{"article":{"id":204091,"heading":"Defend free speech! Attend Coyotl Tezcatlipoca's trial, Aug 15th","author":"Civil libertarian","created":"2007-08-11 03:46:05","modified":"2007-08-11 03:46:05","last_modified":"Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:46:05","article":"

====================================

SUPPORT COYOTL TEZCATLIPOCA AT HIS

CRIMINAL TRIAL STARTING AUGUST 15TH

====================================

At the Tuesday, January 3, 2006 meeting of the Costa

Mesa City Council, Mayor Allan Mansoor, a Minuteman

supporter and a proponent of merging local law

enforcement with immigration duties, abruptly cut off

Coyotl Tezcatlipoca, a critic of that proposal, during

public comments, even though he had about 40 seconds

left to speak.

Although Mayor Mansoor claims he did this because

Tezcatlipoca violated \"rules\" that forbid speakers

from asking members of the audience to stand up, he

allowed Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist

to do the exact same thing early on at the same

meeting: in fact, video footage shows that Mansoor

thanked him for what he did!

Not only does the evidence suggest that the Mayor

violated Tezcatlipoca's constitutional right to free

speech and assembly, but that he enforced the \"rules\"

in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and may himself

have broken a law that regulates the conduct of

council members at public meetings.

But instead of arresting the Mayor for disorderly

conduct, as should have been done, then-Police

Chief John Hensley ordered his officers to

forcibly remove Tezcatlipoca from the room while

the meeting was not legally in session -- this

despite the fact he was fully complying with their

orders asking him to leave.

Video footage shot of the incident and numerous

witnesses allege that Tezcatlipoca was choked, hit,

kicked, and sat upon by several policemen. Then, after

they finished physically assaulting him, the cops had

the audacity of booking him on a charge of resisting

arrest!

In February 2006, the Orange County District

Attorney's Office declined to file any criminal

charges against Tezcatlipoca in the \"interest of

justice.\" A month later, the American Civil Liberties

Union filed a civil rights lawsuit on Tezcatlipoca's

behalf in U.S. federal court. But in June of that

year, the Costa Mesa City Prosecutor charged Coyotl

with violating two provisions of the municipal code,

both misdemeanor criminal offenses punishable by up to

six months in jail and\/or a $1,000 fine.

This case highlights the absurdity of Orange County's

backward system of criminal justice in the era of

Minutemen: Tezcatlipoca is facing prosecution for

offenses that were committed against him by police and

government officials! And even more revealing is the

fact that other people -- specifically white males --

have done the exact same thing that Coyotl has done at

Costa Mesa city council meetings! But has the Costa

Mesa City Prosecutor gone after them? No.

Defend the right of free speech, assembly, and fair

and equal treatment in the criminal justice system!

Show your solidarity with Tezcatlipoca by attending his

upcoming criminal trial!

REMEMBER: AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

WHEN?

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

8:30 a.m.

WHERE?

Harbor Justice Center

4601 Jamboree Road

Newport Beach, California

Please arrive early for good seating.

Check the court calendar for the name, \"Benito

Acosta,\" to find out which courtroom Coyotl

Tezcatlipoca's trial will be held in.

See following map for directions:

http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=4601<\/a>+Jamboree+Road,+Newport+Beach,+CA+92

660&btnG=Search&ll=33.664782,-117.856135&spn=0.016859,0.042915

==============

For more info

==============

See article entitled \"Criminal Trial for Costa Mesa

Activist\" on the front page of the August 2007 issue

of Yhe Orange Coast Voice.

http:\/\/www.ocvoice.com\/OC_VOICE\/Home\/OCV%20-%20August%202007.pdf<\/a>

See video shot by a Minuteman Supporter of Coyotl

being forcibly removed by police from Costa Mesa City

Council Chambers at the January 3, 2006 meeting:

http:\/\/www.immigrationwatchdog.com\/media\/costamesa\/bad_2.wmv<\/a>

http:\/\/www.immigrationwatchdog.com\/media\/costamesa\/bad_2.mov<\/a>

Copy of the unamended complaint of the civil rights

lawsuit filed against Mayor Mansoor and the City of

Costa Mesa by the American Civil Liberties Union:

http:\/\/www.aclu-sc.org\/attach\/c\/complaint_Acosta.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Defend the right of free speech, assembly, and fair and equal treatment in the criminal justice system! Show your solidarity with Tezcatlipoca by attending his upcoming criminal trial!","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2007\/08\/113340.jpg","filesize":"22.9 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2007\/08\/204091.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2007\/08\/113340.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2007\/08\/113340.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}