Turning the Tables on the Minutemen
Press Action
Friday, January 06, 2006
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/minutemen01062006/
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has launched a new website, www.WeAreRacists.com, that contains information about and photographs of the Herndon Minutemen, a group that conducts surveillance of day laborers in Herndon, Va.
LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes told NBC4 News in Washington that photographs posted on its website capture Minutemen in action at the Herndon Day Laborer Center opening in December. The new website turns the tables and gives the Minutemen a taste of their own medicine, Wilkes said.
“We thought the best thing to do was to set it up as weareracist.com. We do believe this whole thing is racially motivated, to prevent low-income individuals from trying to feed their families,” Wilkes told NBC4. Wilkes said the Minutemen violate the civil rights of laborers and potential employers by recording license plate numbers and taking photographs to submit to local and state agencies, like the IRS.
Under the banner “Stop the Minutemen,” here’s how WeAreRacists.com describes the environment in which the Minutemen in Herndon and elsewhere across the nation have gained momentum:
Historically, people have made borders and strong defenses to keep strangers out, resulting in people developing unrealistic solutions that only serve to exacerbate anti-immigrant sentiments, legislation that prevents assimilation and the quality of life for people living within the United States. Those who oppose immigrants’ rights often blame immigration and immigrants for an array of social problems, from unemployment to the poor quality of public schools to urban sprawl and congestion. While such problems are all too real, blaming immigrants for causing them is a scapegoat that is ultimately rooted in racism as it serves to divide people who might otherwise make common cause. If you know anyone pictured on this website, please be advised that they are participating in the anti-immigrant movement.
MIN.UTE.MEN n. def: racists, cowards, un-Americans, vigilantes, domestic terrorists.