Garden Grove: What Happened When Netkin Attacked

After 2 1/2 days I was finally able to speak directly with two people who were at the driveway, and who were responsible persons among the demonstrators, when Hal Netkin attacked the protestors at the Garden Grove Anti – Minutemen protest.

The story is simple and straightforward. For legal reasons I will not identify protest participants by name or organization.

Protestors were picketing, walking in a circle. The circle included the area of the driveway being used for entrance by those attending the Gilchrist talk.

Hal Netkin drove up from the street, turned sharply into the driveway without stopping, striking – at last count – six protestors.

Netkin was in no way provoked, threatened, stopped, harassed, intimidated or attacked by any protestor.

After the protestors were struck by Netkin’s van, police made no move to take control of the sidewalk or the driveway.

In other words police made no move to block, encircle or protect protestors, despite the fact that two of their comrades still lay on the ground, subject to being run over again by incoming vehicles.

For this and other reasons, I was told, some protestors may have momentarily interfered with the next car to wheel into the driveway, but only after they had been subjected to attempted murder and a clear cut hate crime, and only after police made no effort to “protect or serve” those exposed to harm.

One might note the disparity in law enforcement attitudes and actions.

To state and perhaps belabor the obvious, on Wednesday night, it was the Minutemen and their racist armed protectors - the police - in league against the Chican@ community, both seeking to physically spiritually and morally harm the community and its allies by any means at their disposal.