Beltway Area Indymedia

On the heels of the recent May Day immigrants' rights march, and the arrest and detention of Herndon Minuteman Tyler Froatz (5320 8th St. NW, Apt. 107 Washington DC 20011) for assaulting and threatening to shoot immigrants, anti-immigrant racists are returning to Washington, DC. The Minutemen, Save our State, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and other anti-immigrant racist organizations from around the country will be coming to DC this Thursday to take part in Let Freedom Ring's (http://www.lframerica.com/march2.html) “March for America: Take America Back.” From June 14-16, hundreds of xenophobes are expected to descend on DC to lobby congress, demand massive deportations of immigrants and the construction of a “wall” along the U.S.-Mexican border.

From Thursday through Saturday the anti-immigrant groups will hold a series of actions, rallies and events calling attention to their racist agenda. Taken from their website:

* At 10:00 AM on Thursday, Operation Body Count, an event to “honor” the border patrol, will begin in front of White House and then proceed down the street to the base of the Washington Monument at 17th and Constitution.

* Later that evening, they will hold an all night vigil to “protect our nation.” Starting at 7pm and ending at 9am, racists will stand outside the White House. They change shifts once an hour.

* Friday, they will hold a rally at 17th and Constitution from 11am to 2pm calling for no amnesty and tight borders.

* Later that day, they will have a booksigning event at the Bar at the Holiday Inn Capital at 4pm.

* At 5pm, they will hold a meet and greet at the Bar at the Holiday Inn Capital.

* Finally on Saturday at Noon, all the anti-immigrant groups will convene at the Capital and then march from there to the National Monument at 15th and Constitution.

Resistance and Solidarity, a local grassroots collective of anti-racist activists, are calling on individuals and groups from across the DC metro area to come and resist the anti-immigrant racists, who are becoming more dangerous and violent in their “crusade” against immigrants, as the case of racist Herndon Minuteman Tyler Froatz, Jr. clearly shows.

Saturday, June 16, meet at the Canadian Embassy at NOON and come prepared to march. Bring your noise makers, drums, whistles and signs. Resistance and Solidarity will bring air horns to drown out the racist rhetoric.

Also, Friday, June 15 from 4pm to 6pm, we will hold a picket outside the Holiday Inn Capitol at 550 C St SW to call attention to the racists inside. Bring your signs and noisemakers.

As we call for People to come and resist the Minutemen and their racist cohorts, we ask folks to be mindful and respectful that immigrants might be in attendance at the event. We remind folks to exercise caution and stand in solidarity with Immigrants; As residents of DC we say NO to racists in our midst!