San Francisco Immigrant Rights Supporters Confront Racist Minutemen

On less then a day’s notice, over 300 supporters of immigrant rights in the Bay Area came out on July 30 to confront the racist Minutemen on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall. When the ten Minutemen arrived for a scheduled press conference to challenge San Francisco’s policy of sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, they found their permitted area occupied by pro-immigrant groups and individuals determined to take a stand against the scapegoating of immigrants for the U.S. economic and social problems.

Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist was drowned out by chants of "Immigrants are here to stay, racist Minutemen go away" as he attempted to address the media. San Francisco Sheriff Department deputies and San Francisco Police Department officers escorted the Minutemen as they left.

The pro-immigrant forces were brought out by a call from La Raza Centro Legal, San Francisco Day Laborers Program and Movement for Unconditional Amnesty. Groups from the St. Peter’s Housing Committee, CARECEN, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), the Party for Socialism and Liberation and others mobilized people to come out to the counter protest.