| Cops: Pair assaulted after rally
BY MINHAJ HASSAN
DAILY RECORD
Monday, July 30, 2007
MORRISTOWN — Three people were arrested Saturday for assaulting a Warren County couple at Elm and Franklin Streets at 2:14 p.m., following the ProAmerica Society rally, police said.
A Belvidere couple in a black Ford pick-up truck was stopped in traffic when approximately 10 people surrounded the truck, police said. One of the individuals, Abraham Greenhouse, 29, of Boonton, threw steel cylinders and shattered the rear window of the truck, police said.
The driver, a 35 year-old man, got out of the truck, attempting to dial 911 on his wife’s mobile phone when some of the crowd slapped it out of his hand and assaulted him, police said.
Jonathan Harvey, 26, of Brooklyn, N.Y., kicked the driver in the groin and another man, Andrew Flowers, 37, of Connecticut, struck the man repeatedly with his fists, police said.
The man’s wife, also 35, attempted to protect her husband, but was kicked and punched by several people during the attempt, police said. A 64-year-old Morris Plains man tried to break up the fight, but he, too, was assaulted, police said. The driver eventually broke free and grabbed a wooden dowel from the truck bed to defend himself, police said.
Police, who were in the area, apprehended the three men who were involved in the assault.
The 35-year-old man suffered several abrasions and bruises but refused medical attention, but the 35-year-old woman was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, police said.
Police said it appeared all involved in the incident had participated in the anti-illegal immigration rally at town hall, but they were not certain of their roles, police said.
Greenhouse was charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Harvey was charged with simple assault, and disorderly conduct and was held in lieu of $2,500 bail. Flowers was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct and also held in lieu of $2,500 bail, police said.
Minhaj Hassan can be reached at (973) 267-9038 or mhassan@gannett.com.
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TO: Diana Mejia and supporters: You people just blew a huge opportunity to come across as reasonable and respectable folk. Your church vigil may well have been peaceful and respectful but the conduct of many of you across from the Town Hall rally was anything but. It's NO wonder you won't show that on your website and I hope you're suitably embarrassed by the behavior of the louder of your contingent. Not only did your people not show the proper respect to the American flag but they went into the predictable screaming chants of racism which seems to be all your side can muster because you've no real arguments. I love and respect immigrants who've shown they respect my country by entering through the pro- per legal channels, showing they want to be citizens. I got no such vibe from your ranting horde by the Stop and Shop and if they're upset they were likened to Communists and Marxists by the mayor, well, they ACTED like Communists and Marxists and ALSO Anarchists. If anything, your folk just gave opponents of illegal immigration a lot more ammunition and don't think that those embarassing images won't be showing up on You- Tube and such; they've already made the newspapers. Next time, you'd better pre-coach your people; that is if you even know how to properly conduct yourself. You were removed from the Town Hall side because you didn't respect the divide of South Street marked by police. OUR people didn't come over to YOUR side as yours came over to ours. Also, your chanters did a good imitation of a group of Atzlan and Reconqista folk I'd seen in a California video made back in 1996. This isn't the image I'd want to be projecting to the public.
By the way, the race card play isn't only old; it's totally invalid. You'll never gain real support using that nonsense. Nobody I know who attended the Pro-America rally is a racist or white supremicist and NOBODY had signs advocating such an affiliation; just the opposite, in fact. We just want our immigration laws respected AND enforced because lawful immigrants willingly meet our standards for citizenship. Your crowd, on the other hand, seems to be saying LAWS DON'T MATTER. That's right, they'e in effect screaming that the laws of the United States DON'T MATTER. And the Open Borders philosophy you perpetuate is reckless in the extreme; after 9/11 can't you see that? The same terrorists would come after you, as well. So, Ms. Mejia; you and your Wind Of The Spirit folk seem to be much lacking in common sense. If you want to be welcomed into America as citizens, start acting as if you'd really like to become citizens. And STOP attacking Mayor Crisitello for doing what's RIGHT for his community by instituting 287(g), a statute that targets ONLY criminals, NOT law-abiding immigrants. With rampant drug running from Mexico and else- where, law enforcement officials have a duty to the public to assess whether or not immi- grants are here legally; it does make a difference and is relevant. Did you hear that statistics quoted about crimes committed by illegal aliens? While hardly all of them are criminals, we need to round up and DEPORT the ones who are. Even YOU can't want foreign criminals living near you. That's just common sense and sound public policy. So stop spewing bull about us being racists and xenophobes; that's garbage. When you and your followers start showing respect for this country by following its laws and earning the privileges of citizen- ship, you'll be welcome. If you don't want to bother with abiding by the law, you won't be. One more thing: When your ilk attack peoples for bashing immigrants, you so often leave out the word, "illegal", a key difference. Get it through your head that people who oppose ILLEGAL immigration AREN'T anti-immigrant or racist, just anti-illegal. Whether you like it or not, the U.S., LIKE Mexico, has laws. Mexico has really tough immigration laws they DO enforce; you get deported quickly after trying to sneak into Mexico but you consider U.S. laws oppressive. Get a grip and get real if you want your movement to be taken seriously. And ditch those silly, race-baiting chants that totally undermine your credibility. Good day. -
Jeffrey Hastings, resident of Morris County
Thanks. Snowflack asked me if he could use it as a letter. I gave him my okay to do so.
edurfee@optonline.net wrote:
Nice!
----- Original Message -----
From: JEFFREY HASTINGS
Date: Monday, July 30, 2007 12:51 pm
Subject: 7/28/07 Pro-America Rally and Your Editorial
To: fsnowfla@gannett.com, Robb Pearson , Ron Bass , Ed Urfee , George Young , Lois Culhane , Joe Dorman
> Mr. Snowflack, I'd like you, despite your known sympathies to
> illegal immigrants, to acknowledge the rowdyness and general
> disrespect the counterprotestors at the Stop and Shop displayed,
> particularly when we on the Town Hall side were paying our
> respects to the flag. You made the following observation in your
> editorial on the rally:
>
> "The mayor, who generally speaking restrained himself, slipped
> up once and called the protesters, "Communists and Marxists."
> Huh? Was this round two of the Cold War? Did Che Guevara
> reincarnate himself as a day laborer? It may have been the heat."
>
> No, Mr. Snowflack, these folks WERE behaving just like
> Communists, Marxists and general anarchists in showing their
> disdain for the flag, our laws and us. While the pro-America
> side respected the police barrier, counterprotestors, including
> Wind In The Spirit's founder, repeatedly crossed the street to
> try to antagonize us. As you saw, they failed because they've no
> logical argument; resorting to playing the race card like a
> broken record. All of recognize contributions of immigrants but
> insist they come in the right way because MOST immigrants did so
> and pandering to those who didn't is a HUGE slap in the face of
> all those who did it the right way. Many of these people behaved
> like animals and blew a huge opportunity to portray themselves
> as reasonable people. Would YOU like to have any of them living
> in your neighborhood? The louder component of this crowd amply
> showed they have no regard for BEING American and defiantly did
> all but dare us to kick them out. So, I'd
> like to see a little more fairness from you toward people who
> merely want the law followed.
>
> It's telling when people oppose a mere tool that would help
> police deal with serious criminals and isn't targeted at
> immigrants in general. What are these people afraid of? Could
> some of them be drug runners, gang members, etc.? Good question.
> And on your part, let's not see any more columns implying
> patriots like us are xenophobes or worse. We love LEGAL im-
> migrants; just stop glossing over the word "illegal" when
> referring to our focus because the distinction must be stressed.
> If ILLEGAL immigrants don't have enough respect to try to come
> in the proper way, why would you expect them to respect our
> other laws? It's that simple and in an age when terrorists could
> strike at any time; "Open Borders" is a reckless, unacceptable
> policy. I did, however, appreciaite your observation that more
> public officials should have attended; It's unconscionable so
> many didn't. Have a nice day- Jeffrey Hastings, Dover, NJ
Three more seized in Morristown immigration protests
by Kejal Vyas
Tuesday July 31, 2007, 4:13 AM
A bloody confrontation between a couple that attended Saturday's anti-immigration rally in Morristown and a group who opposed the couple's views led to three adÂditional arrests, police said today.
The three arrests bring to five the total number of those charged at the often-tense event that drew about 500 people to Morristown, police said.
Abraham Greenhouse, 29, of Boonton Township; Jonathan HarÂvey, 26, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and AnÂdrew Flowers, 37 of Willimantic, Conn. were arrested at 2:15 p.m. Saturday for taking part in the fight, police said.
Harvey and Flowers were charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Greenhouse also was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and posÂsession of a weapon, police said.
The Belvidere couple, whom poÂlice declined to identify, do not face charges. Police said the wife was treated at Morristown Memorial Hospital with minor injuries and reÂleased. Neither the husband nor the three men charged were seriÂously injured, police said.
The fight began after the ProAÂmerica Society of Mount Olive's anti-immigration rally ended.
According to police, the BelviÂdere couple were assaulted as they drove in their 2006 Ford pickup by about a dozen counter-proÂtesters.
Read the full story in Tuesday's Star-Ledger.
See more in Morris County, News
Directly across the street, behind a barricade, stood approximately another 100 people, including Michelle Munsat of Newark. This group was against a crackdown on illegal immigration.
http://onepeoplesproject.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1211&Itemid=2 |
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