someone did in another class I have. He was talking about Hurricane Katrina and how one news story reported white people “gathering supplies” and another story reported black people “looting.” Just like in West Side story, two different groups of people were doing the same thing but it’s looked at differently because of who they are.
I also thought this was a commentary on American feelings toward immigrant groups. It’s almost as if becoming an American is like joining a frat. In America, each time there is a new group of immigrants they get hazed until another new group comes in to take their spot. Irish Catholics were discriminated against and stereotyped when they were immigrating in large numbers before 1900. They were only offered low paying jobs that nobody wanted to do. In a frat, each new pledge class must do the jobs no one else wants to do, such as pick up drunk brothers from the bars. The Irish pledge class was followed by the Italian pledge class and eventually the Puerto Rican. There were other groups too, but I just picked these three as an example.
The jets and the sharks are a perfect example of this system of seniority. The jets were born in America so they are no longer pledges. They pick on the new pledges (in this case the Puerto Ricans) and enjoy the benefits of being accepted in the club, such as cops siding with them. This tradition of picking on the new guy is continually passed down to each new American pledge class.