Thread: Anti illegal immigration rally in Morristown, NJ

Thank you for the pictures and comments Casper and thank you too 31scout for your input.

Comments are being left after this article at the source link.
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Immigration protests draw 500 to Morristown
by Allison Steele and Leslie Kwoh
Saturday July 28, 2007, 5:26 PM

An estimated 500 people descended on Morristown this afternoon for dueling protests on illegal immigration and immigrants' rights. The crowd waved signs and at times chanted heatedly, but stopped short of causing any major disturbances.

Protesters grew more vocal as the afternoon wore on, with both sides waiting for Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello to take the stage. Police outfitted in riot gear with helmets, batons and pepper spray surrounded the stage, while a line of reinforcements arrived to barricade South Street.

Despite some heated exchanges between the groups and two arrests, the rallies were peaceful.

Sweating in the midday sun, anti-illegal immigration protesters swarmed the lawn in front of town hall, armed with signs like "We fought our revolution, go back and fight yours," and "Stop the Invasion-Go Home!"

The protesters cheered and clapped as speakers took the stage, one by one, to launch fiery tirades. Some blamed illegal immigrants for car accidents, drug smuggling, murders and jobs. Others said illegal immigrants were diluting the American culture.

"I will never accept English as a second language," said Daniel Smeriglio, from Voice of the People USA, an activist group based in Pennsylvania. "You disgrace us."

Across the street, more than 150 people gathered in support of immigrants' rights. Shouting and chanting so loudly that at times they drowned out the voices of the speakers at town hall, protestors waved signs with slogans like "Immigrants are not criminals," "Working people have no borders," and "Mayor KKK."

Others chanted until their voices were hoarse. Michele Miculiani, who works at the supermarket across the street from Town Hall, joined the pro-immigrant group on her lunch break.

"That side is hatred, and hatred is what causes the problems here," Miculiani yelled, pointing at the crowd outside of city hall. "It's these kind of people, they're no better than the terrorists on 9/11!"

Morristown Police Chief Pete Demnitz said a man and a woman were arrested at about 12:30 p.m. when they attempted to jump onto the stage and damage the amplifiers. Police also broke up several fistfights between pro and anti-illegal immigration protesters, he said.

In the two weeks leading up to today's rally, local law enforcement officials had been tipped off to a plan to disrupt the event, said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi. Bianchi activated the county's rapid deployment team for the first time since it was established several years ago. About 140 state, county and municipal officers, along with an army of helicopters, horses and SUVs, were deployed, he said.

The rally come on the heels of a ruling in Hazleton, Pa. on Thursday, when a judge ruled unconstitional a law that would have penalized landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, and employers who hire them.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/0 ... w_500.html

It's great to see people speaking out and standing up for America and Americans! And to watch it grow, people are feeling empowered now. When you read the comments posted on articles like this people are overwhelmingly supportive of enforcement and in opposition of any kind of Amnesty!!!

You folks at Morristown are doing a great job!!! Patriots all!

5 arrested at Morristown immigration rally
Large police presence tries to cool simmering tempers as opinions clash

BY MINHAJ HASSAN
AND NICK LIOUDIS
DAILY RECORD
Saturday, July 28, 2007

1 Comment
MORRISTOWN -- Hundreds crowded the front lawn of town hall on Saturday in a boisterous and passionate rally in support of U.S. immigration laws -- an event headlined by Mayor Donald Cresitello -- while hundreds more conducted a loud counter-rally, decrying the main event's speakers as racist.

A massive police force was on hand to maintain order during the rally and counter-rally, with more than 100 officers and a circling state police helicopter brought in for crowd control and surveillance.

Ultimately, five people -- all affiliated with the counter-protesters, police said -- were arrested on Saturday, and dozens more were ticketed for disorderly conduct. Organizer Robb Pearson of Mount Olive, whose ProAmerica Society Web site fueled interest in the event, was pleased by the turnout, estimated at 500.

The reception turned out "a lot better than I originally anticipated," Pearson said. "It was an extremely positive event and very exciting. There was a great sense of joy."

Meanwhile, about a mile across town, a much quieter prayer vigil took place outside St. Margaret's Church on Sussex Avenue. About 100 people took part in the vigil, sponsored by several immigrant support organizations and scheduled deliberately at the same time as the ProAmerica rally.

"They came here illegally, but they're not illegal people and they should be given a chance to assimilate into the community," said Greg Sullivan, co-director of the Social Justice Ministry of St. Elizabeth's Church in Wyckoff. "Goodwill and reason and a sense of justice should rule out, but I don't know how long it's going to take."

• • •

Cresitello has helped stamp Morristown as a flashpoint in the nationwide debate over illegal immigration and the government's perceived tolerance of illegal immigrants, primarily those from Latin America.

Since he was elected in 2005, Cresitello has taken stands against "stacking" -- illegally overcrowded housing -- and day laborers. But it was his plan to have local police officers deputized to enforce federal immigration laws under the Department of Homeland Security's 287G program that has stirred the most controversy.

As the keynote speaker for Saturday's rally, Cresitello also was the lightning rod for many of the 200-plus protestors gathered across the street, near King's supermarket, uttering such phrases as "Cresitello KKK," among other derogatory statements.

In his speech, Cresitello called on Gov. Jon Corzine and Attorney General Anne Milgram to drop their opposition to the his plan to deputize town police.

"How dare they question my right to move on this program," Cresitello shouted to loud applause.

He said New Jersey's leaders contribute indirectly to an "illegal underground economy" by refusing to help rid the state of illegal immigrants by targeting those who rent to them and those who employ them.

Cresitello told the crowd he supports a national ID card and national work permit program.

He then targeted those standing across South Street, who chanted "Shame on You" as he spoke, calling them Communists and Marxists.

"We know your motives and we won't let you take over our government," he said, adding that 287G forbids profiling.

More speakers

Earlier, Carmen Morales of the group You Don't Speak For Me lobbied for stronger U.S. border controls.

"If we had strong immigration laws and strong borders, 9/11 would not have happened," Morales said, whose remarks received applause.

Another speaker, John Rucki of New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control, insisted his group supports legal immigration. But he had strong words for those who supported illegal immigrants.

"Those groups that are against us, I say your days are limited," Rucki said to a roar of applause. "English is our language -- speak it, write it, print it."

Daniel Smeriglio of Voice of the People USA said 287 G is not intended to go after race, religion or political affiliation, but rather to apprehend those in the U.S. illegally.

"Illegal is illegal," he said.

Attendees, many from outside Morristown, were ready to express their views, too.

John Behan, a member of the Immigration Control and Enforcement, based in New York, said Cresitello is taking a strong stance on illegal immigration. Behan wore a sandwich board, with one side reading "Wake up America," and the other side reading, "No amnesty, close borders."

"I have to support the mayor," he said. "Anyone who wants to uphold the law deserves support. We have had so many politicians who sold out."

"I'm opposed to illegal immigrants taking jobs away from Americans," said Larry Passage of Ho-Ho Kus, who was at the rally on behalf of the conservative John Birch Society.

Willie Adenau of Parsippany, who emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1964, held up a wooden post reading "ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ...Enforce our laws."

"I am very much proud to be an American," he said. "Anybody coming here should be here legally."

Other side of the story

Josh Barnett, also of New York, stood with the crowd opposed to Cresitello's request to implement 287G in Morristown.

"They are trying to divide the working people," Barnett said.

John Stevens of Staten Island agreed.

"It's a growing sign of fascism."

Many in the opposition crowd chanted "No worker is illegal," often in Spanish, and "Asian, Latin, Black and White, Workers of the World Unite."

Later, many in the same crowd chanted, "Cresitello, you can't hide," and "Against the Nazis, against Cresitello, against the racists, against fascists, we'll fight back."

The crowd was vociferous throughout the two-hour rally, but grew quiet when Ed Kowalski spoke.

Kowalski, whose 17-year-old niece was raped and stabbed 13 times by an illegal immigrant in Croton Falls, N.Y. Because Westchester County lacked the ability to access a database to check on suspects' immigration status, the investigation of his niece's attack was hindered."

"If Westchester County had 287G, the individual who slaughtered my niece would have been deported," he said. Instead, he said, the prosecutor was too busy investigating whether former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was cheating on his wife.

Supporters of Republican presidential candidates Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo, both of whom are strongly opposed to illegal immigration, also were on hand Saturday.

Chris Novak of Cranford, a Ron Paul supporter, said U.S. trade policies like the North American Free Trade Agreement and Central American Free Trade Agreement should be abolished to prevent further illegal immigration.

Lots of police

A significant police presence was on hand surrounding Morristown's town hall, including 35 town police officers -- more than half of the town's force of 60 -- the Morris County Sheriff's Office, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and a New Jersey State Police squad and helicopter unit. One of the units in the prosecutor's office, the Rapid Deployment Team, consists of officers from the county's 39 local police forces who are specially trained in dealing with civil disturbances and terrorism, according to Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.

"They did a phenomenal job," Bianchi said. "Both Morristown Police Chief Peter Demnitz and (Acting Chief) Joe Cannatella showed that a strong show of force helped quell people who would have otherwise agitated the situation."

Approximately 54 officers with the Rapid Deployment Team were at the rally, in addition to 40 officers from another county emergency response unit.

Demnitz said the stretch of South Street between Hamilton Road and James Street was closed for crowd control and safety, after people became particularly raucous.

While there were several incidents of disorderly conduct, five arrests were made.

Those arrested were Sergio Crosco, 28, of Bloomfield, and Jessica M. Ford, 18, of Newark, both arrested and charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, police said. Jonathan Harvey, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Andrea Flowers, 37, of Connecticut, and Abraham Greenhouse, 29, of Boonton, were arrested on disorderly conduct charges.

Pearson said he was appalled by the level of rudeness displayed by the protestors, particularly at the start of the rally as the Star Spangled Banner was played.

"That was incredibly rude," he said. "They might as well spit on the flag."

Mejia removed

Among those who tussled with police during the rally was Diana Mejia, head of Wind of the Spirit, a Morristown-based immigrant support organization, who was forcibly escorted from the lawn of town hall by Morris County sheriff's deputies as she carried a small sign reading "No Human Being is Illegal."

"I walked in with the sign and no more than 10 minutes later police started to push me out," she said. "I didn't say anything at all. I was a little sad this was all happening."

The Wind of the Spirit co-founder said the entire issue was hard to describe, and it seemed like many of the people supporting the ProAmerica Society at the rally weren't from Morristown.

"I feel very strange because Morristown is my town, I pay my taxes in Morristown, I work in Morristown, and I do my community service in Morristown," she said. "For us to watch that happening and how some people were referring to people in our community, that was really hard to see, painful to see. How did we come to this point?"

Charles "Shai" Goldstein, executive director of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, another sponsor of the vigil, said he opposes Cresitello's 287G plan on both moral and policy grounds.

"It violates basic constitutional principles of federalism and, more importantly, it is closely related to the scourge of racial profiling, which repeatedly has been demonstrated as morally reprehensible and contributes to ineffective law enforcement," Goldstein said. "It's morally wrong and it's wrong as a matter of public policy."

"It's not either/or," he said. "It's both."

A quieter vigil

Meanwhile, about a mile from town hall, about 100 Morristown residents and human rights supporters stood outside St. Margaret's Church, singing songs like "This Little Light of Mine" and solemnly reflecting on the past five months during the prayer rally, dubbed the Peace Vigil for Human Rights, sponsored by Morristown-based Wind of the Spirit and other organizations.

The immigrant support group welcomed church and community leaders, who spoke to the largely Hispanic audience of nearly 100 men, women and children, imploring them in both English and Spanish to stand up for their rights as human beings.

"It's simmering on the street," said Ed Barocas, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "The Attorney General needs to step up and take a stand, to either prohibit it or provide guidance (for immigrants)."

Police from Mendham Borough and Parsippany stood behind parked cars in the lot, and at no point needed to remove protestors or break up any arguments amongst the crowd.

Aside from occasional bursts of applause, the largely Hispanic crowd listened to the speakers and stood quietly during the two hour vigil.

After the vigil had ended around 2 p.m., older groups of men and women marched across town to protest the ProAmerica Society rally outside town hall.

Morristown Unitarian Fellowship pastor Allison Miller and Chia-Chia Wang, civic participation coordinator for the Immigrants Rights Program in Newark, led the group of about 20 in silent protest. The group arrived just as Robb Pearson of ProAmerica made his closing remarks.



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Minhaj Hassan can be reached at (973) 267-9038 or mhassan@gannett.com. Nick Lioudis can be reached at (973) 428-6627 or nlioudis@gannett.com.


http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /707280350

MORRISTOWN WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON'S REVOLUTION HEADQUARTERS 1776

Unrest and Arrests at Immigration Rally

By ANTHONY RAMIREZ
Published: July 29, 2007
Five people were arrested and two people were slightly injured yesterday at a rally in Morristown, N.J., that attracted hundreds of demonstrators both for and against stricter immigration law enforcement, the police said yesterday.

Morristown police officers, in riot gear and using a fence to separate the rival demonstrators, broke up several fights at the rally, held in front of the Morristown town hall.

In the most serious clash, a man threw two small metal cylinders at a pickup truck. When the driver of the truck and his female companion confronted the man, they were set upon by about 10 other men, said Lt. David Ackerman of the Morristown police.

Three men were arrested and charged with assault, disorderly conduct and other charges. The rest fled, Lieutenant Ackerman said.

The woman was treated at Morristown Memorial Hospital, he said. The injured man had been one of the speakers at the rally, organized by the ProAmerica Society, which urges stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

Also arrested were a man and a woman who had jumped on the stage. They were charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Morristown has attracted controversy because the mayor, Donald Cresitello, has applied for a federal program that would deputize police officers to enforce immigration laws.

Mayor Cresitello spoke at the rally, protected by a phalanx of police officers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/nyregion/29rally.html

Also arrested were a man and a woman who had jumped on the stage. They were charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Morristown has attracted controversy because the mayor, Donald Cresitello, has applied for a federal program that would deputize police officers to enforce immigration laws.

This has got to stop. The law enforcement officers of this country cannot be influenced, or even swayed, by the protests of a group of law-breakers. If their efforts are successful, what is to stop gangs from organizing rallies to gain similar concessions? We will be on a path to lawlessness. We must continue to insist that those elected to enforce the law do so with courage and without interference. If the incumbents are not capable of doing it, then they should be replaced at their next election.

Thank you, Mayor Cresitello, and thank you Carmen Morales!!

Your country thanks all of you and thanks to all of the citizens of Morristown and the surrounding areas for being there and standing up for all of us around the country.

We sit here in FEAR watching our communities become over-run by illegal immigration while the president sits back and does nothing but to encourage this invasion into our country and we know that he has no desire whatsoever to protect us from any of this.

But, you, so bravely and courageously went out there and stood up for us. For every one of you who were out there, you represented millions of Americans who care, who are afraid, and who desperately need for the president to wake up and do his job so that American citizens do not have to go out there and do this.

Thank you to all of you.

Originally Posted by redwhiteandbluelatino

At least four people have been arrested at an anti-illegal immigration rally on the steps of town hall this afternoon, including two men who tried to disrupt speakers while waving a banner that read "No racist deportation."

Here you have it!! The oppositions exact definition of "racist"!!! "Anyone who opposes unrestriced immigration"

Of course this definition means 99% of the world's population are racists (including these flag wavers), but logic never stopped these morons.