Mexica Movement Turns The Tables on Save Our State Rally

Around 25 members and supporters of the Mexica Movement – an Indigenous peoples’ liberation organization -- confronted approximately 15 supporters of the “anti-illegal immigration” Save Our State organization in Glendale on January 7. The event was orchestrated by the S.O.S. to protest Home Depot’s Glendale Temporary Labor Center as part of a wider national protest called “Stop The Invasion.” The organization claims that day labor the site encourages “illegal immigration” and is inappropriately funded by Home Depot of Glendale.

Mexica Movement, however, delivered a bold message of striking contrast to the Save Our State protestors: “Europeans are the real illegal immigrants here, since 1492! This is our continent, not yours! We are the Indigenous people of this continent, you are European trespassers!”

That turn-the-tables methodology did not sit well with the S.O.S. protestors, as they found themselves in a face-off with the highly organized Mexica Movement directly across a street between Home Depot and the day labor site. SOS protestors responded by sending their own group across the street into the protest space of Mexica Movement members who held large, bold signs. Shortly thereafter, a series of confrontation of ideas and tempers ensued.

Associated Press reporters caught the conflagration as Mexica Movement members directly confronted Joe Turner (founder of Save Our State) and others with facts of illegal European immigration since Columbus in 1492.

“You want to talk about illegal immigration? Well so do we”, declared one Mexica Movement activist. ”We want to talk about how illegal immigration started with Europeans in 1492. We’re not the illegals! You are illegal Europeans on our continent!”

This message seemed to stun Turner and his fellows as they found themselves on the defensive regarding the facts of how Europeans arrived on this continent 500 years ago. Mexica Movement activists presented them with facts of European invasion, genocide, and theft of land and resources since 1492.

“Conquest and genocide are just a natural part of humanity,” retorted S.O.S.’s Turner amid chants of “You are an illegal European on our continent!” and “Genocidal European!”

The Glendale Police on the scene were noticeably absent from enforcing separation between the protesting groups, except for one incident where they arrested Tenochtli, a member of the Mexica Movement, for allegedly pushing Save Our State’s Joe Turner -- as Turner himself pushed his way into the Mexica Movement protest.

“The Glendale Police were extremely unprofessional in their selective enforcement of this arrest”, said Olin Tezcatlipoca, Director of the Mexica Movement. “They acted like they almost wanted the two groups to start a fight by their refusal to separate the two sides. We will file a complaint against Glendale Police regarding this totally unprofessional behavior.”

During the arrest of the Mexica Movement member, an angry crowd of protestors from unaffiliated organizations surrounded the officers shouting “Arrest the Nazis, not the people!” and “Let him go!”

Tenochtli was subsequently released without bail from the Glendale Jail of his own recognizance. Offering immediate legal assistance was an affiliate of the National Lawyer’s Guild who collected statements and viewed video footage that drew into question the alleged offense leveled against the Mexica Movement member.

As is their custom, the Mexica Movement waited until Turner and the Save Our State protestors retired from the protest. Amid applause from other protestors, the Mexica Movement left the scene in military fashion, with their matching black shirts and their tools of confrontation in hand: large, bold signs with messages like “White racists, this is OUR continent.”

In addition to the Mexica Movement were nearly 80 members of various local pro-immigrant groups and members of the local and national media.