Ranchers Sued by Civil Rights Group

Associated Press ^ | Dec 10, 2003 | Arthur H. Rotstein

[AnimalLover]

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO PROPERTY RIGHTS?

A monastery official and a human rights advocacy group sued a southern Arizona ranch family Wednesday, accusing them of impersonating federal agents and violating the rights of undocumented immigrants.

Border Action Network, a human rights organization, and Donald J. Mackenzie, groundskeeper for and vice president of Summerland Monastery Inc., filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Roger Barnett; his wife, Barbara, and his brother, incorrectly identified as Ralph. The lawsuit will be amended to correct the name Ralph to Donald, attorney Jesus Romo said.

The civil action accuses the Barnetts of conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of immigrants and seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions against them.

Reached at the office of a towing company he operates in Sierra Vista, Barnett said he was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment.

For at least four years, the Barnetts have patrolled their 22,000-acre ranch about five miles north of Douglas, apprehending illegal immigrants crossing their property and turning them over to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Arizona has become a crossing point for hundreds of thousands of migrants annually, and the flood of undocumented people has drawn several armed civilian groups that act as self-appointed border watch organizations.

The groups have come under increasing fire recently. One member of Texas-based Ranch Rescue was arrested last month near Douglas on suspicion of felony flight to avoid prosecution, accused with another person of unlawfully detaining and beating a Salvadoran couple in Texas.

None of the civilian patrol groups was named in the lawsuit.

But Border Action Network announced during the summer that it hoped to sue on behalf of migrants allegedly victimized by organizations patrolling the border - with hopes of bankrupting them. Jennifer Allen, the network's director, called Wednesday's lawsuit a start.

"We have been working with border residents, ranchers, elected officials and with migrants to challenge the growth of the anti-immigrant movement along the Arizona-Mexico border," she said.

"The Barnetts and other vigilante groups have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for both migrants and community members."

She said many state and federal authorities have ignored border watch groups' activities.

Allen said Roger and Donald Barnett detained a group of 30 undocumented immigrants on Mackenzie's ranch.

Mackenzie said he initially thought Roger Barnett was a Border Patrol agent because of his weaponry and clothing, including a cap that said "U.S. Border Patrol."

Mackenzie said in talking with them, he discovered the Barnetts were not federal agents but did not challenge their presence or report them later. He said he never gave the Barnetts permission to enter the property.

Mackenzie said he got more concerned and angrier as he subsequently researched the issue.

"These vigilantes who have come into southern Arizona from out-of-state don't belong here," he said. "We don't need them here. The Rambo wannabes are not the kind of people that live in Arizona."

Allen and Romo said they did not have identities or statements from any of the 30 people allegedly involved in the Oct. 11 Summerland Monastery incident.

A spokesman for the Border Patrol said the agency does not disclose information on citizen calls that result in arrests.

__

On the Net:

Border Action Network: http://www.borderaction.org

[Cultural Jihad]

Shoot Shovel and Shut up

So it's fairly common knowledge that references to "the 3 S's" in relation to discussions about illegal immigration across the Southern border and armed vigilantes is really a veiled statement about cold-blooded murder, albeit perhaps serious or facetious?

[org.whodat]

But the vigilantes did not witness a crime.

Ok, how do you know what these people witnessed, were you there?

[Stopislamnow]

And we only have one side of the story don't we?

Thats why I give them the benefit of the doubt.

They have patrolled thier own land for years. Not trespassed.

Maybe the illegals crossed thier land and they were chasing them?

Or they just got this MacKenzie guy to playball with em.

If the Barnetts have been patrolling thier own land for a long long time, I'd think thier neighbors would know about them by now.

Suddenly Mr MacKenzie is all puzzled....yah ok.

It's a fishing expedition.

[Cultural Jihad]

... people who advocate the breaking of laws ...

Not unlike the 3 S's, eh?

[Pitchfork]

I guess these folks have finally found alphabetical substitutes for the three K's.

[SandRat]

Check this out.

[janetgreen]

The Barnetts all deserve jail time.

Nice to hear from you, Mr. Tom Ridge, the illegal alien enabler.

[ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds]

For arguments sake, how many armed illegals would you welcome onto your property before you acted with something other than benevolence? Pick a number between 1 and 10,000.

[Cultural Jihad]

Ok, how do you know what these people witnessed, were you there?

It is easy to infer so, because their private property is on the NORTH side of the town of Douglas, Arizona, which is about 3 miles from the border.

[Iconoclast2]

Sounds like it's time to give this MacKenzie fool a good old fashioned shunning. It would be great if no one within a hundred miles of his ranch would sell him gsa, for example. Or groceries.

[Cultural Jihad]

The issue isn't one's own property, but another's property, and the laws in Arizona regarding what constitutes a lawful citizen's arrest.

[Pitchfork]

What's the point of this line of reasoning. I'm arguing for the Monestaries fundamental property rights. Cutural Jihad's sensibilities, or mine, or yours are only relevant if it's our property in question. For all we know Mackenzie isn't anymore fond of the Mexicans than he is of the armed yokels in USBP costumes playing 'cowboys and aliens' on their property.

[Cultural Jihad]

More than likely the community shunning would go to the out-of-staters who are committing felonies upon people who commit misdemeanors.

[SandRat]

Have you seen this?

[org.whodat]

this MacKenzie fool

I think the article said he was a gardener, he doesn't own jack. But mr Jihide, what ever, seems to know him and where he lives are has a good crystal ball, so maybe he could tell us how much land Mackenzie is the gardener of in relations to the other peoples 22,000 acres..

[autoresponder]

Immigrants?

I heard an illegal alien attorney on WABC 770am NYC call them "undocumented citizens"!

[Iconoclast2]

Get this: Summerland Monastery Inc. is listed on a website identifying WITCHES' COVENS. So maybe it's SATAN himself and his useful idiots behind the attacks on the defenders of our borders! Of course, their website listed below) identifies them as environmentalists, not witches. Birds of feather, I suppose. Isn't the Internet great?

Google cache:
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:LPcJFe3KL_4J:www.witchvox.com/wotw/group_detail.html%3Fid%3D17716+SUMMERLAND+MONASTERY+INC&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Copy of page (missing graphics and formatting):

VoxPath: Home / wotw / Detail Page: Covens, Groups & Organizations Views: 2,153,115

Group Stats

Formed: 1990

New Members?: Yes

Incorporated: Yes

501c3: yes


Wvox Stats

Vox Group Id: 17716

Posted:

March, 26th, 2003

Updated:

September, 26th, 2003


Summerland Monastery, Inc ATC WindTree Ranch
Age Range: Adult
Located in: Douglas
Key Contact: Rev. Jacquie Omi Zaleski-Mackenzie

Spiritual Path: Part of ATC; open to ALL who honor Mother Earth
Status: Established Group

Community Support: Legal Clergy... Open Circles... Teaching Available

Group Overview: We are "Walking Our Talk" in a high desert mountainous area: v-e-r-y hard work living our faith without modern comforts. Going on our 7th year at this location.

We have been low profile as Jacquie was co-founder of Church of Iron Oak in Palm Bay, FL and the National News stories about that "4 year zoning adventure" filtered into a Fundamentalist Group, a neighbor, here in Arizona. So Arizona zoning has been working to prevent visitors and stop all worship on this site. Zoning quieted for a year while Don Sagehawk recovered from two heart surgeries, but has geared up again to prevent our worship with any outsiders.

We offer Internships and/or visitors (but no drop-ins) see web site for details. We are VERY remote, living off-grid (solar and wind energy only) on 40 acres but non-profit owned. We have a total of 1, 227 acres. Our homes are volunteer-made of papercrete or strawbale; 60% recycled materials. Our gardens are organic.

The land is vegetarian, non-toxic (tobacco free, controlled substance free, meat free). We are eco-spiritual, open to those of many Earth-based faiths and their tolerant friends too.

We do lots of charity work to aid those in Mexico; we are on the NM/AZ/Mexico border. We pick up items in metro areas, 5-7 hours away from our home, and give them away to the needy.

For more info: ask for Jacquie 520-364-4611 or 520-364-4379 and leave a message, or e-mail at windtreeranch@direcpc.com.

Email: To send a private message to Summerland Monastery, Inc ATC WindTree Ranch... [Click HERE]
Email II: jacquieomi@direcpc.com

Website: http://www.summerlandmonastery.ORG
Mailing Address: 4200 E. Summerland Road

Telephone: 520-364-4611

[Iconoclast2]

Neither of us knows enough of the facts to know what degree of crime, if any, the Bartletts and the immigrants are committing. We do know, however, that the Bartletts are not out-of-staters, so your comment is out of line. And if you follow the link elsewhere in this thread to the Witches Coven directory listing Mr. MacKenzie's employer, you will find that the neighbors seem to have a problem with the Summerland Monastery/Coven, not the Bartletts.

[Cultural Jihad]

The issue isn't the property owner's flakey beliefs, but the exercise of the property owner's rights, all of which are protected by the Constitution.

[Zack Attack]

SummerLand is an expression of Faith.

As a Shaman, a person who practices Earth Spirituality, Jacquie Zaleski Mackenzie, Abbess, believes in the Gaia Principal: our Planet is alive, our Planet is Divine. She conceived SummerLand and then found others with the same beliefs, to share her vision of finding land to set aside and then, like her, Serve for the rest of their lives.

Summerland. People giving all their worldly possessions to the monastery to live in paper shacks? Sounds like a strange strange place.

http://www.thedesertshaman.org/index.htm