Thread: Lone Protester acquitted, takes campaign nationwide

Lone Protester acquitted, takes campaign nationwide

'There's one heckuva lot of people who think like I do'

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Posted: February 26, 2008
9:52 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A South Carolina contractor who was brought to court on a charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly calling a homeowner who hired a competing roofing company a "cheap b------" has been acquitted, but Terry Funderburk, 52, says his fight now is just beginning.

Funderburk calls himself The Lone Protester, and recently faced a trial after using those words to describe a homeowner who was having a roof installed by another company.

With his contracting business facing a downturn of gargantuan proportions in 2007, Funderburk was driving around looking for work when he ran across the house in question, where he'd done earlier work.

He admits he was upset to find another company now working there, and his evidence the workers were illegal aliens was no more than circumstantial. But he decided to protest anyway, and he was carrying protest signs and marching up and down in front of the house on July 16, 2007, when he was arrested.

His signs said, "Illegals Quit Stealing Our Jobs!!!"

"My local newspaper has an article about [the case]…," he wrote in an e-mail after his acquittal. "In it I am quoted as saying that I protested because I saw Hispanics on that job and that is not right. I want to set the record straight. One month before I was arrested I bid on that job and the homeowner himself told me that international roofers installed the shingles on that roof for 4 to 5 dollars an hour. That is what top, American roofers got paid in the 1960s and 70s. I told the jury the same thing. And they believed me…," he wrote.

His suspicion that the workers were illegal stemmed from the reference to their extremely low wages, he said.

The homeowner had testified during the trial Funderburk was loud, impeding traffic and cursing, so he called Columbia police. He said he was disappointed in the verdict.

But Funderburk said besides the single curse word, he mostly waved at passing motorists.

Now that he's been acquitted, Funderburk told WND, his work is just beginning.

"There is no way in the world I'm going to let it drop," he said. "I'm trying to get as many people to do what I went through."

He said that may not include arrest for all, but he said people have to challenge the current system of politics and law enforcement that allows illegal aliens to take jobs he and others want.

"I'm taking my fight into South Carolina, where I live, because legislators are having an illegal immigration discussion in the statehouse in Columbia right now," Funderburk said.

He said he's been blacklisted by a lot of politicians and organizations for his challenge to the "system," but he said he also has a lot of backing.

"From Wednesday evening when I got out of court, over 24 hours, I got 3,200 letters from people in my e-mail," he said. "It's so many it's impossible for me to answer them."

He also has support from border security organizations such as Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, and various Minuteman groups.

"There's one heckuva lot of people who think like I do," he said. He cited the need for a revolution. "I'm trying to do everything I can to get one started."

In an e-mail to supporters, he talked about the need for an overhaul of the system.

"It is time to tell them that we want our laws enforced and that we will not accept any excuses for their non-compliance. It is time to take this state back!" he said. "In violation of all the laws of this state and country, our native born South Carolinians are being replaced in large numbers in the work force by industries and other businesses that employ illegal aliens. In the last three years my industry, construction, has literally been invaded by an entire army of replacement workers in direct contravention of our laws. The changes that I have seen are simply unbelievable. In my line of work, roofing, 75 percent of the employees are illegal aliens, 75 percent of the brick masons are illegals, and the same applies to the carpenters, siding crews, insulation crews and every other business in the construction industry."

He said he and other business owners are being forced out of business and bankrupted "by criminal competition."

He told supporters his small business usually had 20-30 jobs lined up at any point. During 2006 he grossed $176,000. But in 2007, he grossed $18,000 through August.

"The day I was arrested, sitting on that hot road being watched over by two police officers, I saw five illegal aliens hard at work, knowing for a fact that they would not be arrested by those two cops. … None of them had any worry in the world about being arrested because in those two cops' eyes these criminals got a free pass. But the thing is, every last one of them was breaking the law, right in front of those two cops. And the cops did nothing," he said.

"We are not supposed to say anything as we are ran (sic) out of business…," he said. "But I refuse to shut up about it. … I am an American citizen, guaranteed rights under our system of laws, just like my fellow workers in this state are supposed to have."

"I will tell you why you must fight. It is because our Constitution starts out with, 'We The People.' It does not say, 'we the politicians' or 'we the special interests' or 'we the illegal aliens.' … That means that this country and state belongs to us and nobody else," he continued.

"Please listen to me, please stay on our politicians … call them, e-mail them, fax them, do whatever you have to do, just make your voice heard to them in some way, somehow," he said. "

He recalled one time during his trial when the lawyers were arguing over procedure. He said he tried to ask a question, but wasn't allowed to.

"My question [would have been about May 1, 2006, when] I remember watching 5,000 illegal aliens gathering in Finlay Park in Columbia to march in our streets and protest for things that were not due them because they were not American citizens. And I also remember them yelling at the top of their lungs, but strangely enough, none of them were arrested like I was," he said.

"So anybody out there, in a position similar to mine, do not back up, do not be scared, if your business is going to hell, or your job, fight back, force the issue, bring it to the courts, request a trial by jury, exactly like I did. Do not be scared if they call you a racist like they did with me. Do not be scared if they try to force you into pleading guilty. Because, if you request a trial by jury, composed of American citizens, then you will be judged fairly, just like I was. Do not give up," he said.


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php? ... geId=57446

Thank you for posting this Jean, This reporter, Robert Unruh interviewed me yesterday. He has been on my email list since last July and has kept up with my case. And he wrote a really good article.

Originally Posted by loneprotester

Thank you for posting this Jean, This reporter, Robert Unruh interviewed me yesterday. He has been on my email list since last July and has kept up with my case. And he wrote a really good article.

Great job and thank you for the kind mention of ALIPAC

W

I have shared excerpts from the article and the links (the article and this site) on the local forum once again. I got slammed already as being a bigot BUT hopefully there are those who can see the impact that the illegals have on wages, etc. There is NOTHING racist in wanting our laws enforced.



I, again, say great job loneprotester!!!

You are most welcome loneprotester.

But we also THANK YOU for all you are doing for so many American workers affected by this out of control situation.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-2989--0-0.html

your a good man LP . you know me from when i use to post at FS . we talked quite a bit . Any calls or fax's to Grahams office you need done just pm me

America was built with native born citizens and LEGAL immigrants.

There is ONLY one standard that applies to immigration. That is the LAW.

It's not what they (illegal immigrants and their advocates) want.
It has nothing to do with someone’s perceived concept is of what's moral.
It has nothing to do with considering the perceived impact on families.
It has nothing to do with considering the needs of the illegals.
It has nothing to do with taking into account their motivations for illegally entering.
It has nothing to do with any claims the illegals advocates may make; such as: they do the jobs American won't (absolutely wrong), they benefit our economy (they absolutely don't), they aren't a drain on our social services, infrastructure and education systems (wrong again)

The only standard that applies to immigration is the LAW!!!

Good article by WND. And great words of wisdom, Terry. You're waking more and more people up with your activism. God Bless you and America.

I had to make sure that I mentioned ALIPAC. You gave me a voice for my anger and I want to do everything I can to make more people shout about the injustice that is being perpetrated on the American people.
I do not care what kind of spin someone wants to put on the subject, I just know for a fact that this country is ours, according to the Constitution and we need to do everything we can to make sure that our kids have the same opportunities as we did. Nothing less is acceptable.

Hi loneprotestor,

You should see how out of control California is.I inspected a house in Brentwood yesterday,the price of homes in this area are 5 million on up.This home was all torn up due to mold mitigation,there must of been 10 illegals working on this house,some appeared to still be out of breath from evading the Border Patrol.If you drive by a construction site anywhere in the city the same thing exists.If Ice were to raid this house,
the contractor would be in jail!

[quote="zeezil"]America was built with native born citizens and LEGAL immigrants.

There is ONLY one standard that applies to immigration. That is the LAW.

We need to shout this at our politions untill it sinks into those thick secret agenda skulls of theirs. We can only use what the LoneProtester is doing is an exsample for what our actions should be. Things in life worth doing are never easy and this fight on illigials is one of them.
I would also just like to say that I'm new to the site. Thanks Alipac for having me.