Minutemen Appear in Fallbrook,
Raza Responds in Larger Numbers
Minutemen in Fallbrook
Fallbrook is a small town of about 50,000 people in the outskirts of San
Diego’s North County, east of Oceanside and south of Temecula, and
which is not usually thought of as a place for making a political statement.
But for some reason, approximately forty-five Minutemen supporters and
sympathizers made an appearance on Fallbrook’s Main Street on Saturday
morning. They came to take a stance against businesses and banks, which
accept the “matricula consular” as a valid form of identification.
They are making the claim that the banks’ acceptance of the Mexican
identification card allow for criminals and terrorists to open accounts,
and allow for illegal immigrants to blend into mainstream society. Their
demonstration began at 8:00 in the morning and they were well protected
by a virtual army of police and sheriffs, including a police helicopter
which was patrolling the town.
The Mexican Community Responds
Word of the event soon got around. There were reports of people beginning
to show their disapproval of the presence of the "illegal-alien"
protestors. People began to drive by their protest site with Mexican flags
flying out the window, showing their disapproval with various hand gestures
and shouting at them to “go home”. This was a very strong
point to argue since according to the North County Times, most of the
Minutemen supporters were not from Fallbrook. Some of the people protesting
were the same old retired people who went to protest the art monument
in Baldwin Park.
By 11:30 a.m., four MUDP organizers arrived on the opposite side of the
street from where the Minutemen supporters were standing holding only
a banner and a couple of Mexican flags with them. Within a half-an-hour,
the group was about 20-30 strong and growing, and within the half hour,
almost all of the Minutemen supporters had disappeared. Apparently, they
had anticipated a strong counter-protest as was evident with such an overwhelming
police presence, and they still have not recovered from their defeat in
Baldwin Park.
After gathering briefly to give some organization to the protest, the
anti-Minutemen protestors marched down Main Street to show the community
that they were not going to just stand by and watch these people openly
attack the Mexican community. As the march progressed, many others joined
the march and the support was heard from the many cars passing by and
honking. Some businesses offered their support as well. The local 99 Cent
store gave out Mexican flags and the owner of El Toro Market gave everyone
bottles of water and sodas. The owners of Puerto Nuevo Mexican Restaurant
offered to assist in organizing future events. Ultimately 60-70 people
joined the march.
A Political and Uplifting Victory
The march ended in the very same location where the Minutemen supporters
held their demonstration earlier that day, which gave a semblance of a
victory. And it was a victory for our community. On a minute’s notice,
the Mexican community came out in larger numbers to protest these advocates
against human rights. This being in a town that was once a stronghold
for white supremacy. The protest lifted the spirits of struggle and dignity
of the community since people were looking for a way to participate in
an organized and peaceful manner. In fact, the community demonstrated
this in a real way when a car full of young Mexicanas who participated
in the event, was pulled over by the local sheriffs for honking her horn
in a show of enthusiasm for the days events. Immediately a crowd gathered
around to denounce the cowardly and racist behavior of the police and
to observe the situation. In a show of dignity and principle, the young
teenager refused to sign the officer’s citation as a way of saying
that she did not recognize the officer’s authority and his judgment
of justice. Even after having been handcuffed, she told the officer not
to touch her. At that moment, an MUDP member was able to get a lawyer
on the phone to give the young Mexicana legal advice on the matter. She
will make the attempt to fight the citation in court.
What We've Learned About the Minutemen, and How Should We Deal with Them?
Audio
Message left on answering machine by Minutemen supporters