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Cops Riot, Minutemen Cheer
As the Minutemen and their supporters held a protected rally on the southeast corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Argyle Street, the opposition overflowed to the nearby corners with the biggest crowd on the southwest corner.
Having already surrounded the opposition protestors, members of the LAPD aggressively approached. This despite the fact that the opposition activists were non-violent even when approached by Minutemen provocateurs that frequently drifted across the street.
A young woman in her 20’s was dragged from the crowd, violently thrown down in the street and was hit several times with the policeman’s baton. This was the beginning of the cop riot.
For the next several minutes aggressive members of the LAPD hit several people with batons.
An innocent bystander, a middle-aged Latina, more than likely a grandmother, was on the other side of the street and had apparently just happened upon the intersection after exiting a city bus. She was thrown to the ground by the LAPD. She was pushed and hit with the cop’s baton and thrown backwards down the sidewalk, landing hard on the ground.
All the action took place to the soundtrack of Minutemen cheers and calls. The violent migrant hunters were all too pleased to see their brothers in oppression crack a few members of the opposition and excessively brutalize an innocent grandmother. As much as the cops, the Minutemen love violence. It was never more apparent than in their reaction to the police brutality. Who could really be surprised?
original article continued and photos at : http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/167598.php
Having already surrounded the opposition protestors, members of the LAPD aggressively approached. This despite the fact that the opposition activists were non-violent even when approached by Minutemen provocateurs that frequently drifted across the street.
A young woman in her 20’s was dragged from the crowd, violently thrown down in the street and was hit several times with the policeman’s baton. This was the beginning of the cop riot.
For the next several minutes aggressive members of the LAPD hit several people with batons.
An innocent bystander, a middle-aged Latina, more than likely a grandmother, was on the other side of the street and had apparently just happened upon the intersection after exiting a city bus. She was thrown to the ground by the LAPD. She was pushed and hit with the cop’s baton and thrown backwards down the sidewalk, landing hard on the ground.
All the action took place to the soundtrack of Minutemen cheers and calls. The violent migrant hunters were all too pleased to see their brothers in oppression crack a few members of the opposition and excessively brutalize an innocent grandmother. As much as the cops, the Minutemen love violence. It was never more apparent than in their reaction to the police brutality. Who could really be surprised?
original article continued and photos at : http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/167598.php
Jim Gilchrist, spokesman for the Minutemen, appeared on CNN's 360 with Anderson Cooper show on July 10, 2006. Some of his statements were so outrageous, suggesting that their group was equivalent to black struggle in Selma. that I thought it would be worthwhile to look up the transcript.
--------------------------------------------
COOPER: On now to Los Angeles, and a violent clash over illegal immigration. It was billed as a peaceful march for border security by the minutemen this weekend. It turned into an ugly clash with between counter-demonstrators who turned out without a permit and police who tried to turn them away. One police officer was hurt, six counter- demonstrators were arrested.
Joining us now from Las Vegas, Jim Gilchrist. He's the founder of the Minuteman Project, and he attended the march this weekend.
What happened?
JIM GILCHRIST, MINUTEMAN PROJECT FOUNDER: Anderson, thank you.
About 200 Minuteman Project volunteers from every race, color and creed, each of us carrying the American flag, reciting the pledge of allegiance and singing songs like "God Bless America" were required to have 250 members of Los Angeles Police Department to protect us so that we could proceed on a permitted, a legally permitted two-mile march up and back on Hollywood Boulevard Saturday.
There were 2,000 either illegal aliens or their sympathizers, none of them having an American flag. They flanked both sides of us. If it were not for police there, they probably would have killed all 200 of us. I know that sounds a little oversimplified, but probably not killed us all, but they certainly would have done some very serious bodily harm to us.
COOPER: Did you see, I mean the violence that we're looking at now, it seems largely between police and the counter-demonstrators. Did you see it, or did your march continue? I mean, did it actually stop the march?
GILCHRIST: Yes, our march stopped two or three times. We tightened up the 200 people. They were straggled out for about a quarter mile. We tightened them up so that the police could provide a better cordon around us.
This is no different than what happened to black people, in my opinion, in Selma, Alabama, 1963. They could not walk down the streets without being pummeled, have rocks and bottles thrown at them, and people try to charge into their ranks to beat them up.
COOPER: Well, gee, I mean, it is a little different, you had police protecting you, as opposed to police attacking you, which is what happened obviously to African Americans in Selma.
GILCHRIST: Correct. Yes, yes, that's true.
COOPER: Were you expecting counter-protests?
GILCHRIST: Mildly, but L.A., it's not uncommon to have more counter-protesters in Los Angeles than other areas. It's predominantly Latino, Latino community, at least two million illegal aliens reside there, and that's probably a conservative estimate.
COOPER: Where do you see this battle heading now? I mean, how do you see -- I mean, obviously I know you feel the Minuteman Project has made a lot of progress. Where do you see this battle going now?
GILCHRIST: I see it going into a stalemate between the Senate and House, with the House eventually dominating. As long as we have people like Tom Tancredo and Jim Sensenbrenner leading the charge, we will have some representation up there in D.C.
COOPER: Do you think you'll get some sort of legislation before the midterm election?
GILCHRIST: No, no, I don't think you'll see anything until after November. Despite the legislation that's going to be passed, Anderson, I doubt very much that any of it will be enforced.
The Minuteman Project wants to see results. And that's looking two years out. We're not interested in any more rhetoric from Congress. We are fed up with the stalemates of 40 years and 40 years of non-enforcement of our immigration laws.
COOPER: Jim, we appreciate you joining us, telling us about the latest...
GILCHRIST: Thank you, Anderson.
--------------------------------------------
COOPER: On now to Los Angeles, and a violent clash over illegal immigration. It was billed as a peaceful march for border security by the minutemen this weekend. It turned into an ugly clash with between counter-demonstrators who turned out without a permit and police who tried to turn them away. One police officer was hurt, six counter- demonstrators were arrested.
Joining us now from Las Vegas, Jim Gilchrist. He's the founder of the Minuteman Project, and he attended the march this weekend.
What happened?
JIM GILCHRIST, MINUTEMAN PROJECT FOUNDER: Anderson, thank you.
About 200 Minuteman Project volunteers from every race, color and creed, each of us carrying the American flag, reciting the pledge of allegiance and singing songs like "God Bless America" were required to have 250 members of Los Angeles Police Department to protect us so that we could proceed on a permitted, a legally permitted two-mile march up and back on Hollywood Boulevard Saturday.
There were 2,000 either illegal aliens or their sympathizers, none of them having an American flag. They flanked both sides of us. If it were not for police there, they probably would have killed all 200 of us. I know that sounds a little oversimplified, but probably not killed us all, but they certainly would have done some very serious bodily harm to us.
COOPER: Did you see, I mean the violence that we're looking at now, it seems largely between police and the counter-demonstrators. Did you see it, or did your march continue? I mean, did it actually stop the march?
GILCHRIST: Yes, our march stopped two or three times. We tightened up the 200 people. They were straggled out for about a quarter mile. We tightened them up so that the police could provide a better cordon around us.
This is no different than what happened to black people, in my opinion, in Selma, Alabama, 1963. They could not walk down the streets without being pummeled, have rocks and bottles thrown at them, and people try to charge into their ranks to beat them up.
COOPER: Well, gee, I mean, it is a little different, you had police protecting you, as opposed to police attacking you, which is what happened obviously to African Americans in Selma.
GILCHRIST: Correct. Yes, yes, that's true.
COOPER: Were you expecting counter-protests?
GILCHRIST: Mildly, but L.A., it's not uncommon to have more counter-protesters in Los Angeles than other areas. It's predominantly Latino, Latino community, at least two million illegal aliens reside there, and that's probably a conservative estimate.
COOPER: Where do you see this battle heading now? I mean, how do you see -- I mean, obviously I know you feel the Minuteman Project has made a lot of progress. Where do you see this battle going now?
GILCHRIST: I see it going into a stalemate between the Senate and House, with the House eventually dominating. As long as we have people like Tom Tancredo and Jim Sensenbrenner leading the charge, we will have some representation up there in D.C.
COOPER: Do you think you'll get some sort of legislation before the midterm election?
GILCHRIST: No, no, I don't think you'll see anything until after November. Despite the legislation that's going to be passed, Anderson, I doubt very much that any of it will be enforced.
The Minuteman Project wants to see results. And that's looking two years out. We're not interested in any more rhetoric from Congress. We are fed up with the stalemates of 40 years and 40 years of non-enforcement of our immigration laws.
COOPER: Jim, we appreciate you joining us, telling us about the latest...
GILCHRIST: Thank you, Anderson.
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