Alhambra resident, Chicano activist pleads not guilty to six felonies
by ADOLFO FLORES, pasadenastarnews.com
July 6th 2011 10:16 AM Read the search warrant and
felony complaint (PDFs)
Search warrant
Felony complaint
ALHAMBRA - An anti-war protestor and Chicano activist Wednesday plead not
guilty to six felony counts at an arraignment in Alhambra Superior Court.
Carlos Montes, 63, of Alhambra faces one count of possession of a firearm by
a felon, one count possession of ammunition and four counts of perjury for
lying on gun registration paperwork and saying he had never been convicted
of a felony.
"Montes unlawfully possessed, purchased, received and had custody and
control of a 12-gauge shotgun," said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the
D.A.'s office. "It's substantial state prison time, over five years."
Outside the courthouse and joined by about 35 supporters Montes said the
charges have less to do with the possession of the shotgun and more to do
with his political activities.
"Our view is that this is a political attack because of my views denouncing
the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and denouncing U.S. policy support of
Israel denying the Palestinian people their rights," Montes said Wednesday .
"This is not about having a gun or buying a gun it's about my political
views and political activity."
Montes said he was awakened on May 17 by members of a Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department's SWAT Team, who rushed in with a search warrant. He
was subsequently arrested.
"They came in with guns on their shoulders, yelling, I was shocked," Montes
said of his arrest. "I thought let me close my eyes so I can go to sleep
and see if I wake up from this nightmare."
Montes said authorities looked through his files and rifled through pictures
of his anti-war organizing. Some of the documents detailed trips to Columbia
others included immigration rights paperwork.
While he was waiting in the back of a patrol car Montes said he was
approached by an FBI agent in plain clothes who asked him about the Freedom
Road Socialist Organization, a Marxist-Lenninst group with a post office box
in Chicago.
He believes the FBI was investigating him after he participated in a
anti-war demonstration at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint
Paul, Minnesota.
Montes is named in an October 2010 search warrant for the committee's
offices which were linked to the Freedom Road group.
FBI spokeswoman Ari Dekofsky would not confirm that Montes was being
investigated by the FBI.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Miguel Mejia said Montes was booked in
East Los Angeles, but the investigation into his activities was led by
either the Sheriff's terrorist unit or the emergency operations bureau,
working with the FBI.
"It was an FBI action as I recall," said Sgt. Jim Sully. "We assisted them."
The Brown Beret co-founder and an organizer of the East Los Angeles walkouts
of 1968 said he plans on denouncing the 1969 charge of assaulting an
officer.
Jorge Gonzalez, Montes' attorney questioned the timing of the raid.
"They're pulling a 40-year-old conviction, something is behind this, but
it's early in the game," he said.
Original Page: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_18422863
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