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Community groups from Northern California and allies came together on Wednesday, August 17th to have an action to send a message to legislators in Sacramento that immigrants have a right to an unmarked driver's license, and to respond to the Governor's open invitation to the vigilante group the "Minutemen."

The protest gathered at 24th and Mission Streets at 9:00am on Wednesday, August 17th for a rally, and then formed a human chain down to Cesar Chavez Street. Read more This event will took place at the same time as a press conference in Sacramento held by representatives from various Northern California communities.

During the week of July 16th in Campo, east of San Diego on the U.S.-Mexico border, a Strategy Campout was established by Gente Unida and local activists participated in disrupting the activities of the Border Patrol Auxiliary, a spin-off of the racist vigilante group the Minuteman Project, which had set up shop in town for the weekend. Anti-racists used high-power spotlights and spoke to the vigilantes through sound systems in order to advertise their location and prevent their snipers from hearing the movement of migrants. San Diego anti-racism groups are mobilizing people around the country to head to San Diego to stop the larger Minuteman operation on Sept. 16th, coinciding with Mexican Independence Day. Full report | San Diego Indymedia

7/10/2005: Over 200 immigrants and supporters convened on the State Capitol on Wednesday (July 6, 2005) to demand drivers licenses without special markings to undocumented residents and to oppose border vigilantes in California.

Over 200 immigrants and supporters convened on the State Capitol to demand drivers licenses without special markings to undocumented residents and to oppose border vigilantes in California. They met inside with State Senator Gil Cedillo to demand no special markings on the licenses, and then held a press conference at the steps of the Capitol while a group of up to ten citizens practiced civil disobedience at the Governor’s office.

Two buses of immigrants from San Francisco and dozens more from the Northern California area met with State Senator Cedillo in a crowded meeting room inside the Capitol to talk about the driver license legislature. In this session immigrant workers and families expressed their strong opposition to the proposed markings on the drivers licenses to undocumented residents. “We do not want markings, we are not animals,” chanted a day laborer from San Francisco. Senator Cedillo seemed to agree but could not guarantee passage of the driver license legislature without such marking. Similar legislature has been vetoed by Governor Schwarznegger once already, and he is expected to do so again if the marking isn’t included. The State Bill SB60, introduced by Cedillo, awaits a hearing later this summer.

See the full story HERE | Radio interview

On Wednesday June 22nd, at 7:00 PM, there will be a Strategizing Meeting to Fight the Minuteman Project. It will take place at New College, 777 Valencia, Room 4 (between 18th and 19th Streets). Following the lead of activists in Southern California who support immigrants' rights, people in the Bay Area will come together to attempt to formulate a plan of resistance to counter "those who would divide us with borders and selectively proclaim some human beings as 'illegal.'” Read more

In April, under the rhetoric of fighting terrorism and protecting the economy, the Minuteman Project, which is an armed and racist vigilante organization, organized patrols of the Arizona border with Mexico. These right-wing, anti-immigrant activists and their allies are now expanding the border patrol project to New Mexico, Texas and California. In California, one patrol is scheduled to begin on July 18th, another on September 16th (intentionally scheduled on Mexico’s Independence Day), and a third patrol will be held in October.

One action that will likely be discussed is BorderHack, which will take place along the US/Mexico border from August 3rd-7th this year.

On June 4, 2005, the "Minutemen" entered the town of Fallbrook, San Diego County, early in the morning. There had been no prior warning to their arrival as there has been in the previous demonstrations in southern California. Their objective: to stop Citibank and two other banks from allowing their Mexican patrons to use Mexican identification to cash checks or open accounts. They stood on the sidewalk on Main St. next to Denny’s with racist anti-Mexican signs. There were reports that the Minutemen intimidated and harassed a disabled Mexican man who was walking down the sidewalk. Full story at San Diego Indymedia

6/17 Update: Garden Grove Police pursue phony criminal charge against woman hit by Minuteman supporter
5/26 Update: Hal Netkin identified as driver of minivan which struck four protesters.
5/25/2005: Two people protesting the "Minutemen" in Garden Grove, CA were hit by a car driven by someone presumed to be a Minuteman or one of their supporters. Local TV news reports are confirming the attack and reporting that the driver of the car was arrested. No information on the condition of those attacked is available. Meanwhile at least eight protesters were arrested. Photos | Report | LA Indymedia

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, who describes himself as a "conservative and a left-wing wacko," announced that he would address his followers at 7:30 p.m. on May 25th in Garden Grove, in what seems to be an attempt to expand his project to Southern California. In response, some pro-immigrant activists pledged to be there to voice their dissent inside and outside the meeting place at 6:30 p.m. Virtual Sit-In Against Minutemen | Previous coverage

Immigrant communities in San Francisco joined labor, teachers, nurses and others in the fight-back against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a May 5th rally at the State Building, Schwarzenegger was denounced for his recent call to close the border and his invitation to the Minutemen, the Arizona border vigilantes who will be going to the California border with Mexico this summer, to come to California. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have also criticized the Governator for his support of the Minutemen.

Photos | Video | Report by Beyond Chron