Thread: LEGAL ENCAMPMENT IN SAN DIEGO

Update! Going to try and check this out tomorrow too.

Canyon neighbors will camp out to protest migrants

By Kristina Davis
STAFF WRITER

November 17, 2006

CARMEL VALLEY – Residents will be pitching tents and stoking campfires of their own at McGonigle Canyon tomorrow in protest of the hundreds of migrant workers who continue to live in shantytowns there.

The effort is the latest by residents, the Minutemen and their supporters to get the city to remove the encampments, where an estimated 300 day laborers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, live in shacks and tarp tents.

Organizers expect a large turnout and encourage people to picnic, protest and camp for the night, but away from the migrants.

Participants will begin to gather at 2 p.m. at the end of Torrey Santa Fe Road, south of state Route 56 at Camino del Sur.

“If people want to walk around the canyon, be respectful,” advised organizer Julie Adams, who lives about a mile from the canyon, where home prices average $900,000.

“The purpose is for people to know what's out there, not to confront or bother them in any way.”

Police will keep watch over the event to prevent any flare-ups between campers, migrants and immigrant-rights activists, said San Diego police Capt. Boyd Long.

The idea for a camp out was born earlier this week when Adams appeared on Rick Roberts' talk radio show on KFMB/AM 760.

The plan took shape after a caller said he wished he could camp for free, and Roberts has promoted the event on his show all week.

“If these guys can camp out illegally in the canyon, why can't legal residents camp out there?” Adams asked.

Organizers said they do not have permission from the property owners for the camp out.

Adams has been outspoken about her concerns regarding possible criminal activity in and around the immigrant camp, such as prostitution and drug use, as well as nightly campfires that could pose a fire hazard.

“It's been a threat for a long time, and they just don't do anything about it,” Adams said.

Pam Hardy, spokeswoman for San Diego City Council President Scott Peters, said the city and police department have been working with the landowners, including developers Pardee Homes and D.R. Horton, to implement a long-term solution to the camps.

“I think it's taken a little longer than the community might have hoped, but that's in order to make sure it is a comprehensive plan and not short term where more camps are going to keep popping up,” Hardy said.

“It's not good for the environment, the community or the people who live here, and that's why we've included the city and police department and landowners in this.”

You have to do what ever you can legally to show others what is really going on. I hope the people there the best of luck with the camping. May others loose their rose colored glaases and see reality for what it really is.

“I think it's taken a little longer than the community might have hoped, but that's in order to make sure it is a comprehensive plan and not short term where more camps are going to keep popping up,” Hardy said.

Wonder if they're planning to build low-cost housing at taxpayers expense.

Don't give them any ideas.

Woke up to a surprise in the paper.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nort ... anyon.html

Owners to close campsites in canyon


Protesters would face arrest with migrants
By Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 18, 2006

CARMEL VALLEY – Police said yesterday that landowners are closing the illegal encampments in McGonigle Canyon, an announcement that hit a day before residents planned to stage a campout to protest migrant workers living there.

Most of the 180 or so day laborers living in shacks and tents in the canyon had packed up their meager belongings and moved out over the last few days as word of the protest spread on Internet blogs and radio airwaves.

Developer DR Horton, which owns part of the land between Carmel Valley and Rancho Peñasquitos, told the men to vacate the property or be arrested for trespassing, said San Diego police Capt. Boyd Long.

The same goes for residents, the Minutemen and their supporters who had planned to gather at the canyon at 2 p.m. today for a picnic and camp out.

“Today, the landowners said they will not allow anyone to be on the property, both migrants and people protesting,” Long said.

Police said people are welcome to protest peacefully on a parcel of city-owned land at the end of Torrey Santa Fe Road, but they will not be allowed to camp overnight.

Julie Adams, who helped organize the protest and has been an outspoken critic of the encampments, considered the eviction a victory, even though she didn't approve of the last-minute tactics.

“It's good in one respect because DR Horton and the police are taking it seriously,” Adams said. “But it was all done in the last hour, which is unfortunate because it could've been handled in a better way.”

The eviction could be the end of a drawn out conflict between residents who live in neighborhoods that surround the canyon, city officials and a handful of private landowners.

Two years ago, camps were removed from land owned by Robert Barczewski and Pardee Homes, only to have them crop up on DR Horton land, a more interior parcel.

Residents voiced concerns of criminal activity and fire hazards at the camp, and they complained about migrants who walk through their yards.

As many as 300 men, many of them undocumented immigrants, lived in the canyon recently, authorities estimate.

Police had already formulated a plan with landowners on how to deal with the migrant camps, Long said.

The plan included securing all entry points where vehicles could drive into the canyon, posting “No Trespassing” signs and hiring private security guards to prevent new camps from popping up.

Once the camps are completely vacated, it will be up to the landowners to clear away the shantytown and trash left behind.

Long said the effort was accelerated this week in light of the media attention promoting the protest.

“We didn't want to rush into it and move these people onto the streets,” Long said. “They could easily spring up in another part of town or canyon or behind businesses in the Rancho Peñasquitos area.”

Enrique Morones of Border Angels, who has worked with the migrants over the past 20 years, said the group has been working on finding alternative housing for the men.

He denied that the landowners were kicking out the migrants, saying many had already left to go back home to their families in Mexico or to live in apartments with friends.

Morones said that the new trespassing rules were instead being used as a tool to keep the Minutemen out of the canyon.

Earlier this week, a couple dozen residents and Minutemen staged a canyon clean-up, throwing away loads of trash at the camps to bring media attention to the issue.

Thank goodness they finally came to a sensible solution with no major cost to taxpayers. Sometimes just a protest plan is enough to wake up the politicians to deal with some issues. This is a good victory for them.

Went to the celebration they still had by the camp. Good turn out of fine American citizens. No problems that I could tell. I had no idea there was that much agriculture there. Police and media were there too of course. As we were leaving saw about 6 pro-immigrant people with signs who yelled 'racist.' That's sounding so old now and empty. Will try and put a couple pics up later.

Hope to see your pictures. Good work!

I had posted a couple pics here but decided they should go into the picture section.

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... 365#248365

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11 ... 122050.txt

Protest over illegal McGonigle Canyon dwellings draws hundreds

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer

RANCHO PENASQUITOS ---- A protest by several anti-illegal immigration groups Saturday afternoon on the edge of a canyon where migrant workers have camped for years was peaceful, but tense, as nearly 200 flag-toting demonstrators chanted, sang patriotic songs, and were confronted by a handful of human rights observers.

Publicized this week on a local talk-radio show, the event was originally planned as a tour of McGonigle Canyon, where immigrants had apparently taken up residence adjacent to an upscale neighborhood in Rancho Penasquitos.

Saturday's restless crowd of protesters was confined to a small piece of county-owned land next to the canyon. The property owner, developer D.R. Horton, refused to allow access, said officials had taken steps to remove the illegal encampments, and he did not want protesters on the property.

A view of the canyon from the protest site revealed the tops of several shacks, but a closer look was prohibited by mounted police officers and private security guards hired by D.R. Horton.

San Diego Police Department Capt. Boyd Long said the county had allowed the piece of land to be used for the protest, but would not allow protesters to spend the night, as some had indicated they hoped to do.

"They're exercising their First Amendment rights, and we're going to be a little flexible ---- a lot flexible," said Long.

There had been no arrests by 4 p.m., about three hours after protesters began gathering. Several shouting matches had broken out, and police were investigating one incident of "unlawful touching," but Long said, "It's been peaceful overall."

Participants included some high-profile figures, such as state Sen.-elect Mark Wyland, and Jim Gilchrist, who founded the Minutemen in 2004.

"I support every single one of these people who came out here," said Wyland, who is finishing his final term as a state assemblyman representing part of North County. "Most of the politicians in the federal government have ignored what is foundational in our country ---- enforcement of the law. They are undermining the faith in our system."

Others, such as nearby resident Jay Barnard, were drawn to the scene out of curiosity.

"It's an outstanding thing ---- it's enlightening to see that people want to stand up for what they believe in, and do it in a nonviolent way," said Barnard, who lives about a mile from McGonigle Canyon.

Barnard said he has noticed day laborers waiting on local street corners for work, and had heard that some of them lived in the canyon, but said he wasn't aware of how many.

"It doesn't make me nervous, it makes me angry," he said.

Protesters voiced discontent over alleged illegal activity taking place in the canyon, and called on the city and property owners to clear out the encampments.

Others, such as Michelle Bell, who came to the event with the group "Friends of Day Laborers," said they were surprised by the hostility expressed by the protesters.

"It's mind-blowing to me that they believe harassing people who are on the edge is a workable solution to our immigration issues," said Bell, motioning toward the canyon.

Bell said she attended the event as a human rights observer because she heard groups such as the San Diego Minutemen would be hiking through the canyon, and probably would confront any migrants who remained.

Police reports on Friday said that most of the men who lived in the canyon had cleared out in advance of Saturday's protests. So Bell and a few other counterprotesters, some wearing bandanas over the lower half of their faces, mingled with the crowd of anti-illegal immigration protesters, snapping pictures, taking video footage and drawing scornful looks and comments.

"They've been pretty aggressive, getting into everyone's face," Bell said of the anti-immigration protestors. "I would imagine this is what a Klan rally feels like.

"These folks are constantly saying they're not racists, not bigots, but it takes them all of half a second to start verbally attacking" those they disagree with, she added.

Gilchrist, the Minutemen founder from Aliso Viejo, said near the beginning of Saturday's protest that he feels the issue of illegal immigration has already proven it has the potential to tear communities apart.

"We hope to continue bringing awareness to the problem, and we're hopeful that law enforcement will enforce the law and remove the illegal aliens," said Gilchrist, carrying two flags over his shoulder.

As frustration grows over illegal immigration and what he called the "culture of corruption" that allows lax enforcement of border laws, Gilchrist said, "You're going to see some violence start breaking out, and that's what we're trying to avoid."

Gilchrist predicted that what he described as selective enforcement of the law will disenfranchise people already angry about illegal immigration, and said those illegal immigrants who dwell on land such as McGonigle Canyon illegally "should be repatriated back to Mexico, and apply for legal citizenship to the U.S."

"A nation without the respect of law is not a civilized nation," he said.