For updates, visit http://antiminutemen5.blogspot.com/
Right now this country is
seeing increasingly vicious attacks on immigrants, justified in the name of the
‘War on Terror’. When people step out to oppose these outrages, they must be
supported. And when they are attacked, they must be defended. A group of five
young people ( white, Latino, Muslim ( are facing up to four years in jail for
a protest against the racist vigilante group the Minutemen. We need you to join
in demanding that the charges be dismissed immediately against the
Anti-Minutemen 5.
Legal and political
precedents are being set that are chillingly similar to the treatment of Jews
in Nazi Germany. Since 9/11, the administration has built legal precedent for
the concept that immigrants — especially Arab and Muslim — are not entitled
to due process, and can be held indefinitely in deplorable conditions.
Legislators such as Tom Tancredo and Dennis Hastert are calling immigrants a
threat to America, defending harsh profiling, and manipulating fear to justify
any anti-immigrant measures in the name of the ‘war on terror.’ The
Sensenbrenner bill (HB 4437), which passed the House in December, would turn
millions of immigrants into felons for crossing without permission ( and would
make it a felony for anyone to aid or assist them. If this passes the Senate it
would mean millions of teachers, health workers, and activists could
become felons for giving aid or education or even a drink of water or a ride to
the hospital. And in February 2006, the U.S. government announced a $385
million contract with Halliburton to build detention centers for immigrants.
This in a country that runs notorious torture centers in Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo.
Just what will happen in
these detention centers, built to lock away undocumented people whose legal
rights have been disappeared, and who have been cast as ‘hordes’, ‘invaders’,
and a threat to national security?
In this atmosphere, groups
like the Minutemen serve as semi-official shock troops and enforcers. They
patrol the border with guns, hunting the human beings they call a threat to the
‘fabric of America.’ Recently they attacked a teacher in Elgin, Illinois, for
teaching about Mexican Independence Day, acting as the self-appointed enforcers
of patriotism and jingoism. Minuteman co-founder Chris Simcox accused his
opposition of being ‘terrorists’ ( and despite his complete lack of evidence,
this accusation was disseminated widely by the Associated Press.
They hold rallies on the lawn
of the Capitol, to national press coverage. Rep. John Culbertson of Texas has
introduced bills asking for financial support and legal recognition for their
armed patrols. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has twice praised
these folks for doing a ‘fine job’.
On October 15, people of
different nationalities held a peaceful protest on the public sidewalk in front
of the site of a Minutemen conference, in a show of solidarity with immigrants.
They chanted and spoke out against the Minutemen and in favor of immigrant
rights. The response? On orders from the Minutemen, the cops attacked
the protest, even though demonstrators were not preventing anyone from entering
the conference, and had done nothing but chant on the sidewalk. They called in
two regional special task forces, drawn from police from more than 90
surrounding cities, dogs, riot gear, and heavy artillery.
They singled out five of the
most vocal activists ( including the only woman at the protest wearing a hijab
(Muslim head scarf), which they tore off of her head in a blatant violation
of her religious rights. Those five were given outrageous and trumped-up
charges of resisting arrest and battery against the police officers. Some are
facing potentially four years in jail. Two state’s attorneys have refused to
discuss a plea without jail time. Their case goes to trial on April 25.
This is part of the overall
criminalization of dissent in this country, where protest is equated with
treason. Where the president declares the right to spy on anyone, for whatever
reason he wants, and says that the real danger is that newspapers dared to
write about it!
When opposition to the
Minutemen is attacked, while they are protected and promoted, it is clear that
the government intends to enforce its anti-immigrant program and to silence
anyone who gets in the way. The message is this: Don’t protest. Don’t resist.
This can’t be allowed to happen! Charges like this have and can be defeated,
but not without tremendous political battles for support. You have an important
role to play in this. Here’s what you can do:
–Send letters now- we
need thousands– to the judge, asking that the case be immediately
dismissed:
Judge Hyman I. Riebman
Rolling Meadows Courthouse, Dept. 107
2121 Euclid Avenue
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
–Funds are needed very
urgently; we need to raise upwards of $10,000 in legal expenses in a few
weeks.
Send contributions and make
checks out to:
Law
Office of Jim Fennerty
36
South Wabash, Suite 1310
Chicago,
IL 60603 Attn: anti-MM5
–Come to the Rolling Meadows
courthouse at 8 am on March 24 to demand the charges be dropped.
–Spread the word and build
support: write about the case in your local newspaper; post this flyer on blogs
and web sites; arrange for one of the Anti-Minutemen 5 to be interviewed by
your local radio or TV station or newspaper.
Contact at: Antiminutemen5@yahoo.com