Thread: Minuteman Project Tours for Border Safety

LOS ANGELES - Leaders of the Minuteman Project began a cross-country tour Wednesday to seek support for tighter border security, launching a caravan to the nation's capital from a heavily black neighborhood where many residents shouted at the civilian patrol group to go home.
Minuteman leaders started the trip from a park in a black neighborhood as part of a push to attract more blacks as members.

"If we are going to be giving preference to anybody ... preference should go to the American-African community that has suffered more than anybody," Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist told a crowd of 40 supporters that included about 10 blacks.

But the event soon provoked screaming matches about whether illegal immigrants were taking jobs from blacks or should be embraced as fellow minorities looking for a better life.

Gilchrist had to yell over a dozen mostly black protesters who chanted "Minutemen go home!" and "KKK go home!"

Gilchrist repeatedly stopped his speech to address the protesters, telling them: "Ours is not a racial cause. It's a rule-of-law cause."

As Gilchrist spoke, supporters and opponents engaged in a heated debate.

"Hispanics are taking away our jobs," said Angela Broussard, 38, a black playwright. "They are moving into our neighborhoods, so now where are we going to go?"

Morris Griffin held a sign criticizing a measure passed by the U.S. House that would make it a felony to be in this country illegally and penalize people who aid undocumented immigrants.

"Don't pit the blacks against the browns, like they do in the jails and schools," Griffin told Broussard.

When the chants and arguments persisted, Gilchrist stepped up his rhetoric.

"Minutemen, stand your ground," he said. "Do not fire unless fired upon. And if it's a war he wants, then let it begin here."

Gilchrist then boarded an RV and left. His vehicle was followed from the park by two other RVs and a few cars.

Organizers hoped the trip would help counter marches staged Monday around the nation by more than 1 million people demanding amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The caravan is scheduled to stop in President Bush's vacation haven of Crawford, Texas, as well as Phoenix, Albuquerque, N.M.; Abilene, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.; Memphis, Tenn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Montgomery, Ala.; Birmingham, Ala.; Atlanta; Greensboro, N.C.; and Richmond, Va.

Gilchrist had to yell over a dozen mostly black protesters who chanted "Minutemen go home!" and "KKK go home!"

there were quite a few black AMERICANS standing up for the Minutemen, older men that these protesters were being quite rude and disrespectful to. I thought it was quite noticeable that the protesters had to scream and holler and the supporters of the Minuteman talked like civilized people.

these illegals that had no right to protest had their day on May 1, but then they want to stop a peaceful caravan of American citizens that are not even blocking the streets???

While the illegals are trying to get the blacks to join them, the vast majority of blacks are outraged by this issue. It is actually uniting blacks and whites because of what we are: American citizens!
God bless the Minutemen as they journey in their caravan across the country.

Originally Posted by libbeebell

While the illegals are trying to get the blacks to join them, the vast majority of blacks are outraged by this issue. It is actually uniting blacks and whites because of what we are: American citizens!
God bless the Minutemen as they journey in their caravan across the country.

that is so true. I had a message left for me on my phone the other day by a black American, he said "don't they see what WE see ... can't they see all the Mexican flags?"

this fight of the American people will unite us like 9/11 before it is over