FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Protest against Costa Mesa's Decision to Deputize

Police Officers

COSTA MESA- On Tuesday, January 03, concerned citizens

forming a collective called Tonantzin will converge

upon the Costa Mesa City Council in protest of the

City Council's decision to train city police to

enforce immigration law. The measure was approved by

the council on December 7, 2005. Costa Mesa will be

the first United States city to merge police and

immigration duties.

This measure raises concern amongs the Mexican and

Central American community. How will officers

distinguish between those who are legal and illegal?

Will all who come in contact with police be asked to

validate citizenship? people will be subject to racial

profiling, based on appearance and surname. The

measure will also erode relations between immigrants

and police, as immigrants will fear reporting crimes.

Furthermore, vigilantism may increase, as residents

may attack and harass Hispanics they believe to be

illegal.

Police officers are not border patrol agents! All are

invited to demand the repeal of the City Council's

decision and prevent racial profiling and unfair

attacks on immigrants in Costa Mesa.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 03, 2005

TIME/WHERE: Protest begins at 5PM at the Costa Mesa

City Council (77 Fair Drive)

Why: Then at 6pm protesters will take over the city

council to speak out against the proposal of Mayor

Allan Mansoor demanding 1) The re-opening of the day

Labor cite. 2). The withdrawl of the vote that will

give power to certain police officers to enforce

immigration law. 3) The recall of those city council

official who voted for the closing of the day labor

cite and the proposal that will give power to police

officers to enforce immigration laws.

Press contact: Coyotl Tezcalipoca,

matlazinka@hotmail.com

Phone 714 299-8817

Sources:

"Costa Mesa police will enforce immigration law."

Overley, Jeff.

Orange County Register. Dec. 7, 2005.

Wow, that's rough! Police being able to enforce laws against foreign criminals is pretty awful, eh??

Gimme a fucken break....

How can you check for ID without first stopping someone, and what will constitute a reason to stop someone in the first place.

I can’t think of anything else other than profiling to justify a stop and search, can you?

There are no identifying factors that shout out at you and say, "Hey, look at me. I'm an Undoc!"

The only thing a cop could do is suspect every Latino which would amount to profiling. Profiling has been ruled unconstitutional by the 14th amendment and is also against the law in Calif. I wonder how the law will be written to allow profiling in Costa Mesa. In other words, how will they write a law that allows them to break the law?

I am sure this is headed for the courts; the ACLU has already assigned a lawyer to this issue.

If a police officer pulls someone over for drunken driving or arrests someone for assault or posession of a firearem and the person doesn't seem to be able speak English and they have no ID or the ID looks phony they should be able to question this individual on their immigration status.

If they deport someone and then a week later they see the same person walking on the street they should be able to again arrest them for an immigration violation.

If you are not illegal you will have nothing to worry about, so stop crying.

OBEY THE LAW!

The claim in that article saying that vigilantism will increase is likely to be true, but in the reverse sense. Vigilantism rises usually due to a lack of legitimate or lawful enforcement. The "vigilante" , feeling powerless or ignored, finds an outlet that is very proactive and satisfying.

The best way to curtail vigilatism is to remove the opportunities that drive it. In this case, the legal residents who are linked by virtue of race with those who are not legal, should start recognizing the most valuable contribution they can make to their bretherens' safety is to stop aid and comfort to those who will end up drawing fire to all.

The authors notion that vigilantism will increase if the law is being enforced just doesn't follow logic and history.

If you look outside your window and see the police are getting spit on, yelled at, and fought with while they are making an arrest, the likelyhood is that you will quickly slam the door or shut the curtains in an effort to shut it out. It looks like the problem is being handled; little need for vigilantism

I will do and say anything to keep asshole illegal foreigners

from entering our beautiful country!

Yep there is lots of gold in Mexico

Go get it!

Stinking Federalos!

I think I saw that movie.

Don't they give you a shovel a cigarette and a .45 for claim jumping?

Master wrote:

"If a police officer pulls someone over for drunken driving or arrests someone for assault or posession of a firearem and the person doesn't seem to be able speak English and they have no ID or the ID looks phony they should be able to question this individual on their immigration status. "

If they don't speak English?

1 out of 7 undocs are from Europe, chances are that most of them will speak English, since Europe values multi-lingualism.

Your suggestion is still profiling by singling out a specific characteristic related to language.

Profiling isn't illegal and the statement that it is is PURE DRIVEL.

Police officers profile EVERY SINGLE DAY. If cops get a call that a 6'5" asian woman has just robbed a store they look for a 6'5" asian woman. That's profiling. Profiling is a necessary part of the job and it works.

The 'profiling argument' is nothing but a straw man argument intended to divert attention from the fact that illegals have broken the law. More to the point, it is intended to ensure that certain laws are NOT enforced, even when there is legitimate cause to do so.

Mexico strictly enforces their immigration laws and they routinely use profiling, but I don't hear any 'no border' mavens complaining about that.

There is no legal reason whatsoever for the police not to ask for immigration status. The only reason it hasn't been a requirement in the past is because of chicano political pressure groups. Well, now the tables are turning. The taxpaying americans who are here legally are sick (and sick of paying for it) of this and they are now fighting back. That's right, we're 'protesting' your position. Get it? If you don't like it, TOO BAD... it's our right to dissent! Get it?

Scorpio wrote: "Profiling isn't illegal and the statement that it is is PURE DRIVEL.

Police officers profile EVERY SINGLE DAY. If cops get a call that a 6'5" asian woman has just robbed a store they look for a 6'5" asian woman. That's profiling. Profiling is a necessary part of the job and it works."

Profiling was declared unconstitutional based on the "Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment" and is also against the law in California.

The example you give is not profiling but providing a description of a specific suspect's appearance - a suspect that robbed a store and was obviously seen by witnesses.

Using you premise the call would say, "A Mexican crossed the border illegally", and would cause every Mexican looking person to be suspect, that constitutes racial profiling.

Now clean the drool off your chin and read the CA Penal Code below:

"Penal Code section 13519.4, effective January 1, 2001, prohibits "racial profiling" by law enforcement officers. "Racial profiling" is the practice of detaining a suspect for no reason other than the color of that person's skin or apparent nationality or ethnicity."

If someone is already behind bars for commiting a crime, our police officers should have the right to question them on their immigration status. This is not profiling. They've already commited a crime and the officer is just tying to find out who they are and where they are from. If they are from another country and they are here illegally they should should be held for immigration authorities. Immigration law enforcement should not end at the border.

834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully

cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization

Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is

suspected of being present in the United States in violation of

federal immigration laws.

(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected

of being present in the United States in violation of federal

immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the

following:

(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen

of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent

resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time

or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of

immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall

not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date

and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding

documentation to indicate his or her legal status.

(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien

who is present in the United States in violation of federal

immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal

justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or

leave the United States.

(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United

States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal

status and provide any additional information that may be requested

by any other public entity.

Master wrote:

"This is not profiling. They've already commited a crime and the officer is just tying to find out who they are and where they are from."

True, but that is not what is being debate.

What is being dbated is stopping someone specifically to check their resident status in the US.

What identifying factors constitute a viable reason for conducting such a stop and search?

Border Raven has posted a law that is in effect, but sometimes not followed.

You can get reports at http://www.gao.gov regarding undocs and other stats. According to one report there are only about 600,000 undocs working in the US that used false SSN and 5000 have been deported.

None, unless the cops are looking for a suspect, and have a description, of persons and vehicles.

The best justification for a stop, is actions and behaviors.

If there are laws against certain behaviors or act, and a peson violates the laws,

If a sign is posted about not hiring prostitutes, and the person hires a prostitute,

If a sign prohibts loitering, and 100 people are loitering,

then the cops have justification for stopping, interviewing, and arresting if justified.

In those cases, I agree 100% with you Border Raven.

But, if the behavior included something like "listening to Mexican banda music" then I would call it profiling.

I noticed, during their riots, the French guys (who were legal, and maybe even born there) had to carry a paper indicating their legal status. It was degrading.

Forget about profiling. The real question is whether or not a cop can ask about someones legal status. They can already legally ask where you live, your name, etc... There is no reason to prevent them from asking about your legal status. They ask about it in Mexico, so why can't we ask about it here?

OK, I was in the front row, of the right side, center - aisle seat, I had a good view of what happened.

Is there any video?

Coyotl, was emotional.

He wanted everyone to stand,

interrupting the meeting,

The mayor said he would not allow the interruption.

Coyotl's time had ended,

The officer was at his side and told him to go to the side door,

He moved as requested,

he made a move for the podium, perhaps to get his speech materials.

The officers may have misunderstood his action as resisting or not following orders,

Then the officers forced him outside,

His supporters, in the crowd reacted as expected, with passion and concern.

There was some confusion,

meeting postponed

The Police Chief eventually came into the crowd, and geve them the opportunity to resume the meeting, and allow everyone to speak.

Coyotl, is charged with "resisting arrest'', the arrest process takes control, and must be followed to protect the rights of the arrestee.

I was told that the situation of the arrested changed to something else, and I don't remember the exact term for it. Basically Coyotl doesn't have to pay a fine to post bail, but has to agree to show up for a court date. As of right now, I'm not sure if he's still in custody or has been released yet. There are people waiting for him.

I don't want to be hassled all the time for ID. I don't always carry ID with me. I don't carry documentation proving I was born here. I also happen to think it's bullshit that I'd have to carry some kind of paperwork, while Euro immigrants I've known (who were working here illegally) would likely not get profiled for questioning.

JohnK, you raised another good point that I don't have a lot of insight on, infact hardly any in this case, but one that I wonder about. I wonder if there are any Canadians who may be here with higher paying manager or assistant manager type of jobs but are working passed their travel visas. Who knows. Or people from Europe or anyone who speaks common English who look "white."

The Sheriff would turn over criminals to ICE.

No ID cards

No random questioning

No Concentration Camps.

Tell me about it.

Imagine needing a card to get money from the bank.

Imagine needing a card to get gas for your car.

Imagine needing a card to get a haircut.

Imagine needing a card to get groceries or clothes.

Imagine needing a card to get into a movie.

Imagine needing a card to get a discount.

Imagine needing a card to get medical care.

Imagine needing a card to get into a country.

I spent 20-years in the US Navy, and had to have my ID card for those things. Guess what? You need a card to get those things today.

You have arrived.

:)

That choke hold the slapped on Quetzelcoatl did not look comfortable. Of course, the mostly useless netword news only showed him being choked out and carried away. From what I could see, Quetzelcoatl was batting away the officers hand. I do not know if he was just going to get his papers and go, but you have to admit, they told him over and over to vacate, then the police got involved.

No one here is in favor of police state tactics, but we are also not in favor o using all of you time at the podium and then refusing to leave.

Quetzelcoatl will most certainly become the new Indymedia darling since he suffered a la Teresa Dang.