Jan 31 2006
Costa Mesa Mayor Joins Minute Man Project
GUESTS: Dwayne Roberts, Orange County activist and journalist, John Earl, journalist and publisher of the Orange County Organizer
Costa Mesa Mayor Alan Mansoor, became an honorary member of James Gilchrist’s Minuteman Project during a meeting hosted by the anti-immigrant, California Coalition for Immigration Reform, or CCIR, in Garden Grove last week. Mansoor, as listeners may recall, spearheaded a controversial plan to train some Costa Mesa police in immigration enforcement. The plan, which passed by a 3-2 vote last December, caused heated debates over immigration during subsequent city council meetings. At the January 3rd meeting, Mayor Mansoor, cut off immigrant rights activist Coyotl Tezcatlipoca during his public comments and summoned the police to forcefully remove him. Tezcatlipoca had merely asked his supporters to stand in solidarity, as James Gilchrist had earlier. However, Mansoor did not disrupt Gilchrist. After last week’s CCIR meeting, it’s easy to understand why. At that meeting, Gilchrist hailed Allan Mansoor as a “dream come true mayor.”
Read John Earl’s article about the CCIR meeting.
One of our guests this morning was at the CCIR meeting, and recorded the event. This is Mayor Allan Mansoor:
“When I find out that people are coming here and taking not just jobs that people don’t want but middle class jobs like plumbing, construction, electrical, and supressing wages, to me that’s unAmerican. [applause]. So, I don’t think that what I’m doing is going to solve all of our problems but it will make the community safer. And it will certainly bring light to this whole issue of what’s going on. I think people are waking up to what’s going on. And they’re asking for a reasonable application of law and they’re asking for fairness, securing our borders…”
Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist lauded Mayor Mansoor:
“You’re a dream-come-true mayor [applause]. Today I met a lawyer that I liked, and now I met a politician that I liked. [applause]. Mayor Mansoor, on behalf of everyone in this room, all these minute men and women and children, and about 200 million supporters of the Minute Man project, you are hereby, by the power vested in me, as founder of the Minute Man project, an honorary Minute Man and I’m going to give you a hat (hand?).”
Barbara Coe, founder of CCIR:
“I want to remind everybody that we have CDs in the back – these are our tools of defense that you can provide to your elected representatives to illustrate to them how serious this problem is. We have “Take Over of America” which is from CCIR…”
5 Responses to “Costa Mesa Mayor Joins Minute Man Project”
thank you for covering this developing story. it is SO important what folks know what is happening in Costa Mesa right now. if the right-wing, anti-immigrant strain of Orange County can have their way in CM, it could have chilling effects for people of color elsewhere.
Please let Mayor Mansoor know that there are many of us that support him. I wish I could send an encouraging e-mail to him directly.
The Mayor is doing the right thing, America is being over run, regardless of what color the illegal immigrant is. The Minutemen have no problem with legal immigrants, it is only the illegal that is a problem, they disrespect our laws to come here, how can we assume they just want to be hard working honest people once they’ve gotten hear, by boat, foot or crook?
I am a student and Mexican American here in a California, and the issues presented above are very rational and well put. Why is there a problem is cities look up the immigrates legal status? People do not understand that our jails are being over populated by people who have no legal status. Also, why should immigrates from any country be given the same rights as American citizens? Why do this trouble people? This does not violate civil rights or anything at all, it simple checks the status of a prisoner and if he is illegal well you send they packing. I understand that it is a sad issue for people who leave there family behind, but foreigners must learn to adapt to American culture and standards. Why is this so hard to understand? It’s like traspassing….We know its wrong so if we do it, and if you get caught you get in trouble and sent packing
So how did this story end up? It’s good that he has a lot of support, he seems to be doing the right things. Hopefully he returns for some more terms.