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In a protest against the minutemen, the Mexica Movement defies modern conquerers intent on dividing their nation.
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BURBANK November 26, 2005--In a formidable display of organization and discipline, at 9:00 a.m. fifteen members of the Mexica Movement and a handful of their supporters stood in opposition to thirty-five minutemen at the intersection of West Alameda and West Olive Avenues.
With matching T-shirts, their flag, an 8-foot banner, and carefully crafted signs, Mexica Movement stretched their forces along forty feet of the corner, in somber and determined contrast to the minutemen to the south, some of whom bounced from foot to foot waving small U.S. flags over their heads to old Beatles tunes.
About fifteen Burbank police oversaw the demonstration. One, at least, seemed not unhappy at protecting the Mexica Nican Tlaca of the Anahuac nation: when asked if he understood the inherent racism of the minutemen, he responded that he was second-generation Italian.
The minutemen were outside of the NBC studios protesting a recent episode of "Law and Order," in which a fictional group called The Countrymen murdered border crossers. The minutemen's bullhorn was commandeered by two of the four African-Americans standing with them. One was homeless advocate Ted Hayes, sporting a U.S. flag draped around his neck. Hayes, who once tried to have Food Not Bombs members arrested for feeding the homeless, had concocted a short-lived plan with Border Watch leader James Chase to transport homeless people to the Minutemen's border actions. Today Hayes broadcast, "Uncle Tom was the good guy. Hitler was good at first. Then he started killing people." He and the other spokesperson called on the Mexica Movement to debate them. They added, "I thought Black people couldn't be racist."
Mexica Movement maintained their discipline with only occasional shout outs to members for "calma." Chant sheets and clear leadership kept the Nican Tlaca in solidarity with chants of "our land, our continent" and "NBC was right: Minutemen are racist."
Two minutemen crossed the broad boulevard to provoke the Mexica Movement crew, but they responded by keeping their sings between themselves and the provocateurs and forcing the intruders to the side of the demonstration. Two police officers ordered the two to return to their side of the street.
Fox News, Telemundo, two independent filmmakers, and a bevy of minutemen photographers recorded the protest.
At noon, the minutemen erupted into a chorus of "God Bless America" and drifted away. Mexica Movement waited them out, did one last press interview, and packed up their gear.