Posted on 10/01/2003 8:41:33 AM PDT by AZ GRAMMY
Protest to support vigilantes
BY LOUIE VILLALOBOS, Staff Writer Oct 1, 2003
The Yuma County Courthouse will again be the scene of a protest on Friday when local and Tombstone-area residents are expected to gather in support of three men accused of detaining six illegal immigrants at gunpoint.
Chris Simcox, leader of the Civil Homeland Defense, said more than 50 people are expected to attend the 5:50 p.m. protest, at which time they will publicly state Matthew Hoffman and Alexander Dumas do not deserve jail time, that U.S. Border Patrol agents need more federal assistance in guarding the border, and that residents support the creation of a citizens' patrol group in Yuma.
"You can call it a triple threat," Simcox said of the protest.
Simcox's group — which consists of volunteers — has patrolled the Cochise County border with Mexico for the past year, turning over more than 1,600 illegal immigrants to agents without incident, he has said.
Hoffman and Dumas were arrested and charged with several counts connected to the July 31 incident in Gadsden, where officials said the men detained at gunpoint six illegal immigrants, including women and children, and handcuffed them. Also in the group was a 16-year-old smuggler.
Since then, both men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully detain the illegal immigrants, while Matthew Hoffman's older brother, Martin Hoffman Jr., has been charged for his alleged involvement in the incident. All three have scheduled hearings on Friday, which is why the protest was planned for Friday, Simcox said.
Matthew Hoffman and Dumas are scheduled for a mitigation hearing, where lawyers will present evidence to be considered in sentencing, which is scheduled on Oct. 8. Martin Hoffman Jr. will be in court for a preliminary hearing after having pleaded innocent to all charges.
Simcox said one of the biggest reasons for the protest is to respond to a news conference held in front of the courthouse on Sept. 17, when locals voiced their opposition to Simcox's group and to any other "extremist" organizations.
Simcox said several Yuma-area residents expressed their desire for a counter protest. Simcox also said a local patrol group could be ready to go by the end of October.
"If the other side can rally to demand jail time for these guys," Simcox said, "we would hope that somebody would come out and protest against that to say they don't deserve jail time."
http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_7497.shtml
Don't hold your breath; He's had three years to do so.
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