Hate Crime at Laguna Beach Day Labor Center

Two white men were held on suspicion of attempted murder and committing a hate crime Sunday at the Laguna Beach Day Labor Center, site of numerous anti-day laborer protests by the hate groups Save Our State and The Minuteman Project.

Two day laborers were injured when they were hit by a car driven by Artem Soloviev, who, along with his passenger, Dennis Katpilniy, allegedly shouted racial epithets as they sped through the day labor center, striking and slightly injuring two laborers, and damaging several tables and a fence, after earlier breaking the nose of another laborer who had refused to work for them on a digging project at Soloviev's house.

Workers were forced to leap from the path of the car as sped through the area.

Police described the injuries to the workers struck by the vehicle as minor, and neither victim was hospitalized. The man injured in the earlier assault was treated for a broken nose.

Jim Gilchrist of the Minuteman Project was uncertain if the assailants were members of his organization, distancing himself from the attacks by claiming the Minutemen will not endorse a member "who steps out of those bounds and engages in vandalism and violence.”

With the heat on Gilchrist reaction on the Save Our State online forum was predictable:

“Richie” wrote “How do you miss with a car?”

“Cat patrol” said “You can bet that the "poor victims" have already contacted lawyers.”

I can see it now: "If only the city of Laguna Beach had proper security on the site, this racist attack never would have happened", they will cry.

“Ghost” wrote “I'm sending a letter (and making a phone call) to Caltrans first thing in the morning to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" They had a chance to shut this thing down when it was discovered to be operating illegally, but they decided to allow the site to remain open and now WE taxpayers are going to pay for this lawsuit.”

“Fed up in la” claimed “I'm not buying it. We know how the illegals like to stretch the truth.”

Meanwhile, “Bryan in oc” blamed the day laborers for the assault against them, “*Waitaminute....IF these payassos [clowns] didn't want a DAY LABOR JOB, then WTF reason did they have for BEING there in the 1st place?”

There was no response from SOS leadership.

Gilchrist was "uncertain" if the assailants are members of his organization? With the knowledge of their names, they should be able to know right away. But nope, they don't seem to be organized like that. They have a "Standard Operating Procedure" that doesn't mean jack. I think it was Czernal of SOS who told me that basically he participated and just decided that he's a Minuteman, and therefor I guess he's a Minuteman.

The day labor workers who were targeted by this incident should be able to seek justice in court, assuming such a court is fair and uncorrupted. If they conduct themselves as respectful of the law and of human life and safety(which is what this is about here), that should prove them to be elligible for legal status here in the US. Just like if someone here illegally reports a serious crime which results in an arrest and helping law enforcement, that person has proven him/herself as capable and willing to live in our society. If someone has literally made our streets safer by doing that, by all means let them live, work, and enjoy life here with us.

I see that the right-wing media has even picked up the story about these Christians who were arrested. Amazing.