Thread: Follow up: Nevada ACLU backs UNR immigration panel guest

Nevada ACLU backs UNR visit by controversial speaker

By Lenita Powers • lpowers@rgj.com • November 13, 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada sent a letter Thursday urging the president of the University of Nevada, Reno and the director of a student organization to allow a controversial opponent of illegal immigration appear at a campus forum next week.

Some UNR faculty, students and members of the community said they are outraged at the scheduled appearance Nov. 19 of Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minuteman Project that supports civilian patrols to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the United States.

Rebecca Gasca, public advocate with the ACLU of Nevada, said the letter was sent to President Milton Glick and Sandra Rodriguez, director of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, which sponsors the forum.

"We are urging the University of Nevada, Reno not to succumb to pressure from various members of the university who are trying to stop Mr. Gilchrist from participating in the immigration forum," Gasca said.

Glick has said that opposition to Gilchrist's viewpoints should not outweigh the need to ensure freedom of speech on a university campus.

Emma Sepulveda, director of the UNR Latino Research Center, has urged organizers to find a more moderate anti-illegal immigration panelist for the forum.

"I don't want to silence somebody just because they have an opposite view," she said. "I support free speech, but I think hate speech has no place on our campus or any other campus."

Shawna Forde

Opponents of Gilchrist's visit cite his previous support for Shawna Forde, the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a Washington state group that patrols borders for illegal immigrants. Forde and two other members of her group are facing murder charges in the May deaths of a Hispanic father and his 9-year-old daughter in Arizona and allegedly trying to rob him of drug money they thought was in the family's home.

Forde's group is not related to Gilchrist's Minuteman Project. In a 2006 interview published in the Orange County Register in California, Gilchrist criticized members of Congress for failing to address the issue of illegal immigration.

"I will not promote violence in resolving this, but I will not stop others who might pursue that," he said.

The ACLU understands why Gilchrist's position evokes anger, Gasca said.

"We definitely understand their points of view and we, too, have some concerns about Mr. Gilchrist's organization and some of his positions, but we believe that disagreement can't be a justification for censorship, especially in an educational forum," Gasca said. "And we think UNR should take this opportunity to allow community members to oppose Mr. Gilchrist's viewpoint with rational argument and thoughtful debate."

Elliott Parker, chairman of the UNR Faculty Senate, said Thursday the Senate respects individual faculty member rights to express opposition to Gilchrist's visit, but that most of the Senate supports Glick's position upholding free speech.

"The university is a center for the exchange of ideas, even those ideas we may disagree with," Parker said on behalf of the Senate. "We oppose any effort to silence any speaker invited by any university-affiliated organization, or any pressure on those organizations to cancel their invitation."

http://www.rgj.com/article/20091113/NEW ... al-speaker

A fixed outcome.