Posted on 03/26/2006 5:54:35 PM PST by EternalVigilance
Blaring car horns, racist slurs and angry fisticuffs punctuated a volatile encounter of protesters and counter-protesters Saturday morning outside Bank Calumet.
"God bless America! Stay out of our business!" yelled members of the locally based Indiana Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement.
"Go home (expletive) Nazi racists!" yelled members of an opposing group of circling counterprotesters.
The federation, a public interest organization advocating what it calls immigration policies with an impact, demonstrated against bank loans for undocumented aliens, echoing six similar previous local protests.
Several members of the Chicago Minuteman Project joined the federation, hoisting protest signs to passing motorists and exchanging verbal jabs with visibly angry counterprotesters.
"We're not racists, we're LEGAL Americans," Minuteman members yelled under American flags whipping in a fierce wind. "Those people are Communists."
The counterprotesters -- some from the Progressive Labor Party of Chicago, others from Purdue University Calumet or there on their own -- chanted in bilingual defiance: "¡Obreros unidos jamas seran vencidos!" or, "Workers united will never be defeated!"
Susana Findley, a Gary native whose parents were born in Mexico, said illegal immigrant workers arrived here for the same reason federation members' ancestors arrived: To find work and a better life.
"But those racist immigrants forget about that," said Findley, nodding toward the federation's camp.
Several counterprotesters arrived earlier than the scheduled 10 a.m. federation protest, setting up shop at the corner of Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road.
When 63-year-old Chicago Minuteman member Rick Biesada arrived and pulled out his protest sign, he claimed that two counterprotesters yanked it from him. When he yanked it back, the men assaulted him, knocking him to the ground, he said.
The Lindenhurst, Ill., resident was treated by paramedics at the scene for a gash over his eye and dizziness, spending a few minutes inside an ambulance before returning to the protest.
"I wished he fell to the ground harder," Findley said.
Munster police Sgt. Nick Hudak, one of several officers showing up to stand between the opposing groups, said no arrests were made and no other injuries occurred.
Protesters on both sides said the escalating debate over U.S. House Bill 4437, the so-called Border Security bill, may have inflamed the controversy of offering bank loans to illegal aliens.
The bill, which would strengthen enforcement of existing immigration laws and enhance border security, has already passed the House and could be voted on by the Senate as early as this week.
Federation co-founder and Valparaiso resident Cheree Calabro, while passing out fliers to motorists, said similar demonstrations at Bank Calumet had no such problems with counterprotesters.
"I think they're feeling more emboldened with all the national protests (supporting illegal immigration)," said Calabro, whose group is the Indiana chapter of the national Minuteman Project.
The illegal aliens may be emboldened by acting as common street gangsters, but I don't think most American Citizens are impressed. That is why we agree to be law abiding.
""Shows how little you know. The Mecha thugs have shown a tremendous affinity for the Palestinian 'cause'.""
they dont represent the majority of opinion of latin americans. You take examples of an extreme group and try to attach it to the entire peoples.
In order to make such a comparison you would have to be woefully ignorant of both Islam and Mexican history and your plagerism in your post does not make your case.
Fact is Mexicans are not expansionist or aggressive society, no latin american society is even Cuba. Latin culture is probably one of the least aggressive in the world. Islam the most aggressive. Mexican are not a warlike people. muslims are.
Al Andulusia is serious, LA Reconquista is not.
Goons taking Bush Jr.'s "vigilante" slur to heart.
IF we allow these people to get away with this behavior now, there's no stopping them. Once they are rewarded for breaking our laws, their actions of this past week will be the standard of mob mentality/violence to get what ever else they want.
do you know that in NYC in the early 1900s that most immigrants from Italy didnt speak english?? ditto Russia and Poland
Add yes you need to study islam in europe and then you wouldnt make such ridiculous comparisons between Mexicans Muslims
I listen to a local talk radio that starts at 5AM. I'm starting early in the AM. Have the senators phone numbers ready and the bill #4437.
I have already spoken to family members in other states and given them #4437 bill to call their senators.
Whaaat! I posted a quote and a link to the source. You're not too bright, are you...
i understand american culture quite well..... but i know history as well....you sound like an absolute racist....I promote intermarriage because it will weaken the ties that the next and next generation have to mexico and the rest of latin america...as for skin color, i could care less, i care only about values....you have succedded in proving yourself an contemtqable racist...perhaps you would like laws banning intermarriage between anglas and latinos?
I agree. That's why I posted this. I want our people to be very, very careful.
it isnt going to turn deadly
Well, dang...why have they 'expanded' all the way to Nebraska and Chicago and New England, then?
Sorry, but I guess my ancestors were traitors since they helped create this coffee-colored mongrel-ette.
you act as though the communist party is a large and threatening force in american politics
Great post.
Joe Bob is a disgusting racist.....it is those like him that discredit those who want sane immigration laws...
What a fruitcake. Mexicans and almost all latin american sh*thole countries have been fighting amongst themselves forever.
Starting with the Aztecs who cut out the hearts of their captives and progressing to one revolution after another until it has become almost a national sport in Mexico and most other spanish speaking latin countries.
If Vincente and the Mex elite didn't promote the northern flight of the lower class Mexican peons there would very likely be another revolution soon.
The trouble with the illegal aliens coming here is they are bringing their culture of corruption and bribery with them.
racist and a dam ignorant one at that
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