Beltway Area Indymedia

At a hearing in Courtroom 310 on Dec 19, Tyler Froatz's trial date was rescheduled for Feb 27, with motions to be heard on that same day. This was because of a nearly-booked schedule for the judge.

Froatz's attorney wanted a motions hearing with an "expert witness" in an attempt to claim his arsenal is an antique collection. Since when do things like a molotov cocktail and an AK-47 constitute "antiques?" Unfortunately, those maps in his car weren't dusty old treasure maps either-they were diagrams of Malcolm X Park showing lines of fire into the crowd at the May 1 immigration rally!

n Wed Nove 28, paid Smithfield spokesperson and cookbook author Paula Dan showed up at Books-a-Million in Dupont Circle for fans to sign her latest book. She was greeted by protesters from UFCW and the Justice at Smithfield campaign.
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Several people slipped inside with copies of the book(required for admission to the line) and when they got to the front confronted Paula Dean over her refusal to meet with any Smithfield workers except a few that management sent to her.

On Sep 2, over 10,000 immigrants and supporter rallied and marched in Prince William County, VA to oppose the fascistic restrictions the county is attempting to impose on immigrants.

With so many participants, the original march plan on the Prince William Parkway bike path had to be revised. Marchers streamed out for at least half a mile, and as it was impossible to double the march back, everyone had to turn around in place to double back!

Last Thursday, Aug 23, Immigration agents sunk to a new low in fascism and brutality. While ICE was being protested at their headquarters, they sent agents to a SOCCER GAME at 11th and Irving sts for yet another roundup! ALL persons looking Latino were detained and ordered to show ID, whites allowed to leave.

Although their is NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to show ID in this kind of circumstance, ICE ignored the law, blocked all exists from the soccer fields, let all non-Latino people leave-and demanded ID from all people they judged to be Latino.

Audio:5 min

During afternoon rush hour on August 23, immigrants and supporters proteested at the very gates of ICE,responding to raids at the Smithfield plant, in DC-and to the arrest of Sanctuary movement activist Elvira Arellana in LA.

Elvira's arrest and near-instant deportatin were meant to "send a message" to immigrants who dare to resist. The Smithfield raid was no doubt meant to send a similar message to those who dare to stand up to slave labor and abusive workplace conditions.

Ricardo of Mexicanos Sins Fronteras spoke at the Fals Church event welcoming the Immigrant Solidarity Caravan. In a portion of his speech he called for the planned August 27-Sep 3 boycott of non-immigrant owned businesses in Prince William County. No Potomac Mills, No 7-11, no Wal-Mart-NADA!

Hundreds gathered in a field behind St Anthony's Catholic Church in Falls Church, VA, welcoming the Immigrant Solidarity Caravan as it arrived from Manassas.

This was one of several emergency actions called to oppose Prince William County's and other jurisdiction's fascist crackdown on immigrants.

A shocking report came in from the Immigrant Solidarity Caravan as they prepared to set out for Manassas from Culpeper,VA. Sanctuary movement leader Elvira Arellano has just been arrested by ICE and is being held in detention in Los Angeles!

She had just spoke at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in downtown La, and was preparing to go to another church to speak. -Moments after she got in her van her van was surrounded by Federal Gestapo!

The Immigrant Solidarity Caravan that originated in Prince William County stopped over at Lamont Park in Mount Pleasant on Saturday, August 18th. Despite the Dept. of Parks and Recreation's choice to refuse the caravan a permit, the event went off with none of the feared problems.
The cops and ICE stayed away, and even the MinuteKlan didn't deliver on threats to disrupt the caravan_at least not in DC where Froatz did 6 weeks in jail.

Audio: 2 min

Although the psychotic warlord George Bush is losing his grip, the fascist atmosphere has become even more ominous. ICE has been building massive detention centers for the victims of their raids-reminding many of camps the Nazis built for THEIR enemies!

These giant facilites are located in rural areas, deliberately out-of-reach to most legal counsel, and abuse and torture are reported by immigrants to be growing rapidly.

Today, Tuesday, July 30th, the immigrant community of Prince William County announced their response to the racist, anti-immigrant law passed by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors on July 10, 2007. Determined to force the Board of Supervisor's to rescind the xenophobic, unconstitutional legislation, which would deny county services to those who could not prove their legal status, and force county police to check the immigration status of anyone detained, representatives from the immigrant community today announced their plan to move forward Today's announcement came after a series of community meetings, drawing more than 3,500 people, in which the voices of the immigrant community were heard.