> -----Original Message-----
> From:   Brad or Carol Pass [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])]
> Sent:   Sun 5/20/2007 9:00 PM
> To:     Carol Pass
> Cc:
> Subject:        ICE Raid-Saturday, Bloom/ Lake
> Phillips residents and others-
> Check out the following report from Linda Leonard re:
> the ICE raid on Saturday morning. Read the article at
> the weblink, and consider coming to the meeting on
> next Saturday.
> Yesterday, Saturday, ICE (US Immigration and Customs
> Enforcement) carried out a sting operation on
> Bloom/Lake on immigrants apparently involved in
> criminal activity. ICE operatives took several people
> into custody from the apartments above the Guayaquil
> Restaurant, However, in the process of this action,
> they began their staging operations from the parking
> lot of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, a major outreach
> congregation to Latino people, and would not leave
> when asked to do so. They also apparently grabbed
> additional people from the street on Bloom, swept the
> premises of the Guayaquil Restaurant, and appeared to
> have taken the restaurant's customers into custody,
> much to the dismay of the owner.
> My own sense was that, at the least, the ICE action on
> Bloom/Lake Saturday was sloppily arranged in regard to
> the surrounding community with little concern on the
> part of ICE for the community engagement side of their
> actions. It was intimidating of residents, potentially
> deeply damaging to businesses on Bloom/Lake, damaging
> to the relationship of the community with the Mpls.
> police, hurtful to the Christian community serving the
> Latino population and perhaps, in some areas,
> unconstitutional and illegal.
> Of course, we support the apprehension of criminals!
> But who can support such accompanying tactics??? These
> negative tactics were completely unnecessary!
> Criminals, if there are some, can be apprehended
> without staging such things from local Church parking
> lots where these immigrant communities are served.
> Frankly, what sort of a mindless action was that and
> what was its point??? Given that there was absolutely
> no necessity to begin the operation there, the only
> explanation can be an intention to intimidate and
> damage the ministry of those Christian people reaching
> out to the many Latinos in the surrounding area.
> Minneapolis police should not be subject to calls to
> support such things and we understand that there is an
> ordinance to protect them from being pulled into such
> things!! Is there a reason why this ordinance was not
> in effect?
> The most positive thing that has come out of this is
> that the community is more united and determined to
> organize to protect our Hispanic friends and
> neighbors. The community has become more militant and
> more cohesive.  It has also become more demanding with
> respect to our public officials, both appointed and
> elected. We expect kindness, sensitivity, respect and
> protectiveness of our people, our businesses, and our
> religious institutions.
> Community members are not through with examining and
> exposing what happened here and working to be certain
> actions such as these do not happen like this again.
> Carol Pass, President, EPIC
> This from Linda Leonard, EPIC Secretary
> From:
> "Linda Leonard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>  View
> Contact
> Details    Add Mobile Alert
> To:
> "Linda Leonard (E-mail)" < [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>
> CC:
> "hannah lieder" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> "Cynthia
> Aguirre" < [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> "Gabriel & Amy
> Pass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]),
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]), "lynn
> meuwissen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> "Allen, Renee M" < [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> "Paul Wichmann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,
> "Lilligren, Robert
> W" < [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>, "brad
> pass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>, "Annie
> Young"
> < [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>, "Mary Gonsior"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>,  "Rosie
> Cruz"
> < [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>, "gary schiff"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])>
> Subject:
> MSNBC.com Article: Arrests set off protest over ICE
> Date:
> Sun, 20 May 2007 00:39:18 -0500
> Arrests set off protest over ICE
> The four sport-utility vehicles bearing federal
> immigration agents appeared at the corner of Lake
> Street and Bloomington Avenue S. in Minneapolis
> shortly before noon Saturday.
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18762010/from/ET/
> (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18762010/from/ET/)
> Read the weblink article, my account, and note the
> meeting next Saturday.
> Carol Pass and I and the kids were there with Rosie
> Cruz, Pastor Patrick and others today to watch ICE
> deal with the community. Understandably, Latino people
> are on edge. One of my tenants was recently deported.
> One of our personal concerns is that the raid started
> in two parking lots of community churches. This
> strikes us as offensive and inappropriate--perhaps
> illegal. It certainly pitted law enforcement against
> the Christian community and its efforts to serve new
> immigrants from many nations. Latino people reported
> their dismay with one local Latino radio station which
> had reported no ICE officials present.....which misled
> and confused the community. There were local reports
> about people being pulled off the street by ICE
> although we arrived too late to witness that. The
> Minneapolis police apparently had been informed of
> federal intentions, but had no part in the plan and
> cooperated with ICE only to keep the crowd from
> interferring. Many of us protested ICE, not the local
> police. The officers we observed from the third
> precinct were professional and polite, but firm.
> Unfortunately, they cannot avoid being associated with
> ICE and its actions.
> We resent ICE coming in and making the local police
> look antagonistic toward local residents. We resent
> ICE intimidating people at churches.  We are concerned
> that the actions of ICE at the center of our
> commercial district on Lake Street in Midtown and East
> Phillips will have a negative effect on business in
> the area. The three board members of EPIC who were
> present will do our best to keep the community
> informed. We expect the mayor and council members to
> make public statements soon. Their absence from the
> situation today spoke volumes about the way our entire
> community experiences members of city government as
> unaware of and unsupportive of our diverse community's
> real needs--and contributions. People wanting to learn
> more about immigration rights and how to protest the
> actions of ICE can meet at the "Waite House on E 26th
> and 13th Ave S. next Saturday at 1 pm.
> Linda Leonard; EPIC Secretary


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