Thread: Minutemen’s fate was not fault of police

Slupski: Minutemen’s fate was not fault of police



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A lot has been written in the past week about the Illinois Minuteman Project and its canceled event at the Holiday Inn, which had been scheduled for Saturday. The Minutemen are a group opposed to illegal-immigration.

The Crystal Lake Police Department drew criticism – including criticism from this newspaper on the opinion page – over the event’s cancellation. On Friday, I had a discussion with Police Chief Dave Linder over the whole brouhaha. After that discussion, I felt there was room for some clarification and further commentary on this topic.

First of all, the Minutemen have no one to blame for the event’s cancellation but themselves.

McHenry County Judge Maureen McIntyre on Thursday ruled that the Minutemen had violated their contract with the Holiday Inn. When Minuteman Director Rosanna Pulido signed the contract, she identified herself as the event coordinator for the Sheriff Daniel Beck Immigration Conference.

That is not forthcoming. Pulido should have been up front about whom she represented. McIntyre also found that the Minutemen did not provide the necessary proof of insurance. So the Minutemen are not victims in this situation.

Rather, it seems, they signed a contract under false pretenses – a contract it appears that the Holiday Inn was more than happy to get out of.

Another important point that needs to be made is that the Holiday Inn inquired about security to the Crystal Lake police department, Linder said. In response to that inquiry, Linder said that the police department laid out a security plan. Although local news media, including this newspaper, has reported that the security cost would be up to $3,500 – Pulido told reporters that this was what Holiday Inn attorneys said the cost would be – Linder said that he did not give a specific monetary figure because it ultimately would depend on how many officers ended up being needed. The hotel’s attorney did not call me back, and hotel officials have declined comment to reporters.

Whenever a private group that is having an event asks for security on private property, it is appropriate for law enforcement to seek reimbursement. If the Crystal Lake Police Department was going to provide any security for the hotel on the hotel’s property, it was correct for Linder to seek a reimbursement.

I and this newspaper’s Editorial Board do have concerns if a police department, Crystal Lake’s or any other, charges the host of an event to cover security for a protest of that event when the protest is on public property. The Crystal Lake Police Department’s request for reimbursement was for security on private property at the hotel, which we’re OK with, and on public property for the protest, which we’re not.

Our initial reporting on this, and our editorial that appeared Friday, should have been more clear.

One event that has been referenced in discussions about this issue has been the Gay Games rowing competition that occurred on Crystal Lake. Gay Games organizers did have to pay for Crystal Lake police officers to be present to provide security. The Gay Games rowing event occurred on public property, not at a private venue. Also, the security issue was worked out during the permitting process, and the security was for the event itself.

However, if I’m planning to give a speech at a private venue and I rent a room and sell tickets, I should be able to give my speech even if some group that dislikes me plans to stage an anti-Brian Slupski protest. If I have to pay for a police presence for protesters that I have no control over and who are on a neighboring, public piece of property, then the protesters essentially are administering a monetary fine on me for exercising my First Amendment rights.

To some, the scenario I described above might sound like what happened with the Holiday Inn and the Minutemen, but there are some differences. The most important being that Linder said the Holiday Inn inquired about security to protect its guests, employees and the public.

– Brian Slupski is the opinion page editor for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at (815) 459-4122 or by e-mail at bslupski@nwherald.com.


http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/0 ... 720337.txt


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Mr. Slupski:

There is a major problem with your theory about the Illinois Minutemen and the Holiday Inn incident. Using your logic, we should all threaten to show up and cause major problems anytime a group we do not agree with tries to meet on private property. That way, they will be unable to afford security and have to cancel.

Your take on this story actually creates a political incentive for more lawlessness. By saying, we will show up in a mob and engage in disruptive lawless behavior that has more to do with harming the rights of other Americans more than making our own points, we can shut them down!

Our police are there to protect law abiding citizens from lawless groups and individuals. The fact that the Minutemen must be concerned with anarchists, socialists, angry illegal aliens, and separatist organization threatening them is a problem for the police, not the Minutemen or Holiday Inn.

Since you are handing the illegal aliens and their supporters a victory, you can expect more assaults, damage, and mayhem from them. When you reward lawlessness with political rewards, you will get more lawlessness.

You just engaged in the kind of behavior that is fueling America's entire illegal immigration crisis.

William Gheen
Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC)
www.alipac.us

I believe the Holiday Inn was wrong. They "assumed" their would be trouble from the MM. But the MM do not cause the trouble. If the La Raza groups show up and cause a problem, that is not the MM's fault. What they are saying is that anti illegal groups are not welcome. That is just not right. Do they cancel the pro immigrant conferences? This is a form of discrimmination. Another shot at us. Would this group be cancelled also?
I find this very disturbing.

Besides in the Northwest Heralds article on 08/23/2007 Police Chief David Linder is quoted as saying

Minutemen hit police snag
By JOCELYN ALLISON - jallison@nwherald.com

“Crystal Lake Police Chief David Linder said police told the Holiday Inn that it would need to reimburse the city at least $3,000 to provide security for protesters expected at the event, but he declined to say how many officers would be needed.

The hotel, at Three Oaks Road and Route 31 in Crystal Lake, would not allow protesters to demonstrate on hotel property, Linder said.

“[Protesters] have a right to protest along the public way, but that is a very dangerous road, so as a result, it would require a number of officers to ensure the safety of those people to exercise their rights,â€