Support Carlos Montes - Calls Today - SF event Wed

Why Is Carlos Montes Being Targeted By the FBI?
And what does it have to do with Immigrant Rights and International Solidarity?

Wednesday, August 31st
7-9pm, Reception starting at 6:30
518 Valencia St. (& 16th St.)

This space IS wheelchair accessible

Call in Day to Support Carlos Montes, Today, August 29 - Honor the
Chicano Moratorium!

On Monday August 29, call:
* President Barak Obama at 202-456-1111
* Attorney General Eric Holder at 202-514-2001
Sample message: My name is ________ and I am calling from [city,
state]. I'm calling about Carlos Montes of Los Angeles. He is one of
the anti-war activists being targeted by the FBI. I want you to tell
Attorney General Holder [or President Obama]:
* Drop the charges against Carlos Montes!
* Stop the FBI and the Grand Jury repression of the other 23
anti-war and international solidarity activists.
* Return all property to Carlos Montes and the other activists
raided by the FBI. The U.S. government should not be prosecuting us
when we exercise our rights to freedom of speech and dissent.
After you call, please write on our Facebook page, tweet
at us, or send us an e-mail (info@stopfbi.net) to let us know you
called - and please ask your friends and other activists you know to
call in too.Please join us in calling U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder and President Obama, demanding a stop to the prosecution of
Carlos Montes. We need to stop the persecution of political activists
like Carlos, the 23 Midwest anti-war and international solidarity
activists, and other activists in the movement.Make no mistake: the
U.S. government's repression of Carlos Montes is an attack on the
immigrants' rights and anti-war movements. Please call today and let
Holder and Obama know we are building a movement that will not bow
down to political repression.


The Chicano Moratorium

We are calling on Monday August 29 because that is the date used to
mark the anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium. The Chicano
Moratorium was a movement of Chicano anti-war activists who built a
broad-based coalition of groups to organize opposition to the Vietnam
War and was led by activists from local colleges and members of the
Brown Berets. Carlos Montes was one of the originators of the
Chicano Moratorium in 1969. Today he continues to organize the
Chicano Moratorium against the wars and occupations in Afghanistan
and Iraq and to commemorate journalist Ruben Salazar who was
assassinated by police during an attack on the Chicano Moratorium on
August 29, 1971. The August 29 call-in day is in honor of the
important contributions of Chicanos and Latinos to the U.S. anti-war
movement, from opposition to the wars in Vietnam through Afghanistan.


About Carlos Montes

Carlos Montes is a veteran Chicano activist known for his leadership
of the 1968 East Los Angeles education reform movement (see film
"Walkout"), the historic Chicano Moratorium against the U.S. war in
Vietnam, and the recent immigrants' rights mega-marches of 2006.
Carlos Montes was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano youth
organization that stood for justice, equality, and
self-determination.With the 2003 Bush administration war and
occupation of Iraq, Montes helped form and lead L.A. Latinos Against
War. In recent years, Carlos helped initiate and organize the
Southern California Immigration Coalition, to fight against
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and police repression.


About this case

Now Montes himself is the target of government repression and the
FBI's dirty tricks. When the FBI raided several Midwest homes and
served subpoenas on September 24, 2010, Carlos Montes' name was
listed on the FBI search warrant for the Anti-War Committee office in
Minneapolis--the organizing center for the 2008 Republican National
Convention protests, where Carlos participated.Then on May 17, 2011,
the LA Sheriffs broke down Carlos' door, arrested him, and ransacked
his home. They took political documents, a computer, cell phones and
meeting notes having nothing to do with the charges. The FBI
attempted to question Montes while he was handcuffed in a squad car
regarding the case of the 23 Midwest anti-war and solidarity
activists.On June 16, 2011, Carlos appeared in court and obtained
arrest documents showing that the FBI initiated the raid. A reporter
interviewing a Los Angeles Sheriff sergeant confirmed that the FBI
was in charge. Carlos Montes is facing six felony charges with the
possibility of 18 years in prison due to his political organizing.
Carlos Montes case is part and parcel of the FBI raids and political
repression centered in the Midwest. We need you to take action
against this repression.

http://www.stopfbi.net/