Posted on 05/28/2005 2:39:36 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
Harold Edmund Netkin, 69, was initially handcuffed Wednesday night, but was later released without being cited, said Garden Grove Police Lt. Mike Handfield.
Netkin's car was surrounded as he arrived at the Garden Grove Women's Club, 9501 Chapman Ave., and demonstrators rocked the vehicle and banged on it, Handfield said.
"We determined it was reasonable for him to move forward," Handfield said.
Two people who were standing in front of Netkin's car fell down when he moved forward, the sergeant said. One complained of knee and shoulder pain and was taken to a local hospital, he said.
According to broadcast reports, the other also went to the hospital.
Police were aware of the demonstration and had five dozen officers on scene "expecting to keep the peace," Handfield said. But some of the estimated 300 demonstrators were there "not to protest but to commit criminal acts," he said.
"A small contingent of people that were troublemakers had backpacks filled with full cans of soda that they were throwing and also cans filled with marbles that they threw," Handfield said.
Some of the protesters wore rubber gloves and donned sweatshirt hoods pulled tightly so only a small portion of their faces could be seen, he said.
Those arrested were identified by police as Hugo Sarmiento Vanlid, 24, Ivan Obed Silva, 26, Shane William Sparks, 21, Fernando Chirino, 23, and Kurt Takeshi Isobe, 18.
Their cities of residence were not immediately available.
"The case will go to the district attorney, who will have the opportunity to look at all the facts we did," Handfield said.
Prosecutors will look at the actions of both Netkin and the arrested protesters, he added.
About 300 people were outside the club as Minuteman Project founder James W. Gilchrist talked to about the same number of people inside, attendees said.
Handfield said some protesters went inside the meeting and appeared to be using cell phones to communicate with those outside.
"It got out of control in terms of protesters getting violent," he said.
Jan Tucker, chair of the California Association of Licensed Investigators, said he accompanied state and local leaders of the League of United Latin American Citizens to the talk.
He said the atmosphere inside the meeting "was the flip side" of what was happening outside.
"It was extremist inside," Tucker said. "The audience was so hostile inside we were afraid to ask questions."
Attendees who were not members of the club were charged $5 and reportedly had to write down their names, addresses and telephone numbers to get inside.
Tucker said he was not disruptive, but was still asked to leave. After refusing, an officer came over and spoke to him, but Tucker said he still plans to sue the California Coalition for Immigration Reform for allegedly violating his rights "because they tried to get me arrested."
Gilchrist spoke for about 90 minutes, blaming high housing costs and low wages on illegal immigration. He was presented with a cake for his earlier border monitoring, Tucker said.
Tucker said members of LULAC were outside demonstrating, but were strictly cautioned to remain non-violent and to refrain from provoking police.
Tucker said none of the people he spoke to after the event mentioned that Netkin's van was surrounded or was being hit, but insisted that he gunned the car at people.
Handfield said protesters broke a car window of "some innocent person coming to listen" to the talk. Police did not witness the vandalism, and no arrest was made.
At about 10 p.m., officers declared an illegal assembly, ordering the crowd to disperse.
The group, which recently patrolled a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, has announced plans to patrol a portion of the border in California on Aug. 1.
The Minuteman Project has been accused of racism. Gilchrist has denied the charge, saying his group merely wants to stop illegal immigration.
The group has drawn praise from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but its members were referred to as vigilantes by President George W. Bush.
Excellent point DD.
This whole thing really makes the wheels start turning for me.
Yes.
And of course that's exactly what the so-called "reporter" wants. I've read a number of stories about this incident and every one has confused the issue so as to make most casual readers think the Minutemen caused the problems.
Leni
Exactly.
I'll have to do it on my good computer Tuesday, but I will, thanks.
GW is not really a conservative and because we have term limits on the office of president, he knows he can't get re-elected anyway. So, he's doing whatever he wants. Sometimes, I don't think term limits were such a good idea, because I think its made voters even more careless. Now we have presidents getting 2 terms all the time. Some of them shouldn't get 2 terms. Since Nixon resigned, I think Reagan is the only one who should have got 2 terms
GARDEN GROVE Five demonstrators were arrested on suspicion of throwing rocks and soda cans at Wednesday night's clash outside a hall where anti-illegal immigration leader Jim Gilchrist was being honored.
An anti-immigration supporter who'd been arrested after hitting two protesters with his van was released without being charged.
No one was seriously injured, Garden Grove police Lt. Mike Handfield said.
He said about 300 protesters showed up outside the Garden Grove Women's Club, where the California Coalition for Immigration Reform was meeting to honor Gilchrist. Gilchrist's Minuteman Project last month attracted nearly 900 people to patrol a stretch of Arizona border in an effort to stop illegal immigration.
Before the meeting, Harold Netkin, 69, of Van Nuys was surrounded by protesters as he tried to drive his van into the parking lot to attend the meeting. He hit two protesters and was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was later released.
"He said protesters had surrounded his car and that he was afraid," Handfield said.
Shortly afterward, another person attending the meeting had his car window broken by protesters. And later, some protesters began throwing rocks and soda cans at police and at people leaving the meeting.
Handfield said that while most of the protesters came to protest peacefully, "A small percentage came with the intent to do violence."
He said some had backpacks full of soda cans and that police found one soda can filled with marbles.
Arrests were made on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and possession of a deadly weapon, with the causes varying for each suspect. Protesters arrested were Hugo Valid Sarmiento, 25, of Los Angeles; Juan Obed Silva, 27, of Buena Park; Shane William Sparks, 22, of Altadena; Fernando Cortes Chirino, 23, of Irvine; and Kurt Takeshi Isobe, 19, of Laguna Beach.
Did you see my Post 33? If not, go read it. Notice the difference when it comes to the names and ages of those arrested between what NBC TV Channel 4 wrote and what the Register reported.
Leni
BS. They are interfering with the Border Patrol Agents and making their jobs harder than they already are. Picture yourself in a helicopter patrolling the border and having your co-pilot spot a bunch of people with rifles sitting on the border. These jerks are lucky they aren't dead.
[i]The police didn't do anything while this was happening. [/i]
Thats because it is considered "free speech" when leftist street fighters are assaulting conservatives.
Any jerks sitting on the border with rifles are likely Mexican federales, or their coyotee/drug running partners. Your post is BS! We worked very well with the BP. They would shake em out of the bushes, we would spot and report em, and then the BP would make the arrests.
LOL. Like Federales would get off their tails and out of TJ for anything other than a hooker and another cerveza.
I have friends who work Border Patrol and they hate interfering jerk-offs like the Minute-Men.
And don't give me any street cred BS. I lived in San Diego for more than 12 years and most of my life in California.
Not according to the Agents themselves, many of whom have expressed their appreciation personally to the Minutemen. BP managers, on the other hand, parrot the official anti-Minutemen line.
"...and having your co-pilot spot a bunch of people with rifles sitting on the border."
He might well spot such people but they would not have been the Minutemen--they had no rifles.
"These jerks are lucky they aren't dead."
Why? The Minutemen are loyal Americans trying to call attention to the fecklessness of a federal government which, from the top down, refuses to enforce our immigration laws or honor their oath of office. Many of these so called jerks (as you slander them), are in fact former military who have a high sense of loyalty to their country and are willing to do whatever it takes to stop the flood of illegal aliens into the United States. In other words, "duty, honor, country" means something to them. What does it mean to you?
You may want to study this issue a bit more before opening your mouth and demonstrating your abysmal lack of knowledge. If you are part of the small but noisy pro-illegal hyena pack around here, I wouldn't expect many kind comments.
Color me confused about what the heck the "journalist" who wrote this article is talking about.
I wouldn't argue with a Clown Posse anti-freeper lib.
It's a waste.
Just go over there and see how she talks about folks here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.