Thread: City agrees to oppose Minutemen

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/m ... temen.html

City agrees to oppose Minutemen 16 hours after critic's biting words
By Sarah Coppola
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, December 17, 2005

The Austin City Council meeting began Thursday morning with a stinging remark and ended 16 hours later with calmer words, all centered on one subject: the Minutemen.

Council Member Raul Alvarez had sponsored a resolution to oppose the Minutemen, a group that is trying to stop illegal immigrants at the Texas-Mexico border. The resolution, like all city resolutions, is largely symbolic, with no regulatory oomph.

Council member Raul Alvarez was target of remark by Liberty Hill man who opposed resolution.

But Liberty Hill resident Jim Dillon, a carpenter who considers himself a Minuteman member and said he plans to run for governor, wasn't fond of the idea. He interrupted Mayor Will Wynn twice as Wynn tried to read the consent agenda, a housekeeping activity at the beginning of council meetings.

Then Dillon signed up to speak on an unrelated item, and proceeded to blast the resolution and rail against new roads that he claimed are bringing illegal immigrants through Texas. Dillon capped his remarks with the comment that Alvarez "should go back to Mexico where he came from," and Wynn ordered Dillon to leave.

The council didn't take up the resolution again until 1:30 a.m. Friday â€â€

It is a case of an ill informed racist Minuteman disparging a Hispano American pandering to illegals.