Latest Outrage
When mainstream media or politicians aid and abet hate or hate groups offend human decency, the Latest Outrage exposes their transgressions for all to see.
A Look Inside the Minuteman Project: “It’s Just Like Hunting”
July 2nd, 2009 – This week, The New York Times (NYT) delved into the Minutemen Project and Shawna Forde, former head of the Minutemen American Defense. Forde was recently arrested for the murder of nine-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul. The murder happened during an inconceivable attempt to steal money for the development of an underground militia targeting undocumented immigrants.NYT quoted former…
Family of Latina Killed in Train Crash is Victimized by Hate Calls
June 25th, 2009 – In an astonishing display of insensitivity, a number of callers paid their respects to the family of a victim in Monday's tragic WMATA train collision, not with condolences, but with hate. Callers harassed the family of the late Ana Fernandez, mother of six, seizing onto her Hispanic surname and reports…
New report focuses on “Confronting the New Faces of Hate”
June 19th, 2009 – Earlier this week, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) Education Fund released its most recent report, Confronting the New Faces of Hate. This study documents how some in the anti-immigrant camp have resorted to "the dehumanizing, racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups." The report notes: "As inflammatory rhetoric targets immigrants at the same time that the…
In OH the Sentence for Attacking a Latino & Tying a Noose Around his Neck is 10 Days in Jail & $100
June 19th, 2009 – Apparently, in Mount Vernon, Ohio the sentence for attacking a Latino, tying a noose around his neck, and dragging him through town is ten days in jail and $100. On May 30, 2008 Robert Cantu and his friend were attacked by several assailants shouting racial slurs. Cantu's friend got away but…
What is Required - Nothing Less than a Wholesale Reexamination of the Entire Minutemen Movement
June 16th, 2009 – This week our colleagues at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released an updated backgrounder on Minuteman activist Shawna Forde. In addition to having a long and sordid history of blaming Hispanic "immigrants" and "gang members" for the world's ills, including blaming a series of uncorroborated and highly suspect personal "attacks" on…
Candorville Daily Comic on Judge Sotomayor and NCLR
June 12th, 2009 – View a larger version of this comic.
Act Now! Stand Up for What is Best in America!
June 12th, 2009 – Thank you for standing up to the nonsense! In just a week and a half, over 4,000 people have responded to the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) petition asking Republicans to restore the debate on Judge Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination to a more appropriate level of civil discourse.We will be presenting this petition…
NCLR Condems Fatal Attack at the U.S. Holocaust Museum
June 10th, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jun 10, 2009 Jackeline Stewart (202) 785-1670NCLR CONDEMNS FATAL ATTACK AT THE U.S. HOLOCAUST MUSEUMWashington, DC-Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, called today's killing of African American security…
Republicans, Stand Up to the Extremists! Much Hangs in the Balance, Including our Votes
June 8th, 2009 – The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was an historic and proud moment for Latinos in America. But as proud as our community is over her nomination, we have been stunned and repelled by the visceral reaction it has generated among many in the Republican party.Rush…
Sin Palabras (There are no words…)
June 8th, 2009 – The Oklahoman Newspaper 6/3/09
Judge Sotomayor & NCLR on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
June 2nd, 2009 – The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10cPR Movethedailyshow.comDaily ShowFull EpisodesEconomic CrisisPolitical Humor
Earth to Tom: Stop Digging
June 2nd, 2009 – In a follow-up appearance on "Hardball with Chris Matthews," former congressman and failed Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo not only refused to apologize for falsely equating the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) with the Ku Klux Klan, he went on make yet another inaccurate charge. The best these guys…
Clarissa Martinez De Castro- Director Immigration & National Campaigns NCLR sets the record straight
May 30th, 2009 – Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Director of Immigration & National Campaigns at NCLR sets the record straight.
Condemn the Attacks on Latinos and Sotomayor, Now!
May 30th, 2009 – The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was an historic and proud moment for Latinos and the country as a whole. But her ethnicity has proven too much of a temptation for the voices of hate and extremism, who instead of looking at her judicial record…
NCLR’s Janet Murguía responds to Tancredo’s Rampage on Judge Sonia Sotomayor & NCLR
May 29th, 2009 – NCLR's Janet Murguía responds to Tancredo's Rampage on Judge Sonia Sotomayor & NCLR.
Shock Jocks’ Vitriol in Health Emergency is Wrong, Dumb, and Dangerous
May 22nd, 2009 – The cacophony of vitriol emanating from shock jocks in response to the H1N1 influenza crisis is now widely known. Instead of acknowledging the H1N1 influenza crisis for what it is-a health emergency-they have used the rise of this flu as a golden moment to elevate their hate mongering and fear-based…
Civil Rights Leaders Demand Justice for Luis Ramirez and Call for Action on Increase of Hate Crimes
May 12th, 2009 – MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION May 12, 2009 CONTACT: Marie Watteau: 202-785-1670Estuardo Rodriguez: 202-631-2892Laura Rodriguez: 310-956-2425 CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS DEMAND JUSTICE FOR LUIS RAMIREZ AND CALL FOR ACTION ON INCREASE OF HATE CRIMESCivil rights community stunned by defendants' acquittal despite swell of evidence and testimony to the contrary; calls for swift passage of Hate…
Not on My Watch
May 7th, 2009 – It is time for the United States Department of Justice to intervene and conduct an independent and comprehensive investigation of the brutal murder of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. The Justice Department must send a strong message that violence targeting Latinos will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to…
NCLR Expresses Deep Disappointment with Shenandoah Verdict
May 5th, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:May 5, 2009 Marie Watteau (202) 785-1670NCLR EXPRESSES DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT WITH SHENANDOAH VERDICTWashington, DC-NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today expressed deep disappointment with the verdict reached by a jury in Pennsylvania on Saturday…
Shameless Exploitation of Public Health Emergency by Hate Group Circuit
April 28th, 2009 – Americans are right to be concerned about reports of swine flu outbreaks in Mexico, California, New York, and Texas, and the administration's declaration of a public health emergency this weekend was a prudent, routine step. Public health experts are unanimous about the key measures required in potential emergencies like this:Timely…
Broad Coalition Urges Swift Passage of Bill to Strengthen Protection from Hate Crimes
April 27th, 2009 – FOR PLANNING PURPOSES: April 24, 2009 Contact: Maggie Kao (LCCR), 202-466-2735 ** Press Conference Call: Tuesday, April 28 at 1:00 PM ET** ** Dial In: 800-895-2195 - Passcode: HATE CRIMES** Broad Coalition Urges Swift Passage of Bill to Strengthen Protection from Hate Crimes Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention…
Latinos in the South Facing Widespread Abuse and Exploitation, New SPLC Report Finds
April 21st, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Apr 21, 2009 Marie Watteau (202) 785-1670 LATINOS IN THE SOUTH FACING WIDESPREAD ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION, NEW SPLC REPORT FINDSWashington, DC-NCLR (the National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, today joined the Southern Poverty Law…
A Right Way and a Wrong Way
April 20th, 2009 – Last week, former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)-the anti-immigration crusader-faced off against a crowd of student protesters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Several protestors held a banner in front of Mr. Tancredo as he was speaking, a window was broken, and the event was shut down.NCLR…
Another Group of Teens in New York Is Charged with Assault as a Hate Crime
April 20th, 2009 – According to police in Ramapo, New York, four Suffern High School students and one former student are being charged with assault as a hate crime. Detective Lt. Brad Weidel stated that on March 28, 2009, several teenagers were at a party in the woods when a handful of white teens…
Progressives Beware, the Dark Side Has Come Calling
April 3rd, 2009 – The nativist triumvirate-composed of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), VDARE, and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)-has spun off another front group, and this time the goal of the nativists is to woo progressives. Our friend Eric Ward at the Center for New Community and Imagine2050.net broke the story…
This Week’s Profile in Hate: FAIR’s Rosanna Pulido
April 2nd, 2009 – It takes something pretty impressive for an obscure Republican candidate for Congress with no chance of winning in an overwhelmingly Democratic Illinois district to get play on Wonkette. But Rosanna Pulido is no ordinary congressional candidate. She is the head of the Illinois Minuteman Project and a field representative for the Federation…
After Going Off the Deep End, CNN’s Lou Dobbs Forced to Apologize
March 25th, 2009 – On the March 11, 2009 edition of Lou Dobbs, Lou went off the deep end and attacked the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and President Obama, saying, "I don't know what's happened to this White House, but the wheels appear to have come completely off here over the last…
Hate Groups Hide Behind the Electronic Mask of the Internet: What Do We Do?
March 25th, 2009 – In its leadership blog last week, AILA blogger T. Douglas Stump reflects on how, in increasing measure, hate groups have begun to hide "behind the electronic mask of the Internet" and tackles the ever-challenging question: What do we do?Read the post.
Would You Help the Victim of a Hate Crime?
March 25th, 2009 – Last week ABC News' "What Would You Do?" ran an experiment which tested whether individuals would help a Latino in need who was the victim of a hate crime. The results of the experiment were disheartening. By and large, strangers did not stop to help.Diego Sucuzhanay, brother of Jose Sucuzhanay,…
NCLR Comment on DOJ Civil Rights Division Investigation
March 11th, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:March 11, 2009 Marie Watteau (202) 785-1670NCLR COMMENT ON DOJ CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION OF MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO BY CLARISSA MARTINEZ DE CASTRO, NCLR DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION AND NATIONAL CAMPAIGNSWashington, DC-"For some time we have been concerned about Sheriff Joe Arpaio's abuse of authority under…
Plea Bargain Agreement in Oregon Cross-Burning/KKK Case
March 9th, 2009 – Hate has reared its ugly head in Medford, Oregon, but justice is finally swooping in. In the second cross-burning case we've written about this year, two men from Medford, Gary Moss, 38, and Devan Klausegger, 29, pled guilty last week to a federal charge of conspiring to interfere with civil…
Long Island Residents Concerned About Hate Crimes, 7% Are Victims Themselves
March 4th, 2009 – A recent poll conducted by researchers at Sacred Heart University found that 89% of Long Island respondents are somewhat or very concerned about hate crimes on Long Island. The poll included 200 residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties each, 7% of whom claim to be victims of hate crimes themselves. Reflecting on…
Sean Hannity falsely claims that NCLR “has called for Mexico to annex southwestern states.”
March 2nd, 2009 – Sean Hannity falsely claims that NCLR "has called for Mexico to annex southwestern states." This is NCLR's response.February 27, 2009John MoodyExecutive Vice President, News EditorialFOX News Channel1211 Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10036Dear Mr. Moody: On the February 25, 2009 edition of Hannity, Sean Hannity stated that my organization,…
Napierala Pleads Guilty in Cross Burning Case
February 25th, 2009 – Last July a wooden cross, approximately four feet in height, was set on fire on Mario Echevarria and Kelly Kohr's front lawn in Buffalo, NY. According to an article in The Buffalo News, yesterday Donald R. Napierala pled guilty to two felony charges, including a hate crime, for setting said…
Lucero Case Adjourned until April 1, 2009
February 24th, 2009 – According to an article published in Newsday.com, two of the defendants in the Marcelo Lucero case-which we've covered here, here, here, here, here, and here-last week made their court appearances in the murder of Mr. Lucero. The five other defendants in the case, held without bail or unable to post bail, did not appear. The case was…
Arizona Vigilante Roger Barnett Found Liable
February 19th, 2009 – Earlier this week our friends at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) reported that an Arizona jury found Roger Barnett, a vigilante rancher on the border between Arizona and Mexico, liable for assaulting and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on a group of immigrants he found on public land. …
Washington Post: Did U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Engage in Racial Profiling?
February 19th, 2009 – Did U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents engage in racial profiling? That was the question posed by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) after an incident on January 23, 2007 during which ICE officers conducted a sweep and detained multiple Latino men at a local 7-Eleven. The question is still relevant,…
Krikorian decries ‘free speech violations’ in media blitz
February 13th, 2009 – Lisa Navarrete, Vice President NCLR (National Council of La Raza)In his National Review Online blog post, Mark Krikorian said that attacks on his and other anti-immigrant organizations are "no longer about immigration. It's about freedom." Since his post is pretty Euro-centric, let me just say, "Donnez-moi un break."He may have…
Experts Discuss GOP Immigration Strategy, Extremists’ Claims About Immigration in 2008 Cycle
February 13th, 2009 – Earlier this year, we at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) joined our friends at America's Voice, NDN, and the Southern Poverty Law Center to discuss extremists' claims about immigration during the 2008 election cycle. Listen to the press conference.
UCLA Study, Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio, Affirms NCLR’s We Can Stop the Hate Campaign
February 11th, 2009 – Chon Noriega, PhD, and Francisco Javier Iribarren, MSW-PsyD, just completed a pilot study on hate speech and commercial talk radio at UCLA. Their study used the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) definition of hate speech and sought to develop a way to quantifiably measure the occurrence of hate speech…
NCLR Responds to Hate Group
February 6th, 2009 – Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, issued a blowback response to Ira Mehlman's February 2 Los Angeles Times op-ed article, "Priorities of immigration advocates are out of step." She writes, "At the height of his hubris, Ira Mehlman, a…
Sheriff Arpaio’s Lunchtime March of the Shackled Immigrants
February 4th, 2009 – Yesterday at 1:00 p.m. Sheriff Joe Arpaio paraded hundreds of detained immigrants in shackles through the streets of Phoenix, Arizona to a "tent city" where they will be held indefinitely. In true Arpaio form, his office sent a press release to the media inviting them to this event, proving that he's…
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
February 3rd, 2009 – Organizations like the Center for Immigration Studies, NumbersUSA, and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) pretend to be mainstream voices on immigration, but they are not. In their latest report, our friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center have exposed these organizations for what they are: wolves in sheep's clothing. We at…
“Words and Ideas Have Real-World Consequences”
January 30th, 2009 – For more than a year now, we at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) have been chronicling hate on the nation's airwaves, mostly surrounding the immigration debate. It's bad enough that cable television news and radio allow known hate groups and vigilantes on the air, but often the hosts…
Another Hate Crime?
January 30th, 2009 – On January 21, 2009, a Columbian man, Wilter Sanchez, was brutally attacked in North Plainfield, New Jersey by five men. According to Sanchez, the men called him a "Hispanic son of a bitch" and tried to beat him to death. Sanchez has undergone surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital to…
The Nativist Triumvirate: CIS, VDARE, and FAIR
January 30th, 2009 – According to our friends at the Center for New Community, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) continues to promote VDARE, a white nationalist blog. VDARE's bloggers are a cadre made up of a who's who in the white nationalist movement. The bloggers have included Jared Taylor of American Renaissance, the…
MTV Tr3s Hate Crimes Brief
January 26th, 2009 – Our friends at MTV Networks take a look at the hate crimes affecting Latinos. Watch the video at http://www.mtvtr3s.com/video/?vid=326792
Don’t be Fooled by the Man Behind the Curtain
January 20th, 2009 – Our friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center reported that the Social Contract Press held a press conference this Tuesday at the National Press Club. The subject was a new report published by Edwin S. Rubenstein, The Twin Crises: Immigration and Infrastructure.This Edwin S. Rubenstein is the same Edwin S. Rubenstein who…
Join the Call for an Investigation of Sheriff Arpaio
January 20th, 2009 – In hopes of putting a stop to Sheriff Joe Arpaio's madness, our friends at America's Voice sent an email blast to its supporters asking them to request an investigation of Arpaio's abuses under the guise of the 287(g) agreement.In 2007, Arpaio and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors signed a…
Must-read on Sheriff Joe
January 7th, 2009 – Celebrated New York Times media columnist David Carr asks a really good policy question in his column this week: why is Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio-whose county's crime rates are soaring-starring on a "gotcha" stunt show on FOX Reality? This guy's department just got shellacked for gross incompetence and negligence…
Hate Groups Go Viral
January 6th, 2009 – According to the International Network Against CyberHate (INACH), neo-Nazi and other hate groups have been using Web 2.0 to quickly spread their messages of hate-in essence, hate groups "go viral.". YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook are some of the applications which have become vehicles for hate groups in recent years. "In today's…
Will The Republican Party Continue to Follow Talk Radio and Fox News into Oblivion?
January 6th, 2009 – The recent flap over a holiday CD sent out by Chip Saltsman, a candidate for Chair of the Republican National Committee, is just one more example of how conservative talk radio and FOX News have goaded the Republican Party into polarizing itself out of business.The CD is a compilation by…
Fighting back against radio hate…
December 30th, 2008 – Media Matters for America recently released a damning new report documenting the inflammatory smears and hate-fueled speech of radio hosts throughout the country. Day after day, these hosts fill the airwaves with vicious attacks aimed at women, people of color, the poor, the LGBT community, and immigrants.As part of Media…
Another Murder: Pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act
December 19th, 2008 – On December 8 in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, José Osvaldo Sucuzhanay was murdered in what is believed to be a hate crime. Coming on the heels of November's brutal battery and murder of Marcelo Lucero in Suffolk County, NY, this makes two such murders of Hispanics in barely a…
The Man Infamous for His Racial Profiling and Civil Rights Abuses Lands a TV Show
December 19th, 2008 – Sheriff Joe is at it again, and this time he's been given a bully pulpit by FOX in a reality TV show called Smile, You're Under Arrest. Instead of doing his job (the man has 40,000 outstanding felony warrants on his desk) and keeping Maricopa County safe, Sheriff Joe has focused on…
Another Perceived Hate Crime Murder Prompts Latino Leaders to Call for Passage of Hate Crimes Bill
December 16th, 2008 – Washington, DC-Today the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)-the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States-joined leaders from the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda on Capitol Hill to urge Congress and the new Administration to make passage of the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act"…
Hate Crimes Continue: Another Man Murdered in New York
December 11th, 2008 – Following on the heels of November's brutal battery and murder of Marcelo Lucero in Suffolk County, NY, another senseless death has provoked outrage in communities across the nation. Two Ecuadorean brothers were assaulted on December 8 in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. One of the brothers, a business man who…
Media Matters for America & Colorado Media Matters Compile Shock Jocks’ Vitriolic Smears
December 11th, 2008 – Media Matters for America in partnership with Colorado Media Matters recently released a compilation of several shock jocks' vitriolic smears. Among the targeted communities, immigrants figure prominently. The report Radioactive Smears contends that local conservative radio creates an "echo chamber of falsehoods". Specifically, the report states that there are three…
Hold Nativist Peter Thiel and Facebook Accountable
December 10th, 2008 – Over the course of the past few weeks, a group of bloggers including Citizen Orange, Imagine 2050, Damn Mexicans and Valleywag have reported incidents of anti-immigrant action, carried out by Clarion Capitol Hedge Fund Manager and member of Facebook's Board of Directors, Peter Thiel. According to the bloggers, Thiel recently donated $1 million to the anti-immigrant group NumbersUSA…
Lucero’s Tragic Death Must Be the Last: NYT Editorial Calls Elected Official to Take Action
December 4th, 2008 – The tragic death of Marcelo Lucero has brought to light the mistreatment, abuses, and murders of immigrants across the nation; and as a result, for the first time in a long time, people are paying closer attention to the crisis created by a divisive immigration debate.In a telling sign of…
CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS CONDEMN RECENT RASH OF HATE CRIMES
November 25th, 2008 – CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS CONDEMN RECENT RASH OF HATE CRIMESFatal Beating of Long Island Latino Man Should be a "Wake Up Call for America"Washington, DC-The brutal murder of Marcelo Lucero, a Suffolk County, Long Island man of Ecuadoran descent, brought seven national civil rights organizations together today to denounce the recent…
NCLR, LCCR, AAJC, AND MALDEF TO HOLD NEWS BRIEFING ON THE RISE IN HATE DURING AND SINCE THE ELECTION
November 20th, 2008 – NCLR, LCCR, AAJC, AND MALDEF TO HOLD NEWS BRIEFING ON THE RISE IN HATE DURING AND SINCE THE ELECTION Fatal Beating of Latino Man on Long Island Latest Evidence of Growing Problem Washington, DC-Calling it a "wake up call for America," four national civil rights organizations will hold a joint…
Victim of Racist Attack Awarded $2.5 Million
November 20th, 2008 – Victim of Racist Attack Awarded $2.5 MillionTwo years ago, Jordan Gruver, an American citizen, was the victim of a racist attack. Last Friday, a jury awarded Gruver $2.5 million from Imperial Wizard Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, and former Klansman Jared Hensley. Edwards, the leader of…
NCLR SUPPORTS LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY’S VIGIL AGAINST HATE
November 14th, 2008 – Washington, DC-"On the heels of a historic election that symbolizes America's ideals as a diverse nation, we have been brutally reminded about the consequences of leaving hate unchecked," said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy…
After Brutal Stabbing, Another Long Island Resident Reports Gang Attack
November 14th, 2008 – On November 8, 2008, Marcello Lucero was brutally stabbed to death by a group of teenagers because they thought he was Mexican. In response to the murder of Lucero, local authorities have encouraged others who have been victims of similar crimes in Long Island to come forward. Last night, WCBS-TV…
Threats of Violence Persist Against Civil Rights Leaders
November 12th, 2008 – Even as the country was celebrating its extraordinary milestone of electing the first African American President, The Washington Post published a sobering reminder that there is still much work to be done in amending our race relations. The Washington Post reported that three of the largest Latino civil rights groups…
NCLR CONDEMNS BRUTAL HATE CRIME ON LONG ISLAND
November 11th, 2008 – Calling it "an outrageous and horrifying crime," Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, condemned the fatal beating of a Long Island man on Saturday night. Marcello Lucero, a 37-year-old man from…
Vote Against ALIPAC Video on YouTube
November 7th, 2008 – Last week, the extremist anti-immigrant group, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), launched a political ad which, incredibly, smears a United States senator for accepting an award from a civil rights organization and announcing that he intends to stand up to bigots. ALIPAC has posted this video to Youtube and sent…
MINUTEMEN PLANNED TO WREAK HAVOC ON ELECTION DAY
November 7th, 2008 – Our friends at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shared with us a disturbing email from Minutemen Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) leader, Chris Simcox, urging MCDC members to form "poll watches" on Election Day to monitor election sites and videotape incidents of "voter fraud." Simcox, in his usual hyperbolic way, sounds the…
“IMMIGRANT, LATINO-BASHING GREATEST HITS” GETS MAJOR PLAY IN NC GOVERNOR’S RACE
October 30th, 2008 – Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, sent out a fundraising letter last week that sounds a lot like a compilation of greatest hits from the world of immigrant and Latino bashing. Just imagine the television announcer's script: "You get all the classics right here for one…
Hate Speech, Vandalism, and Death Threats Have No Place in Immigration Debate or the Election
October 28th, 2008 – NCLR launched http://www.WeCanStoptheHate.org to address the surge of hate and violence infecting the immigration debate, but this is not the only place where hate is showing up these days. Extremists are now bringing hate into the voter debate and the portrayal of people of color. Most recently, the Association of…
Join the call for the resignation of a bigoted Sherriff in North Carolina
October 27th, 2008 – In a recent article in Raleigh's The News & Observer, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell was quoted accusing Latinos of "breeding like rabbits," calling Mexicans "trashy," and stating, "When people think about illegal Mexicans, you know the first thing they think of? Driving drunk and shooting."These are just some of…
Sheriff Joe Strikes Again
October 22nd, 2008 – Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona and self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," is at it again. This is a man who has made a career of humiliating prisoners, harassing Latinos of every variety, wasting taxpayer dollars with dubious results, and having less than stellar respect for civil rights and…
NCLR CHALLENGES DISTORTIONS MADE ABOUT MINORITY COMMUNITIES
October 16th, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marie Watteau (202) 785-1670 October 16,2008NCLR CHALLENGES DISTORTIONS MADE ABOUT MINORITY COMMUNITIESWashington, DC-Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, expressed grave concern about the atmosphere of attacks…
Death Threats Made to Staff and Board of CASA of Maryland
October 16th, 2008 – This summer, several death threats were made to the staff and board of CASA of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group and Affiliate of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). According to the police report, the first call made to CASA staff member Mario Quiroz's cell phone threatened, "You shouldn't…
WHAT PART OF “HATE GROUP” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?
October 6th, 2008 – The folks at FAIR have been in high dudgeon ever since the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated them a hate group earlier this year. A significant part of SPLC's case against FAIR rests on the bigoted beliefs and writings of FAIR founder and current board member John Tanton. FAIR…
MALKIN, KRIKORIAN FAIL ECONOMICS 101
October 6th, 2008 – Thanks to our friends at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's (MALDEF) Truth in Immigration website, we learned that blogger/ranter (or is that ranter/blogger?) Michelle Malkin and Center for Immigration Studies "expert" Mark Krikorian are making people on their own side of the issues roll their eyes in…
NCLR Death Threat Punished in Court of Law
October 1st, 2008 – Christopher Michael Szaz was sentenced today in North Carolina for emailing a death threat to the staff of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Szaz plead guilty to one count of threat by force via email communication to NCLR. He was sentenced to 45 days in federal prison and has…
Savage: Equal Opportunity Offender
September 23rd, 2008 – After taking part of the summer off to pick a fight with autistic kids and their parents, Michael Savage ushered in fall by returning to his meat and potatoes shtick: bashing immigrants. Media Matters has shared with us another one of Savage's fact-less, evidence-less rants against Muslim, African, and basically…
Hispanics Targeted in Robbery Ring
September 23rd, 2008 – According to police in Montgomery County, MD, Hispanics were targeted in a robbery ring. One of the suspects said that he hated Hispanics and that's why they targeted them. The suspects would rob the victims at gunpoint and sometimes beat them. These beatings were so severe that in three of…
When Insiders Recant
September 19th, 2008 – Members of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) were in Washington, DC last week for FAIR's lobby days to prove to the country that it is still active. They spent most of the week defending themselves, but have not answered all of the questions raised about them, even by…
North Carolina Sheriff Spouts Off About “Mexicans” to the Media
September 18th, 2008 – In a recent article in Raleigh's The News & Observer, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell was quoted calling Mexicans "trashy," accusing Latinos of "breeding like rabbits," and stating, "When people think about illegal Mexicans, you know the first thing they think of? Driving drunk and shooting." These are just snippets from…
Latino Activist in Tucson, Arizona Under Siege from Talk Radio Shock Jock
September 3rd, 2008 – Alternet.org reports on yet another disconcerting example of how talk radio may be inciting listeners to perform acts of harassment and violence. Attorney and Coalicion de Derechos Humanos cochair Isabel Garcia has been subjected in recent weeks to a barrage of disturbing, demeaning, and deeply personal assaults on her character,…
Mexican Bashing Goes Bipartisan
September 3rd, 2008 – Meet the congressional candidate Daily Kos, New York Bloggers call "crazy Jack Davis."The Buffalo News reported this week on a speech given in March by Democratic candidate Jack Davis, who is running for the open seat in New York’s 26th Congressional District. Davis rails against illegal immigration in Dobbsian terms…
The Myth of Widespread Noncitizen Voting
September 2nd, 2008 – Kudos to MALDEF and one of their latest “Truth in Immigration” postings, The Myth of Widespread Non-citizen Voting, written in response to Hans von Spakovsky’s Heritage Foundation report which asserts that noncitizens often vote in U.S. elections. View the report at www.TruthinImmigration.org.
Is this the English we should be learning?
August 29th, 2008 – Citizen Orange recently posted a humorous piece highlighting those who stress the importance of everyone speaking English in the United States. Apparently, some English-only zealots never learned to spell; someone should tell them about spell check. Check it out athttp://www.citizenorange.com/orange/2008/08/5-english-lessons-from-the-us.html.
Savage: “America is being overrun by an invasion force from Mexico”
August 28th, 2008 – Many thanks to Media Matters for America for pointing out Michael Savage’s latest harangue. He alleges that "America is being overrun by an invasion force from Mexico that'll soon take over the country." After referencing a news report which states that immigration, higher birth rates among immigrants, and an aging…
Even winning an Olympic gold medal isn’t good enough for them
August 27th, 2008 – Henry Cejudo, the 21-year-old son of undocumented immigrants, recently won an Olympic gold medal for the United States in men’s freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling. What could make us prouder as Americans than seeing this young man achieve his dream? Well, apparently to some, an individual’s accomplishments should be judged on whether…
This Week in Lou
August 12th, 2008 – Lou Dobbs was in the media quite a bit this week, but we're guessing that this time he's probably not the least bit happy about it.First up, Academy Award-winning composer and singer Randy Newman has a song on his new album that takes on Dobbs and other anti-immigrant types. USA…
We Report, You Decide…
August 6th, 2008 – Among the luminaries who "attended" the 2008 National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Annual Conference in San Diego was our old friend, Jeff Schwilk, head of the San Diego Minutemen. For a very detailed chronicling of the misadventures of Schwilk and his hate group-designated band of followers over the last…
Did Right-Wing Shock Jocks Motivate Knoxville Killer?
July 31st, 2008 – A very thought-provoking post by Joshua Holland on AlterNet.org on the consequences of demonizing - rather than debating - your opponents:http://www.alternet.org/Did Right-Wing Shock Jocks Motivate Knoxville Killer?When police searched the car of the gunman who opened fire in a Unitarian Church in Tennessee, they found a 4-page letter expressing his…
Hispanic Leaders in North Carolina Face Death Threats
July 30th, 2008 – Hate rears its ugly head again. Just recently, NCLR named a new Chair to our Board of Directors, and on the same day the following comment targeting her was posted on a blog: "The time is coming to fight back and yes many will die in this fight." And she's…
Ugly Language Reaches as Far as Hawaii
July 29th, 2008 – The ugly language in the immigration debate has spread as far as Hawaii, where a City Councilmember used the term "wetback," sparking a storm of protest, which was in turn met by a wave of hate.http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jun/26/op/hawaii806260316.html Harsh stereotypes damage our communityIt is time, instead, to live values of tolerance and of…
Yet Another Hate Crime Tragedy
July 24th, 2008 – We regret to share that we are adding another flash point to the map. A 25-year-old immigrant was recently beaten to death by a group of teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. One witness told the AP that the teenagers, some of whom apparently make up part of the local high school…
Kudos to the Campaign for a United America
July 22nd, 2008 – Kudos to the Campaign for a United America for making it so easy to see the close ties between the network of organizations that are central to the anti-immigrant movement. It's an eye-opening primer on the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a hate group, and its many spinoffs and…
A Glimpse of the Protesters Outside the NCLR Annual Conference
July 19th, 2008 – There has been a lot of coverage of Senator Obama and Senator McCain appearing at the NCLR Annual Conference in San Diego. This blog post from The Sanctuary gives a glimpse of what was going on among the protesters outside. (Full disclosure: The blogger was there at NCLR's invitation) http://thesanctuary.soapblox.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=280
Latest on G. Gordon Liddy
July 13th, 2008 – Not content with merely demonizing undocumented immigrants, radio commentator G. Gordon Liddy managed to attack the entire Spanish language - and by implication the millions who speak it:LIDDY: You've just heard Barack Obama insisting that we all teach our children Spanish. Well, not mine, no way. 'Round here, let's see,…
We Challenge McCain and Obama to Rein In Party Rhetoric on Immigration
July 11th, 2008 – By Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEOToday I challenged Senators Barack Obama and John McCain to rein in offensive and charged rhetoric on immigration in their respective parties' congressional campaigns this fall. I presented this challenge just days before they are both scheduled to address our 2008 NCLR Annual Conference…
Insider Admits Concerns that Minutemen Attract People with Sinister Intentions
July 10th, 2008 – It has been clear to us for a long time that the Minutemen, called "national heroes" by Lou Dobbs, are something less than heroic. Now even the founder of the Minuteman Project, Jim "I'm proud to be a vigilante" Gilchrist is concerned that the Minuteman organization attracts people with sinister…
Offensive Emails from Harris County Sheriff’s Office Target Muslims and Hispanics
July 8th, 2008 – A local news station in Houston uncovered some highly unsavory emails being sent by officials in the sheriff's office. The link below takes you to a video clip of the story, which gives graphic detail of mostly anti-Muslim emails, with a few nasty digs at Latino immigrants thrown in. We…