Information Regarding the Protest Against Jim Gilchrist

On 11/13/07, in CSULB,

"The Coalition Against Hate will lead the protest against the campus visit/presentation of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minutemen. Please remember that even though undocumented immigrants have been racialized as Mexicans/Latinos, there are thousands of undocumented Filipinos/as ("TNT") in our own communities who need assistance and deserve dignity in the U.S.

The goals of the Coalition Against Hate:

1. We will stage a peaceful but militant protest with speakers, music and performers on the steps of the north side of the USU. We will have a public address system so that a diversity of speakers affirm our unity and share information about immigration and the underlying agenda of the organizations Mr. Gilchrist supports. We will develop peacemaking measures to so we can reduce the likelihood of any disruptive behavior that might help Mr. Gilchrist’s political and fund-raising objectives.

* We will urge the campus community to boycott the event in the auditorium but we will respect the right of every individual to attend the “debate.” *

2. The coalition supported La Raza Student Association’s suggestion that red armbands be worn on November 13 affirming the unity of all the communities at CSULB. This red band will also affirm that THERE ARE NO “illegal” human beings in this country, JUST HUMAN BEINGS. Every person in the United States, with documents or without them, is protected by the constitution of the United States and has the right to due process.

The red band will symbolize our rejection of the dehumanizing and stigmatizing actions and speech of vigilante anti-immigrant groups like those supporting Mr. Jim Gilchrist. They hide behind a legal facade but they incite, attack and coerce immigrants and those who support human rights for immigrants.

3. We also agreed that we will not be provoked by agent provocateurs who will pretend to be on our side but who could incite a non-reasoned response to the visit of Mr. Gilchrist. Our objective is to show how a diverse community can work together and succeed. A peacemaking committee will be formed and trained to reduce the chances of any act of disruption. We will also meet with the university administrators and the campus police on Tuesday morning to coordinate security for all participants in the protest event.

4. We will be providing educational resources about immigration, hate groups like American Patrol, SOS, and the Minutemen."

_matt in the hat"t"