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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
A month ago and the month before, migrants and their supporters put a million people in the streets. Today the minutemen countered with a hundred-person "civil rights march," proclaiming no civil rights for immigrants or their children. Luckily for the minutemen, the protestors were inclined to be non-violent.
 making_it_plain.jpg, image/jpeg, 300x441
LOS ANGELES, 21 May 2006--In spite of the obvious provocation, protest
organizers agreed in advance that non-violence was the order of the day in
confronting the minutemen's march against migrant rights along the now-historic
Gran Marcha route. And so it was, but the protestors' hard-bitten contempt
was palpable, and the the shoppers and shopkeepers along Broadway were clear in
their resentment.
About ten students had primed the Broadway pedestrians. At 10:30 a.m., they
walked through the Sunday shopping crowds of migrants warning them that the
minutemen would soon try to take over their street.
The "American Civil Rights March," scheduled for noon, had really
begun by 11:15. At Olympic and Broadway, fifty minutemen from the
Minuteman Project, Save Our State, and the Crispus Attucks Brigade were already
facing 150 seething, yelling protestors from ISO, Students for Amnesty, the
People's Liberation Party, Radical Women, and the RCP, and just plain pissed off
anarchists and community members. The seventy or so visible cops
solidified the protestors when, a few moments later, they hauled off a leading
pro-migrant activist who had ventured too close to the minutemen.
The minutemen hid behind a line of cop bikes along the south side of Olympic,
waving immense US flags and literally wrapped themselves in red, white, and blue
stripes. One sported a classic Torino spoiled with a red, white, and blue
flag motif paint job. Protestors stretched around the north and west
around corner. ANSWER-LA showed up with their banners and signs, and a car
battery-powered PA system, complete with speakers on poles, all packed in a
shopping cart. The protestors now numbered two hundred, and the march was
ready to begin. An infamous Mexican minutewoman crossed the parking lot
behind the protestors as they shouted, "¡Asesina!"
One hundred and thirteen minutemen crossed Olympic Boulevard at noon.
The march had been billed as a civil rights march, but the only sign that
called for civil rights was the lead banner that read, "Civil Rights in
Mexico." Ted Hayes, chief march organizer and leader of the
African-American unit of the minutemen, had managed to pull together about
eighteen African-Americans to join him. Their civil rights issues were
notably missing from the march. Instead of uniting behind African-American
rights or jobs, the overwhelmingly European-American minutemen carried signs calling
for locking down the borders, no amnesty, and deporting migrants.
By 7th Street the cops had donned their hardhats, visors up. The cops
spaced themselves about five feet apart, facing the protestors on the west
sidewalk, who shouted to the marchers "La lucha obrera no tiene fronteras"
and, to the cops, "La migra, la policía--la misa porquería!" through
their bullhorns.
PLP had gone ahead, handing out flyers denouncing the march, and all along
Broadway on both sides of the street people stopped their Sunday shopping to
come out on the sidewalk to glare with arms crossed at the minutemen, or to join
protestors. Undoubtedly, many of these same people had carried their own
U.S. flags up this same street two months ago. Today, they saw that flag
in a different light. Overhead, the sky was sullen and gloomy, threatening
but not delivering rain. The sidewalks were jammed, the din was throbbing.
Then at 4th Street, a pause. The minutemen could be heard chanting,
"U-S-A! U-S-A!" But the protestors quickly countered with
"Working people have not nations--Smash racist
deportations!"
One demonstrator said of Ted Hayes leading the minutemen, "Imagine a
Chicano Republican leading the Klan in a march down Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard."
At 1:00 p.m. the march had reached City Hall. The protestors, now up to
250, were forced by the cops onto the west side of Spring Street north of 1st
Street, while the minutemen paraded to the City Hall lawn for their rally.
But wait! First one minutewoman, then another, then several more
minutepeople came back to the east side of Spring St. and chatted with the
cops. It seemed they wanted to use their porta-potties across the street,
in the middle of the protestors. The minutepeople stepped into the
street. More consultation with the police, then some fussing. Then
the minutepeople turned back, defeated. No porta-potties for them.
The protestors chanted for an hour longer until shortly after 2:00 p.m.
The police had called for reinforcements and, recognizing the the danger to the
migrants' rights movement, most of the protestors marched out 1st Street toward
Broadway.
Meanwhile, the Minutemen were listlessly shuffling around as three hours of
speakers took their turns on the City Hall steps. A string of political
wannabes skirted the question of immigration, only touching on matricular
consular identification cards and denouncing international trade
agreements. A Republican Presidential candidate was stumping for rights
for non-custodial parents. An African-American minister called out,
"Where are our Black leaders?" and answered himself: "They're
conspicuously absent today."
Then a march organizer, who had carried what appeared to be a Celtic cross in
the march, came to the microphone. "The police are on our side,"
she told the group at the steps. "When I was marching, I got
emotional. I started crying." Then, intoning Martin Luther
King, Jr., she went on, "It's a dream to secure our border. It's a
dream to remove all illegals without rewarding them. It's a dream that our
children will have the same patriotic future we had." After
denouncing migrants as the source of crime, homelessness, and hospital closures,
she urged the crowd to vote, to call their congressional representatives, and to
join the minutemen to "stop the illegal invasion."
"Congress is considering allowing illegals to vote," she claimed.
"You need to pray," she continued. "I'm amazed that the
Christian churches are not here. In the Bible, it says, 'Thou shall not
steal, thou shall not covet.' In Nehemiah, God built a wall. God
bless America!"
Finally, Jim Gilchrist, organizer of the Minuteman Project, took the stairs
and the microphone. First, he denounced "Mayor Villareconquista"
and the Los Angeles City Council. He claimed that for the past forty
years, political correctness had advanced diversity and multiculturalism
"at any cost." "Assimilation and Americanism have been
lost," he proclaimed. "The Senate will ram down your throats and
your children's throats amnesty for the 30 million illegal aliens.
. . . By the year 2050 there will be 150 million illegal aliens,
more illegal aliens than the number of registered voters."
"Anarchists have no relation to our nation," he pronounced.
"They're part of foreign enclaves. They have no respect for English
or U.S. history. They're not interested in assimilating, they're
interested in taking our our country." He referred to a protestor
across the street: "That loudmouth over there has the aggregate IQ of a
dead housewife."
The protestor on the bullhorn was arrested a few minutes later. When
the minutemen returned from watching the arrest, Gilchrist announced, "One
down, 29,999 left. Sí se puede. U-S-A! U-S-A!"
On their way out, the police escorted the minutemen to the porta-potties,
past the handful of remaining counterprotestors.
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 you_whipped_the_back.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x300
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 love_and_unity.jpg, image/jpeg, 225x427
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 mm_marching.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x288
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 angry_bystanders.jpg, image/jpeg, 325x420
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 standing_tall.jpg, image/jpeg, 325x425
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 police_on_spring.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x394
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 mm_at_city_hall.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x293
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by Leslie Radford
Monday, May. 22, 2006 at 10:14 PM
leslie@radiojustice.net
 sister_cities.jpg, image/jpeg, 325x434
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LATEST COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
Listed below are the 10 latest comments of 127 posted about this article.
These comments are anonymously submitted by the website visitors.
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
DATE |
luckily? |
- |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 5:29 AM |
Hey Steve! Still getting fired from jobs? |
Thought so |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 5:31 AM |
Leslie Radfor was EXPOSED! |
Mimbreno |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 5:56 AM |
Leslie Radford is a liar (as usual) |
Mimbreno |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 6:00 AM |
Stop Whining |
Pachuco |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 6:12 AM |
Mask |
Bob |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 6:58 AM |
Mask |
V |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 7:18 AM |
Re: Leslie Radfor was EXPOSED! |
Leslie |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 7:28 AM |
Goof |
Hijole |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 12:51 PM |
turn the people on each other and WE WIN! |
systemfailure |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 3:20 PM |
Damn |
Sheepdog |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 3:24 PM |
changes |
tupac shakur |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 3:25 PM |
After the rally, there was a SECOND march! |
1st hand source |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 4:47 PM |
Turn the People on Each Other, Indeed! |
green tenant |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 5:09 PM |
Hey, you counted this time ! |
Don Silva |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 6:29 PM |
Don Silva's Sick Egocentrism |
Nazi Hunter |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 7:40 PM |
Us |
Nazi Hunter |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 7:42 PM |
Them |
Nazi Hunter |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 7:45 PM |
Bush and Ahnold on Immigration |
Twins Bush and Ahnold |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:01 PM |
its not a mexican thing |
@ |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:16 PM |
You Know.. |
Tzacateco |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:20 PM |
LAPigD and Minute MENsos |
NE-LA |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:30 PM |
Huh? |
Aaron Jones |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:38 PM |
That's not exactly accurate ... |
Aaron Jones |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 8:43 PM |
Re: Tzacateco |
Left Behind |
Tuesday, May. 23, 2006 at 10:12 PM |
to: Aaron |
johnk |
Wednesday, May. 24, 2006 at 2:23 AM |
pseudo-@ |
no |
Wednesday, May. 24, 2006 at 2:58 AM |
heat stroke |
V |
Wednesday, May. 24, 2006 at 7:32 AM |
LooPee |
Pachuco |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 10:11 AM |
Jim and Barbie |
Pachuco |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 10:12 AM |
Next time |
& |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 10:22 AM |
To: mattsb2000 |
Pachuco |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 11:01 AM |
history repeats |
systemfailure |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 12:49 PM |
LMFAOOO |
VC |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 9:28 PM |
Minuteman Rally 1940 |
VC |
Thursday, May. 25, 2006 at 9:37 PM |
OH, Good ..... |
canat |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 6:34 AM |
Aztec & Cherokee very Related |
Pachuco |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 7:37 AM |
HEY PACHUCO |
LIBERDAD |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 2:08 PM |
I Can Answer That |
VC |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 3:41 PM |
I Can Answer That |
VC |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 3:41 PM |
Re Joe Turner Diaries |
MICista |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 4:11 PM |
Clowns, one and all ! |
Don Silva |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 4:57 PM |
Don SIlva |
IMCista |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 7:01 PM |
Clowns One And All!!! |
hi fatso |
Friday, May. 26, 2006 at 7:45 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 1:03 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 1:38 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 2:00 AM |
Yes, I know Who You Are, Don |
Nazi Hunter |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 9:19 AM |
numbers |
V |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 10:38 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 12:36 PM |
Free Mario |
-- repost -- |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 2:13 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 3:03 PM |
Zzzzzzz.... |
Don Silva |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 3:57 PM |
Question |
Sam |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 4:31 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 5:13 PM |
doonny |
V |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 9:06 PM |
SOS Nazi Connections Exposed in Press Enterprise Story on Turner |
Nazi Hunter |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 11:18 PM |
Excerpt from Press Enterprise Story on SOS / Nazi link |
Nazi Hunter |
Saturday, May. 27, 2006 at 11:22 PM |
It Detracts From The Debate |
Webmaster |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 1:34 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 2:07 AM |
Remember this donny |
V |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 6:08 AM |
Hey Jammer, here's an idea: |
BaBaBooey! |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 9:32 AM |
Lori Silva aka Megan Nicole? |
Harry |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 10:13 AM |
about the picture |
V |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 2:01 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 4:49 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 5:07 PM |
correction |
Jammer CC |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 5:09 PM |
reply |
Pete Nice |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 5:19 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 5:25 PM |
Pitiful Nazi |
Chacon |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 10:21 PM |
Senior |
RicoBerto |
Sunday, May. 28, 2006 at 10:23 PM |
Provocation? |
V |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 6:22 AM |
Wearing a confederate rag in downtown L.A. is provocation enough |
BaBaBooey! |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 10:11 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 12:35 PM |
One more pic |
Roger |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 3:48 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 3:50 PM |
another reply |
Roger |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 4:18 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 4:41 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 4:41 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 4:45 PM |
question |
Pete Nice |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 5:04 PM |
hypocrites |
Roger |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 5:17 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 5:26 PM |
A reply to Frederic |
Roger |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 5:49 PM |
Nothing personal |
Roger |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 6:15 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 6:27 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 6:29 PM |
Like I was saying, NO ONE cares, but you clowns |
Don Silva |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 8:26 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 8:41 PM |
well... |
Pete Nice |
Monday, May. 29, 2006 at 8:53 PM |
also |
V |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 6:13 AM |
don't worry, don |
Leslie |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 6:26 AM |
Chinese Immigrants |
Bowman |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 9:47 AM |
fair |
papa |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 2:28 PM |
They will care ? When ? |
Don Silva |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 7:03 PM |
don the donkey silva |
V |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 7:33 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Tuesday, May. 30, 2006 at 7:58 PM |
Stu |
Me |
Wednesday, May. 31, 2006 at 8:28 PM |
to above post |
V |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 5:17 AM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 8:00 AM |
Debbie Sattler aka Rageddy Ann STILL active in SOS |
BaBaBooey! |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 10:51 AM |
Threats from Mr. Maldonado |
Gunny |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 3:02 PM |
number |
v |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 4:11 PM |
That's funny |
tom |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 5:20 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 6:18 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Thursday, Jun. 01, 2006 at 6:31 PM |
reply |
Jammer CC |
Friday, Jun. 02, 2006 at 8:37 AM |
Not even close |
BaBaBooey! |
Friday, Jun. 02, 2006 at 11:36 AM |
yeah right |
Gunny |
Friday, Jun. 02, 2006 at 1:51 PM |
who is gunny |
V |
Saturday, Jun. 03, 2006 at 3:15 AM |
IVanna Humpalot |
Mexican Repellent |
Sunday, Jun. 04, 2006 at 2:40 AM |
Lori Silva aka Megan Nicole? |
Booger |
Friday, Apr. 13, 2007 at 7:14 PM |
YOu know, Don Payaso |
nazi hunter |
Friday, Apr. 13, 2007 at 9:34 PM |
|
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