Thread: Protesters crowd red square, voice opposition...

Wonder what happened inside? All the attention is on the protesters as usual. Seems colleges are the worst areas for the Minutemen to speak and yet, good for them for jumping into the frying pan and trying.

http://www.thehoya.com/news/110306/news2.cfm

Protesters Crowd Red Square, Voice Opposition to Immigration Activist

By Michael Coleman
Hoya Staff Writer
Friday, November 3, 2006


Wednesday night’s speech on campus by a leading anti-illegal immigration activist drew more than 100 detractors to Red Square, who condemned the speaker and said his organization is racist and inhumane in its treatment of immigrants.

The protesters, who included students, faculty, local residents and activists, began filling an area cordoned off for their demonstration over an hour before Chris Simcox, president of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, started speaking in Copley Formal Lounge. Their demonstration continued until after Simcox’s speech ended.

Since Simcox founded the MCDC four years ago, volunteers from the Arizona-based group have patrolled the U.S.-Mexico border and reported people crossing illegally to authorities.

At a stage set up outside White-Gravenor with a microphone, members of the university community and visitors lined up throughout the evening to offer their own stories and their views on Simcox, the MCDC and illegal immigration.

Denise Brennan, an associate professor of anthropology, called Simcox an extremist during the rally, and said he does not play a productive role in the ongoing immigration debate.

“Mr. Simcox and his organization do not want to debate,” Brennan said. The MCDC advocates “taking up arms and shooting immigrants that cross over the border,” she added.

Protesters waved signs bearing a variety of messages, some with images of left-wing revolutionary Che Guevara, others stating, “Down with the Racist Minutemen.”

The protest proceeded smoothly for over an hour until a fire alarm rang out in Copley Hall and disrupted Simcox’s speech only minutes after it began. Though some protesters cheered the alarm, the noise, which continued for about 15 minutes, drowned out the protesters, and the crowd thinned out slightly.

Hemly Ordonez (SFS ’07), a member of MEChA de Georgetown and one of the protest’s organizers, said that the alarm was not connected to the protest.

“Free speech is very important to maintain on both sides, and being respectful is always important,” Ordonez said.

Karina Garcia, a Columbia University student, also participated in the protest, which was organized by MEChA and Georgetown Solidarity Committee. Garcia was one of the leaders of a protest last month during a speech at Columbia by Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, another anti-illegal immigration group. She said in her speech to the crowd that she and a group of Columbia students drove five hours from New York just to attend the protest.

A passerby during the protest, Michael Ehinger (COL ’10), said he thought that the protesters were not taking the best approach to getting their point across.

“I think that walking around shaking [signs] is not going to get much done when they could be doing more productive things,” Ehinger said.

Ehinger added that it was “ridiculous” of some protesters to describe members of the MCDC as “Nazis” and “racists” during the rally.

Fr. Philip Boroughs, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, was also present for the protest. Boroughs said that while he does not support Simcox’s views, he viewed the speech as an opportunity to initiate dialogue on immigration and human rights on campus.

“It’s important to gather and reflect on these issues together as a university,” Boroughs said.

Eugene Puryear, a junior at Howard University, said that he came to the Hilltop because he felt compelled to take part in the cause.

“I think [the protest] has been effective because it’s been able to have a presence out here against bigotry and against hatred, which is always important,” Puryear said.

Another onlooker, Kelsey Albro (SFS ’09), just came to watch the rally play out.

“I know that I don’t agree with Chris Simcox, but I wasn’t sure that meant that I didn’t want to listen to him,” Albro said.

“Mr. Simcox and his organization do not want to debate,” Brennan said. The MCDC advocates “taking up arms and shooting immigrants that cross over the border,” she added.

What a brazen lie. The author of this piece should have pointed out that her comment was an overt lie.

W

There were three different colleges/universities were mentioned. Wonder if they were bused in again.

W.,

That's a testament to how ignorant and inflammatory the opposition is. How can such outrageous statements lend any credibility to their position? Actually when I read that, my thought was she's a hatemonger.


Dixie