Tombstone at the eye of Minuteman storm

Arizona Daily Star ^ | 04.01.05 | Michael Marizco

[Coleus]

Tombstone at the eye of Minuteman storm

TOMBSTONE - A Minuteman volunteer roams the streets in this town, the Colt .45 on his hip as much for show as anything. His shirt is stenciled, "Undocumented Border Patrol Agent."

At any given moment, reporters descend on him for interviews with an actual Minuteman Project volunteer. He doesn't mind; he's proud of what he's doing, he says.

Protesters in Tucson gather pots and pans to bang in protest of today's 1,000-strong Minuteman Project, a protest of the current state of border enforcement, in a "show of solidarity" with the illegal entrants who cross the border.

Also in Tucson, Robert Fritz is finishing up some lawyer business to come to Tombstone to join the Minuteman Project, while in the Whetstone Mountains northwest of Tombstone, Larry Dempster watches the gathering crowds with a jaundiced eye and wonders who's going to fix the fences illegal entrants cut recently.

State legislators and legal observers are expected to arrive from Phoenix and Tucson, while across the border in Naco, Sonora, Sergio Sanchez received a warning from Grupo Beta, Mexico's border safety force, that protesters may try to thwart his attempt to cross illegally into the United States.

It's an expected gathering that has gotten so much attention that even Presidents Bush and Vicente Fox weighed in, calling the group of protesters "immigrant hunters" and "vigilantes."

Fritz thinks differently.

"My frustrations are with the county and the state and the federal government that anybody who wants to step up as a citizen gets put down as a vigilante," he says.

"The people that are involved with this, they don't want anybody hurt out in the desert."

Tom Dushane, sporting his .45 six-shooter, agrees, saying he's simply tired of illegal entrants coming across the border.

On Monday, Border Patrol agents arrested about 800 people in the Cochise County area, said Tucson Sector spokesman Rob Daniels. Nobody knows how many got away.

"We're mainly trying to get the message to President Bush," Dushane says. "We need to close our borders."

But the message has also gone as far as Santa Cruz County, where Sheriff Tony Estrada says he's received tips the Minuteman Project will have volunteers posted in Nogales, Ariz.

"We're anxiously awaiting their arrival," he says.

Whether they show in Nogales remains to be seen. Organizers Chris Simcox and James Gilchrist weren't available for interviews Thursday.

Earth First activists will participate in a protest outside Schieffelin Hall on Arizona 80 in Tombstone, joining a gathering of people banging wooden spoons on empty pots as Minuteman organizers give speeches inside, says protest organizer Jonathan Shapiro.

The drumming is a show of solidarity with the entrants who'll be running the gantlet of Minuteman volunteers to work in this country, he said.

Other groups like Tucson-based Derechos Humanos plan unity events like a "Women in Black" vigil to protest the Minuteman Project.

If there are already Minuteman volunteers in town, they're keeping a low profile, says Mayor Andree Dejournett. The media sure aren't. There were at least 30 reporters, photographers and camera crews in Tombstone Thursday. At times it's hard to tell who's who with all the tourists. Both wear sophisticated cameras around their necks.

The town is full, though it's hard to tell if it's for the Minuteman Project or the weekend's car show, Dejournett said.

With only 260 rooms available in town, every room is taken, he said.

"We get 500,000 tourists every year. They might boost the number by 500, 1,000, who knows," he said. But right now, he supports their freedom to gather and protest, and if they don't break the law there's nothing more to say, he said. "I'm waiting just like everybody else is."

There's no vacancy at the Larian Motel, and owner Gordon Anderson likes it that way.

Nobody who registered for a room said they were here to protest the open border, he said.

If they are, they're more than welcome, he says. "They're just trying to do something for their country."

Maybe, but their motives still are not known, said Tombstone resident John Dorenzo, working a hot-dog stand on a street corner. "You don't know what their agenda is - are they sick of the government or are they just trying to get some publicity?"

Rancher Dempster wonders the same thing.

"We're going to have observers watching the observers, the Mexican government complaining, the press, legislators with 'Mexican accents' - where do my cows come in? How much feed are all these people going to tromp down?"

Told they won't be anywhere near his property, he chuckled. "That's good because none of it's going to do a bit of good."

But just the news that the Minutemen are coming was enough to make Sergio Sanchez worry about his plans to cross the border on the way to Florida. There's no work in Mexico to feed his two daughters and his wife, he said. But the Minuteman Project scares him because Mexican agents warned him Vietnam vets with an ax to grind would be trying to stop him.

"I'm still going to cross," he says. "What choice do I have? I need to work."

[Frank T]

"Protesters in Tucson gather pots and pans to bang in protest of today's 1,000-strong Minuteman Project, a protest of the current state of border enforcement, in a 'show of solidarity' with the illegal entrants who cross the border."

It's the same thing with these people. Solidarity for them means advancing the Marxist cause, and not weighing the benefits and costs of open borders. The people coming in are looking for jobs, more money than they could make in Mexico, or wherever. To think that this is the basis of some socialist revolution is stupid.

How about letting the illegals in, and deporting these left wingers?

[Supernatural]

Mark my words, many of the minutemen will get arrested for trying to do the right thing. The press is once again making martyrs out of the illegals.

[abigail2]

Minutemen BUMP...

[NewRomeTacitus]

It's shaping up to be a situation where the original mission would come off well but the opposition in favor of illegal immigration (mainstream press and liberal non-think tanks) determination to screw it up may lead to unwanted tragedy. It's shameful that so many who are nominally Americans are spending so much effort opposing this project (and supporting the raiding of our wallets) rather than trying to get their representatives to enforce existing laws on behalf of citizens. The MMP is about US, the average people shouldering the continually rising costs this invasion puts on us that our representatives studiously ignore and avoid.

These volunteers (working on their own dime) deserve our support and gratitude, not castigation from the mainstream press, neocommunist groups and our very own government.

I've read a lot of garbage concerning MMP in many editorials of late and they all share the idea that our defense is best left to the government. Instead of acknowledging the governments failure to stop the invasion these editors blame us for not accepting the invasion as part of the "new status quo". I don't accept that and am very offended that they're trying to sell that line. We don't have to "accept that they're here"; THEY have to accept that we want them put back into their home countries.

I also believe these advocate's actions merit a revival of the House Un-American Activities Committee. While we don't need a stringent standard of what's American and what's not, too many groups are running roughshod over all of our basic principals and indulging in outright betrayal. It's far past time that these vermin be called to the carpet of the judicial process. Allow me to submit C.A.I.R., A.C.L.U., and L.U.L.A.C. for starters.

[A CA Guy]

The answer to what you are mentioning is to have your own video cameras there and to later make a documentary film that shows the protests by the jerks, the trouble makers and the lies of the mainstream press.

There would be good DVD sales and every tome the MS press is proven to be full of crap, their ratings, paycheck and influence dwindle.

I see the biggest problem being criminals from either side of the border making troubles.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm sure a number of the dip-sticks on this forum who have been calling the rest of us racists, are gleefully reading the reports concerning their allies the A.C.L.U., Earth First, Derechos Humanos et al.

God speed Minutemen!

[NewRomeTacitus]

Your tagline defines it all. Thanks.

[wardaddy]

You're on a:

[kingu]

I wonder what the violent crime rate data will show for the month of April in that particular county... A dollar says that it'll be down at least fifty percent.

But of course, they're just coming here for jobs.

[NewRomeTacitus]

I'm in contact with some of the participants and they're already up on recording everything for posterity. They find it humerous that the media is more concerned with their possession of handguns than handy-cams.

The "vigilantes" are just doing the job that lazy American journalists are told not to - while it's happening.

Ready technology may be just the edge to convince the public we have a crisis happening. Dissimination of that information is still dependent on the mass media.

[politicalwit]

Live webcam feeds would be great....

[A CA Guy]

I think they should make their own DVD later that reflects the issues down there.

Could make lots more converts.

Cameras are their best protection from being set up by the press or anarchists.

[A CA Guy]

I've seen a few local Los Angeles broadcasts regarding this and the Minuteman folks are coming off as very measured and bright. They are very impressive and at most, the other side can claim numbers that showed weren't in the thousands.

[Windcatcher]

I suppose the Minutemen could call their bluff, and limit the carrying of firearms...say delegate every 10th person to be the one "riding shotgun" to protect the others, and have everyone else be the Binocular Brigade. Watch the MSM puff and fume when their argument goes away.

[billybudd]

How about stopping ALL illegals from coming in, and increasing legal immigration?

[pepsionice]

Violent crime was almost non-existent in that county. Robbery is the key item people are upset about. My guess is that crime will go down to zero for a month or two...while the local cops try to figure what happened.

[xsrdx]

I've read a lot of garbage concerning MMP in many editorials of late and they all share the idea that our defense is best left to the government. Instead of acknowledging the governments failure to stop the invasion these editors blame us for not accepting the invasion as part of the "new status quo". I don't accept that and am very offended that they're trying to sell that line. We don't have to "accept that they're here"; THEY have to accept that we want them put back into their home countries

Well said.

Ditto on the video and technology leverage - it's clear that tacit acceptance of the status quo is the general attitude, widespread distribution of the on scene facts may help change that.

Of course, ultimately our economy is dependent on illegal immigration, and many of the powerful and influential are disinterested in reducing it.

[Route101]

Hidden live web cams for the border patrol would be great....

[dalereed]

"ultimately our economy is dependent on illegal immigration"

That's BS!

In the 53 years that i've been working in construction i've watched your beloved immigrants totally trash the industry with lazy low production and crappy work.

Eliminate welfare and you either work for a living or die and there are plenty of legal residents to do any jobs that need to be done.