WAR: Protest Erupts in Violence

During a speaking engagement in Garden Grove, California, protests against the appearance of Jim Gilcrest, founder of the MinuteMan project erupted into violence.



While the cause of the violence has not been verified, the actions of all involved are now subject to scrutiny. KNBC (Channel 4) Los Angeles has played the story with a lean against the protestors stating that in one occurance two protestors attacked a man in his car with signs and "leather objects". The driver's response was to drive forward forcing the protestors to clear the way for his escape.

Related News Links:
www.soychicano.com
www.immigrantsolidarity.org
la.indymedia.org
Indynews.com]www.la.indymedia.org

[edit on 26-5-2005 by Chuck Stevenson]

[edit on 26-5-2005 by Chuck Stevenson]

That the protests happened demonstrates the efficacy of the project.

I totally support the MM initiative. Our borders should be made secure at all costs.

Indymedia
CCRI, which pushed Prop. 187 in 1994, is now seeking to build support
for a more open and brutal campaign of terror and intimidation against
Mexican, Salvadoran Guatemalan and other immiigrants, and against all
indigenous Spanish speaking peoples.

Wow... The Minutemen sound like Nazi Stormtroopers. How much brutal terror and intimidation did they use during that month on the border?

The MM didnt use 'terror' this is propaganda against people who want secure borders. For some reason, and you have to ask yourself what that reason is, these protestors are upset by the MM. I hope we see more of the MM project. These protestors are violating the law and need to be thrown in jail.

It is completely ludicrous to describe the MM's tactics as terroristic. Absolute baloney. The month of service was well documented and monitored.

Imtimidation? Well, what's wrong with that? We want illegal immigrants to be intimidated by those protecting our border. We want them to be made "timid". They should not feel welcome if they are not migrating legally.

P.S., the headline of this story is a little vague ... "Protest erupts in violence"? Just thought I'd point that out.

Zip

[edit on 26-5-2005 by Zipdot]

The MM are being labeled "racist vigilantes" by these protestors.

The Socialists are also getting involved.

It won't be long before they organize these "disenfranchised illegals" and carry out work stoppages and strikes, and make demands on employers and the gov't. That's their ultimate goal, IMO.

What can be done about this?

Should we write (again) to our elected representatives? I mean the borders aren't secure and the situation is deteriorating, it would seem.

A question must be asked.

Are they being called racist because of their conduct against Mexicans?

OR

Are they being called racist because of their conduct against potentially dangerous illegal immigrants who happen to be Mexican.

There is a distinction there.

I'm not sure, I have no familiarity with what's going on there, perhaps one of you can shed some light.

It would certainly appear that the MM don't care if the illegals crossing the US border are green in color, or white, or rainbow. They are just stopping the illegal activity. Period.

To brand them as racist is a hypocrisy.

Deport the illegals.

:wow. I am surprised by the consensus. we always bicker and fight so much it is refreshing to have a thread where we are not at one another's throats..

XPhilez, during the beginning of the minuteman ordeal, some members were opposed, but during their month long audition, I think they proved themselves to be a worthy band of citizens. It was the ACLU that was out there smoking dope and starting fistfights...

EDIT (No offense to the ACLU, it was just kind of funny to read about, that's all.)

Zip

[edit on 26-5-2005 by Zipdot]

You mean like Cezar Chavez?

Well, believe it or not, the illegal alien problem extends up to our northern borders also.

New Ipswich, NH Police Chief Garrett Chamberlain has been in the news for his attempts to deal with illegal aliens from Mexico in his little town, which has a population of about 4,300. Similar efforts are being undertaken in Hudson, another NH town.

The ironic thing is, Chief Chamberlain contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement when he apprehended one illegal, and was told that ICE did not want custody of the iillegal. In other words, just let him go.

A short article about this appears here .

I tried to go back and edit the original story after the feedback but I was unable to do so. Mods - if you could please copy and paste or replace the original with the following copy. Thanks!

EDIT
During a speaking engagement in Garden Grove, California, protests against the appearance of Jim Gilcrest, founder of the MinuteMan project erupted into violence. Some protestors were found to be armed and a few were arrested for Assault. A few activist sites on the Web carry statements by individuals that appear to show intent to disrupt an otherwise peacful meeting through their actions.

SignOn San Diego

GARDEN GROVE – A protest against the founder of the border-watching Minuteman Project turned violent when demonstrators hurled rocks and unopened soda cans at police and people attending the event, authorities said Thursday.

Police arrested one man after he drove slowly into a crowd blocking a driveway and knocked two demonstrators to the ground on Wednesday night.

Eric Garcia, 22, of Anaheim said "all hell broke loose" after the demonstrators were hit by the motorist. "People started throwing things, like rocks and bricks and stuff." he said.

About 300 people turned out at the Women's Civic Club in Orange County to protest a speech by Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist of Aliso Viejo.

The protesters targeted members of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, which organized the event, and officers called out to patrol the demonstration, Hanfield said. Five protesters were arrested on charges that included assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon.

"Their racist acts are being masked by patriotism," said Obed Sanchez of Garden Grove.

The actions of the demonstrators following the incident with the car shows that they may have been prepared for violence beforehand. The labelling of Gilcrest and the Minuteman group as "racist" is the ultimate insult in an attempt to brand the group as socially unacceptable. But the possibility of conspiracy does appear when the following information is known and intent by the original posters is displayed.

The following quotes and their associated links demonstrate that there is an active conspiracy within certain political and social groups to disrupt and subvert any possible enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States, to deny the First Amendment 'Right to Free Speech' and to practice violence and racism toward others, hypocracy of the highest order.

In viewing the site Soy Chicano at a point halfway down the home page there are two posts by 'Sal', in the first post Sal posits that 3 persons were injured in the protest in a straightforward post. Above that and a little later (7:47pm) Sal posts again using an emotional approach and in the Headline stating that the vehicle driven by a Minuteman supporter struck 4 people. It appears that Sal in interested in raising the flames as every other news outlet has reported that 2 people were struck by the car and treated for minor injuries... conspiracy? You decide...


"Let's drive them back and out - just like we did in Baldwin Park.
No Peace - No Place for Racist Vigilantes!" - Indymedia user

"Chican@ protestors + allies show fierce determination in the face of attempted murder by Minutemen and brutal suppression by police. This is serious. This is not an "objective" report - but a sketchy, ground eye view of what occurred from someone bent on organizing - not reporting.

But I am writing from a place of rage tempered by a steely determination. What I am writing is the truth. It is important to note here that the LA Times story tonight is a complete fabrication, and a transparent and racist attempt to completely invert the story, so that Mexican-hunting Minutemen vigilantes look like normal citizens and their crimes look like frustrated outrage at Chican@ protestor's supposed excesses." - Soy Chicano user

"Raciest Hate Group Comes To Garden Grove to Build Hate Against Hispanics

Come Make A Stand With Your Fellow Citizens
Let The Minute Men Know They Are NOT WELCOME in our town!!" - Chicano.org user


Indymedia
Soy Chicano
Chicano.org
KNBC4 video
Washington Post
Related Link
Above Top Secret

Aelita said:
That the protests happened demonstrates the efficacy of the project.

I totally support the MM initiative. Our borders should be made secure at all costs.

Well stated Aelita..
There was so much negativity before during, and now after, the initial project.
All unfounded.
.I applaud the Minute Men, and the point they have made.

if it was me driveing that car i would have HIT THE GAS. a simmiler thing happened to my sister and husband once. their car was surrounded with people rocking the car kicking and otherwise hitting it. they later asked a cop about it and were topld that that is what they should have done in such a situation. it is about protecting one's self against violent acts.if people are doing this to you it can be taken as a phisical threat, so if you happen to run a few over just stop later and inform the police as to what happened. at that point you are only acting in self defence.

as far as i'm concerned the mm's did nothing wrong. in fact they pointed out just how porus that the borders realy are. it SHOULD be up to the government to secure those areas but it is readily apparent that they are either incapable or incompitant of doing this. the fact is that the mm patrols should not have been needed the fact that they were just points out how poorly a job that the incompetent authorities are.

i remember quite clearly that the blaim was tried to be put on canada's bad immigration pollicies that led to the attacks of 9-11. well just goes to show where the real incompatance was at that time, and indeed still is today. the fact that they are trying to point to the mm as racist is ludicras. i am sure that there were most probably some racests involved, when you have that many people volenteering that is inevitable. but i will remide people that these protesters are racists themselves. justifying ILLIGAL ACTS on behalf of a spacific group of people is racist in and of it's self.

as far as i am concerned ANY illigals that are aprehended should be locked up in prison factories REGAURDLESS of who they are or where they are from. THERE IS MOST DEFINATELY A WAY TO IMMIGRATE LEAGALY, if people want to go to a differant country then they are more then welcome to apply LEGALY, wait till they are ok'd, then i would welcome them with open arms. i am sure a good portion of the mm feel the same way (some of course will not but that is human nature).

any company or person that willingly helps illigals should be punnished to the full etent of the law. THEY are the one's causeing security problems. and as such THEY should be held accountable for what the illigals should happen to do. if an illigal in their care for eample needs medical attention then THEY should foot the bills. if an illigal in their care should happen to kill or commit a violent crime then those who have helped them should be held EQUILY RESPONSIBLE for that act. perhaps if we were to do this then people would no longer help or employ the illigal immigrsants. if that were to happen then it would drasticaly reduce those who remain at large.

I completely support the Minuteman Project. On the first 30 day "patrol" there was not a single incident of violence. They're just keeping watch and calling in the border patrol agents when they see illegal aliens crossing the border areas. The violence erupting Wed. in Garden Grove was just stupid. One demonstrator was taped for broadcast on the radio and he said something like: "They (the MM) just stop people walking around and that's racial profiling." Give me a break! (his brain was probably baked by the desert sun) How many people do you really believe are "just walking around" in the ridiculously hot, dry, desert areas that line the So Cal and AZ border area?

I'm against the MM project, I think its a very bad idea.

However, as far as I can tell, they're not racist. And the fact that they were able to monitor the border for so long w/o violence, and that these activist groups are using lies and propaganda and have erupted into violence, and are making an issue out of the arrest of their 'martyrs', reveals clearly that it is they who are in the wrong.

Applause to you Nygdan! A very fair handed assessment despite the fact that you oppose the MM project. It's refreshing to hear!

Mixed Curses

I'm not very enthusiastic about the Minute Man project, but not because I disagree with their point.

Rather, I am furious that both major political parties in my country tacitly support institutionalized slavery in this country and choose to knowingly and deliberately facilitate illegal immigration and exploitation of illegal immigrants for economic gain.

After all we have been through as a nation, I had hoped we would have learned our lesson about this.

Apparently we have not, and will have to once again pay the price for our greed and indifference.

I have absolutely nothing against Mexicans seeking employment in the U.S.

I have everything against those who exploit them and abuse them as members of the newest class of American slaves.

For shame.

We will pay, and pay dearly, for this national disgrace.