Thread: 3 arrested at Minutemen gathering in Illinois

3 arrests in suburban protest

By Oscar Avila
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 15, 2005, 1:58 PM CDT


Three activists were arrested Saturday in Arlington Heights as they protested a meeting of the Chicago Minuteman Project, a new group that opposes illegal immigration.

Police said the three had assaulted police officers who were trying to keep order.

About 120 police officers with riot gear and police dogs were summoned from other suburbs to restore order.

The protesters arrested were part of a group that included dozens who identified themselves as members of socialist, anarchist and anti-war groups.

Protestors blocked the entrance to the Minuteman meeting site at Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave. They briefly scuffled with police with some throwing water bottles as police tried to make arrests.

No major injuries were reported.

About 100 participants attended the gathering by the Minutemen, a spinoff of a group that has been patrolling the United States-Mexico border to detect and report illegal immigrants.

In Illinois, the group is asking elected officials to strengthen immigration enforcement. Members say illegal immigration is a security risk and an economic threat.

"We're trying to use reason and logic to address the issue. Then you have these protesters ranting," said Robert Vasquez, a commissioner in Canyon County, Idaho, and one of the conference's speakers.

But Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Richard Marcinkowski said some Minutemen participants escalated the situation by coming outside to debate protestors.

"We had two unreasonable factions," Marcinkowski said, "and we got caught in the middle."

A second counter-protest of about 300 immigrant advocates also materialized and briefly joined the first protest of leftist activists.

Police said the second group, organized by the Coalition of African, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois, had nothing to do with the violence or disruptions.

Similar Minuteman events in other states have also resulted in counter-protests, some of which turned violent. About three blocks of Euclid Avenue remained blocked at noon, but most protesters had left.



Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

We had two unreasonable factions

Yeah, and both were within the protest group.

Immigrant Groups Unite with Communists + Socialists! 3 Arrested in Chicago!

http://www.alipac.us/article-816-thread-1-0.html


Added to the homepage! We need to keep this article handy because it further proves what we already know. Those supporting illegal immigrants are in league with communists, socialists, and anarchists!

Their side is the where the trouble, violence, and lawlessness is. Not the Minutemen.

W

Absofirckenlootly W.

They are lawless people the moment the enter our country ILLEGALLY!

Stop the Violence against Patriotic Americans!

W

Need to update the arrests totals. It appears there were 5 arrested.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst ... lly16.html

Cops arrest 5 at Arlington Heights protest

October 16, 2005

BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter Advertisement

Five demonstrators were arrested Saturday during a raucous protest in Arlington Heights after they clashed with police, who quickly called in about 150 additional officers -- many in riot gear with helmets and shields.

No one was seriously injured in the confrontation outside a meeting of the Chicago Minuteman Project, a group pushing for tougher restrictions on illegal immigrants.

The five people were arrested after they allegedly scuffled with police officers trying to remove about a dozen demonstrators blocking an entrance to the Christian Liberty Academy, where the Minuteman Project was meeting, Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Robert Murray said.

Some bottles and other objects were thrown at police during the clash, which erupted about 11 a.m., Murray said. About 20 officers on the scene called for assistance, prompting a rapid response that saw about 150 more officers from surrounding suburbs arrive to help end the disturbance.

The arrested were charged with resisting arrest and battery, both misdemeanors.

'Two unreasonable factions'

They were identified by police as Chicago residents Cynthia L. Gomez, 29; Kara K. Norlander, 23; Rehana Khan, 23; Eric W. Zenke, 18, and Marco A. Quiroz-Rojas, 29.

All were released from custody after posting $100 bail.

"Our actions were justified," Norlander said afterward. "Five people were arrested in a deliberate attempt to protest these people planning to hunt and trap immigrants."

The arrested were among about 400 demonstrators from a variety of groups protesting the meeting, authorities said.

Most of the protesters were from the Coalition of African, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois, a group that favors progressive immigration reform. That group opposes what it calls the "racist'' and "vigilante'' tactics of the Minuteman Project, which in other states has trained volunteers to patrol U.S. borders and report illegal immigrants.

The demonstrators arrested weren't from the coalition, organizer Khem Nuth said. "It was meant to be a peaceful protest,'' he said. "We're glad no one got hurt."

The confrontation triggering the arrests happened after several members of the Minuteman Project briefly came to the door to argue with protesters and tell them to leave the property.

"It was two unreasonable factions,'' Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Richard Marcinkowski said.

Chicago Minuteman Project leaders could not be reached for comment Saturday. Its Web site disputes claims it has racist policies.

"The Chicago Minuteman Project is not about racism or disregarding legal immigration; it is about protecting our borders,'' a statement on the Web site says.