NEW YORK, NY – The last time a representative of the Minuteman Project came to speak at a New York college campus, he was chased out of town by students who did not want him there. Jim Gilchrist received a lot of press because of his Columbia University appearance, courtesy of the conservative press. Since then he lost his position as head of the Minuteklan, but the person who he co-founded the organization with, Chris Simcox, is still a part of the group, and it was his turn to visit the Big Apple. In his case it was New York University, and he was invited to speak by NYU’s College Republicans, the same ones who in February held a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day” on campus. Like that event, the Simcox appearance did not go over well, as students vocally protested and shouted him down.
Simcox was part of a panel discussion at NYU’s Kimmel Center that also featured Jan Ting, a recent Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Delaware and a frequent commentator on immigration and national security; Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels, a group that provides water and aid to people trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border; and professor Guillermina Jasso, a sociology professor at NYU. Bob Buckler, NYU's student activities director, will moderate the panel. The audience was quiet when Jasso and Ting gave their remarks, but became energized once Morones took the microphone. Morones first admonished the College Republicans for their “Find an Illegal Immigrant Day”. He then went after Simcox and his lack of character, noting past accusations of child abuse from his second ex-wife. When Morones talked of the anti-immigration campaigns going on in the country, he made note of the racism that has been more than apparent among the ranks, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League as sources. Touching on the fact that some anti-immigration activists were Black and Latino, he simply said that the ascension of the Minutemen has shown the nation two things, “Racism is alive and well in America, and racism knows no color.”
Some of Simcox’s supporters in the audience, many of whom choose to hurl catcalls and insults at him, were indeed persons of color, although they had some rather dubious distinctions. During the question and answer period, a number of them said they were from a Hispanic anti-immigration group called You Don’t Speak For Me. Morones noted that this group was by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), one of thirteen anti-immigration groups founded by John Tanton, who has written memos in the past concerning the Hispanic birth rate and how the growth of the Hispanic population will bring political corruption to the United States. According to the SPLC, FAIR accepted $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund from 1985 to 1994. This Fund was tied to the Nazi eugenics program in the 1930s and still promotes eugenics and ideas of human and racial inferiority today. FAIR continued to accept grants for another six years after the link was exposed. An internet search showed that Dan Stein, the Executive Director of FAIR, was indeed the one who organized You Don’t Speak For Me.
One of the members of You Don’t Speak For Me that was in attendance was Carmen Morales, who is also the “Hispanic Spokeswoman for Ron Bass’ United Patriots of America (UPA), a group with close ties to hate groups that has even had members of such groups address their meetings. In a June 2006 interview found on NorthJersey.com, Morales said she was selected for the job because she is a Latina and, "They figured that I could explain things and not look like a racist.” Another You Don’t Speak for Me member was a woman named Johanna Mazullo, President of New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement (NY I.C.E.). When they protested outside the Maoist bookstore Revolution Books in New York, they were joined by regular posters from the white supremacist website Stormfront, who bragged about trying to start fights with their detractors.
Despite how much opposition the anti-immigration crowd tried to give Morones, however, it was sheer pandemonium when Simcox came up to speak. Immediately students began chanting and drowning him out. Simcox had to stop speaking several times, and one person was escorted out of the auditorium. Morones, meanwhile left the stage to sit in solidarity with the students, but later returned for the question and answer period. Simcox’s supporters in the audience vainly attempted to seize upon his leaving the stage as cowardice. Some of the students chose to turn their chairs around and sit with their backs facing Simcox, who made it clear how upset he was. “I’m disappointed that so many of you…espouse to be members of an institution of higher learning,” he said to loud boos.
Meanwhile outside, a counter demonstration was held by Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a group composed of members from the College Democrats, the ACLU at NYU, Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad and Students Creating Radical Change. Some of the students from Columbia University that forced Gilchrist off stage were also present. Protesters began gathering outside of Kimmel at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event, and there were no incidents reported other than the usual shouting matches between those supporting and against Simcox.
After the Jim Gilchrist’s Columbia appearance, which resulted when a physical confrontation when one of Gilchrist’s supporters tried to take a banner away from protesters who stormed the stage there, NYU felt that extra security was warranted and attendees had to go through a metal detector before entering the auditorium. NYU Spokesperson Richard Pierce acknowledged that is was indeed unusual for them to be used during these kind of events. In the days leading up to the event there had been some tension on both sides, particularly because of NYU College Republicans’ anti-immigrant stunt of February. Around the Kimmel Center there were flyers urging people to boycott events put on by the College Republicans, thereby giving them legitimacy. Inside the auditorium, there were flyers placed on every seat. One was a NYU list of guidelines regarding protests; another was a list of pro-immigrant facts while a third was an anti-Minuteman fact sheet. A fourth flyer announced a “Day of Action” which students have said was in response to the hatemongering the NYU College Republicans continue to foster. This will feature music and speakers and will take place at Washington Square Park South on Friday, April 27 from 12 Noon to 4 PM.
Meanwhile, Chris Simcox is scheduled to speak at Michigan State University on April 19. He is sponsored by that university’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, which has been charged by a writer in the student newspaper as time and time again having “communicated a message of intimidation and hate,
Simcox was part of a panel discussion at NYU’s Kimmel Center that also featured Jan Ting, a recent Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Delaware and a frequent commentator on immigration and national security; Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels, a group that provides water and aid to people trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border; and professor Guillermina Jasso, a sociology professor at NYU. Bob Buckler, NYU's student activities director, will moderate the panel. The audience was quiet when Jasso and Ting gave their remarks, but became energized once Morones took the microphone. Morones first admonished the College Republicans for their “Find an Illegal Immigrant Day”. He then went after Simcox and his lack of character, noting past accusations of child abuse from his second ex-wife. When Morones talked of the anti-immigration campaigns going on in the country, he made note of the racism that has been more than apparent among the ranks, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League as sources. Touching on the fact that some anti-immigration activists were Black and Latino, he simply said that the ascension of the Minutemen has shown the nation two things, “Racism is alive and well in America, and racism knows no color.”
Some of Simcox’s supporters in the audience, many of whom choose to hurl catcalls and insults at him, were indeed persons of color, although they had some rather dubious distinctions. During the question and answer period, a number of them said they were from a Hispanic anti-immigration group called You Don’t Speak For Me. Morones noted that this group was by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), one of thirteen anti-immigration groups founded by John Tanton, who has written memos in the past concerning the Hispanic birth rate and how the growth of the Hispanic population will bring political corruption to the United States. According to the SPLC, FAIR accepted $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund from 1985 to 1994. This Fund was tied to the Nazi eugenics program in the 1930s and still promotes eugenics and ideas of human and racial inferiority today. FAIR continued to accept grants for another six years after the link was exposed. An internet search showed that Dan Stein, the Executive Director of FAIR, was indeed the one who organized You Don’t Speak For Me.
One of the members of You Don’t Speak For Me that was in attendance was Carmen Morales, who is also the “Hispanic Spokeswoman for Ron Bass’ United Patriots of America (UPA), a group with close ties to hate groups that has even had members of such groups address their meetings. In a June 2006 interview found on NorthJersey.com, Morales said she was selected for the job because she is a Latina and, "They figured that I could explain things and not look like a racist.” Another You Don’t Speak for Me member was a woman named Johanna Mazullo, President of New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement (NY I.C.E.). When they protested outside the Maoist bookstore Revolution Books in New York, they were joined by regular posters from the white supremacist website Stormfront, who bragged about trying to start fights with their detractors.
Despite how much opposition the anti-immigration crowd tried to give Morones, however, it was sheer pandemonium when Simcox came up to speak. Immediately students began chanting and drowning him out. Simcox had to stop speaking several times, and one person was escorted out of the auditorium. Morones, meanwhile left the stage to sit in solidarity with the students, but later returned for the question and answer period. Simcox’s supporters in the audience vainly attempted to seize upon his leaving the stage as cowardice. Some of the students chose to turn their chairs around and sit with their backs facing Simcox, who made it clear how upset he was. “I’m disappointed that so many of you…espouse to be members of an institution of higher learning,” he said to loud boos.
Meanwhile outside, a counter demonstration was held by Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a group composed of members from the College Democrats, the ACLU at NYU, Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad and Students Creating Radical Change. Some of the students from Columbia University that forced Gilchrist off stage were also present. Protesters began gathering outside of Kimmel at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event, and there were no incidents reported other than the usual shouting matches between those supporting and against Simcox.
After the Jim Gilchrist’s Columbia appearance, which resulted when a physical confrontation when one of Gilchrist’s supporters tried to take a banner away from protesters who stormed the stage there, NYU felt that extra security was warranted and attendees had to go through a metal detector before entering the auditorium. NYU Spokesperson Richard Pierce acknowledged that is was indeed unusual for them to be used during these kind of events. In the days leading up to the event there had been some tension on both sides, particularly because of NYU College Republicans’ anti-immigrant stunt of February. Around the Kimmel Center there were flyers urging people to boycott events put on by the College Republicans, thereby giving them legitimacy. Inside the auditorium, there were flyers placed on every seat. One was a NYU list of guidelines regarding protests; another was a list of pro-immigrant facts while a third was an anti-Minuteman fact sheet. A fourth flyer announced a “Day of Action” which students have said was in response to the hatemongering the NYU College Republicans continue to foster. This will feature music and speakers and will take place at Washington Square Park South on Friday, April 27 from 12 Noon to 4 PM.
Meanwhile, Chris Simcox is scheduled to speak at Michigan State University on April 19. He is sponsored by that university’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, which has been charged by a writer in the student newspaper as time and time again having “communicated a message of intimidation and hate,
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