YAF Watch

Virginia Young Americans for Freedom Breaks with National YAF

2009-10-13T13:48:00.003-05:00

In an October 1st, 2009 post Virginia YAF President and Chairman William Zimmerman announced the Virginia State YAF group would be breaking with the National YAF organization. National YAF is based in Washington D.C. and according to Source Watch is affiliated with Young America's Foundation, which is based in Virginia.

Zimmerman post states:

Chairman Announces Organization Transition

FAIRFAX, Va. - During the process of organizational meetings, an overwhelming majority of leaders within the Young Americans for Freedom - Virginia have reached a consensus that our relationship with the Young Americans for Freedom (National) should come to a close. William Zimmerman, Chairman and President, announced recently that "the inability of the National Organization to effectively run the organization, coupled with their continued hindrance of our necessary operations, leaves us no choice but to go our own separate ways." Recent negotiations with the National Organization to reform operational structure have failed. In addition to the various leaders of the Young Americans for Freedom - Virginia, affiliates, alumni, and other observers have come to the conclusion that the national organization is ruthlessly ineffective. "They [National YAF] have missed multiple elections, have made no substantial effort to start new chapters nationally, and lack the ability to perform the essential functions for which they were elected - that is absurd," said Zimmerman.
Speculations of those who wish to be left anonymous suggest other internal problems, including varying levels of corruption, although this has not been confirmed. A high-level official within the Young Americans for Freedom (National) has been pushing for action from the national board of directors to expand and increase operations, especially in this environment when aid to the conservative movement is essential. Chairman Zimmerman also expressed this need for aid to the movement. "I find it hard to believe that an organization which has had such a profound impact on the American Conservative movement can refuse to beef up operations," said Zimmerman when asked about his feelings of the inaction from the Young Americans for Freedom (National). "The National Organization has brought much same to the conservative movement, and they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing a preeminent organization to fail."
Sources say that the Young Americans for Freedom - Virginia is the last permanent state organization in the country, as other well known chapters and state organizations have also failed.
"We will do all that we can to create smooth transition into an independent organization here in Virginia," said William Zimmerman. There will be a transition period between now and December were organization officials will plan, re-configure, and expand.
###
Please continue to check this web page for updates during this transitional period.

Hat tip to Mhony1983 for the tip

State News Declares YAF "Defunct"

2009-09-22T17:12:00.004-05:00

A recent editorial in the State News regarding protests of Glenn Beck's speech to the Michigan Chamber of Commerce makes mention of YAF in the context of controversial speech on campus.

Although we in no way endorse Beck or his views, we’d like to point out he is not nearly as fanatical or controversial as some of the speakers the now-defunct MSU Young Americans for Freedom hosted in years past. Beck might say many incendiary and untrue things, but his words do not have the potential to incite violence on campus.

While YAF has been quiet as of late, they are not defunct as the newspaper claims. As reported earlier by the Southern Poverty Law Center, YAF still a registered student organization with anti-Muslim Professor Indrek Wichman as the new advisor.

Preston Wiginton Turned Back at Heathrow Airport

2009-08-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

Preston Wiginton, a white supremacist organizer behind the Nick Griffin college speeches in 2007, was barred from entry into the United Kingdom by the Home Office.

From the SPLC Hatewatch Blog

Globetrotting white supremacist financier and organizer Preston Wiginton (at right, showing the flag at a 2007 white nationalist rally in Moscow) was barred from entering the United Kingdom last week by Home Office authorities at London’s Heathrow Airport. Wiginton, a U.S. citizen, was trying to enter the U.K. to address the racist throngs at the tenth annual “Red, White and Blue” summer festival put on by the neofascist British National Party, or BNP.
The Home Office stated that it denied entry to Wiginton because it deemed his presence in the U.K. would not have been conducive to the common good. Wiginton has a close relationship with BNP chairman Nick Griffin, as well as ultra-right politicians and white nationalist academics and activists in Russia, the Texas native’s adopted homeland. (Wiginton resides part of the year in a Moscow apartment he sublets from ex-Klan boss David Duke.) Wiginton also brags about friendships with the leaders of violent neo-Nazi skinhead gangs in Russia, and claims that he pumps $50,000 a year of his own money into the global white supremacist movement.

In the U.S. in recent years, Wiginton has appeared at racist skinhead gatherings and co-sponsored lectures with hate groups such as the Council of Conservative Citizens and the Michigan State University chapter of Young Americans for Freedom.

The Home Office’s barring of Wiginton is the latest indication that U.K. officials are cracking down on right-wing extremists from other countries, including the U.S. Earlier this year, the names of five U.S. citizens appeared on a list of 16 individuals banned from entering the U.K. for reasons of “fostering extremism or hatred.” (Wiginton was not among them, but right-wing radio host Michael Savage was.)

The BNP summer festival, meanwhile, took place Aug. 14-16 in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands region of England. The attractions included a carnival midway game in which participants hurled wooden balls at coconuts painted with the face of Sir Trevor Phillips, the black chairman of the U.K. Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Around 1,500 anti-fascist demonstrators rallied outside the festival, chanting “Nazi scum off our streets.” BNP members and supporters taunted the protesters with sieg heil salutes. Nineteen people were arrested following a series of clashes near the front gate.

Capitalizing on resentment of Muslim immigrants, the BNP made significant political gains in local elections this year. And in June, two of its members were elected to serve in the European Parliament.

MSU-YAF New Advisor Indrek Wichman at YAF- NIck Griffin Event

2009-07-30T15:55:00.006-05:00

MSU-YAF's new faculty adviser Indrek Wichman was at MSU-YAF's Nick Griffin event.

Wichman, pictured left, from MSU Mechanical Engineering website

MSU-YAF Gets Anti-Muslim Professor for New Faculty Advisor

2009-07-29T22:43:00.001-05:00

From the SPLC's Hatewatch
Student Hate Group in Michigan Gets New Faculty Adviser

Michigan State University (MSU) mechanical engineering professor Indrek Wichman made international headlines in February 2006, when, using his faculty E-mail account, he sent a blistering E-mail to the university’s Muslim Student Association, calling on Muslim students to either accept Western cultural standards or return to their “ancestral lands.”

“I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems … [i]f you do not like the values of the West — see the 1st Amendment — you are free to leave,” Wichman wrote. “I hope for God’s sake that most of you choose that option.”

Although Provost Kim Wilcox formally admonished Wichman, the anti-Muslim professor remained on the MSU faculty. Now, he’s apparently taken on a new role in the MSU campus community: faculty adviser for the MSU chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, or MSU-YAF, an extreme-right student organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated MSU-YAF a hate group for its hosting of white supremacist lecturers and repeated bigoted statements against Muslims and Latinos, among other groups.

According to the MSU Department of Student Life guide for the upcoming academic year, Wichman has replaced William Allen, a professor of political philosophy, as MSU-YAF’s faculty adviser.

Wichman’s association with MSU-YAF dates back at least to February 2008, when he was scheduled to give a lecture on “How Muslims Suppress Free Speech” at an MSU-YAF event that was booked at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Mich. That lecture was canceled after Holocaust Memorial Center administrators learned of MSU-YAF’s background, including that MSU-YAF had previously sponsored a lecture on the MSU campus by Nick Griffin, a Holocaust denier who heads the racist British National Party.

Spartan Spectator Blog Revived

2009-01-27T23:56:00.003-05:00

After shutting down in November the Spartan Spectator has been revived.

In a post dated January 22nd "Freedom Fighter" announced the renewal of the blog

We plan to use this space as a forum for the dissemination of interesting and important information regarding the state of our planet. We believe that Western Civilization is taking a slow and meandering path towards extinction, and that it is worth saving.

We believe that the virtues of Western Civilization can only be preserved through peoples of European heritage.

The Spartan Spectator, while not officially claiming to be the blog of YAF, still contains many of the YAF elements from before. It links to articles by Kyle Bristow in the Global Politician, as well as using the first three posts to highlight YAF bringing Jennifer Gratz, Walid Shoebat, and Nick Griffin to MSU.

MSU-YAF Announces End of Spartan Spectator

2008-11-24T17:26:00.003-05:00

Kyle Bristow, the former Chair of MSU-YAF, announced that in the next few days he will be taking down the Spartan Spectator, the former blog of MSU-YAF. The blog was a continuation of The Spartan Spectator, a newspaper published by Jason Van Dyke .

This comes a few days after Bristow announced that MSU-YAF had decided to no longer have the Spartan Spectator be the official blog of MSU-YAF

Since I graduate from Michigan State University (an alleged institution of higher learning), the MSU-YAF officers and I decided that the Spartan Spectator will no longer be the official blog of MSU-YAF. Our options were: 1.) Keep the blog as the official MSU-YAF blog or 2.) Keep the blog, but make it not officially affiliated with the student organization. Since I am the one who posts the most on the blog, and since I graduate from this communist infested hellhole very soon, we decided that it would make more sense to have the blog's purpose slightly changed.

Those affiliated with MSU-YAF who have been able to post on the blog will continue to have the ability to do so.

That announcement came days after YAF Watch reported that Bristow had updated the blog to include an Othala Rune, a racist symbol taken from ancient Norse culture.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has written about the announcement.

Kyle Bristow, der Führer of the Michigan State University chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, or MSU-YAF, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a hate group, announced last Saturday that he planned to take the organization’s notoriously bigoted and mean-spirited blog, The Spartan Spectator, permanently offline “in a few days time.”

“I have decided that I will not blog anymore after I graduate from the communist-infested hellhole of Michigan State University,” stated Bristow, a senior international relations major. “I am moving on to bigger and better things, and I unfortunately will not have the time to continue blogging about the decline of Western civilization.”

As of this morning, the Spartan Spectator remained online.

Bristow’s announcement came just six days after YAF-Watch, a blog that tracks the activities (“antics” might be a better word) of MSU-YAF, reported that Bristow had updated the blog’s homepage banner with a red-white-and-blue Othala rune (right), a popular symbol with neo-Nazis, racist skinheads and practitioners of Wotanism, a racist variant of the neo-pagan Odinist religion.

The Spartan Specator’s most recent “poll” offered readers the option of selecting “Untermenschen” as the word that “best describes leftists.” Literally translated as “under man,” Untermenschen is a term from Nazi ideology used to describe Jews, Gypsies and any other persons who didn’t meet Hitler’s standards of Aryan purity.

In Bristow’s latest survey of the Spartan Spectator faithful, Untermenschen beat out “stupid,” “evil” and “degenerate” with 54 percent of the vote.

Jack Hoogendyk Lists Kyle Bristow in E-mail to supporters

2008-11-23T14:29:00.003-05:00

Jack Hoogendyk, a conservative legislator and unsuccessful Senate candidate, recently sent out an e-mail to his supporters listing endorsements from state party members. The list in also available of Hoogendyk's campaign page.

From Jack Hoogendyk's e-mail (emphasis by YAFWATCH)

Overwhelming Support!

Greetings!

I've been in the race for party chair for just over one week. The level of support has been truly amazing. While I have been calling party officials, e-mails have been coming in from all over the state. Delegates and party activists have been writing and offering ideas, suggestions and enthusiastic support.

Thank you to all of you who are ready for a new direction, a return to the foundational principles that will inspire the base and bring in a new generation who are ready to take their state back for individual liberty, personal freedom and independence from an overreaching government!

Here is the latest edition of leaders, delegates and grassroots supporters who are on the team:

State Representatives
Dave Agema
Jack Brandenberg
John Garfield
Brian Palmer
Rick Shaffer
Fulton Sheen
John Stahl
John Stakoe
Glenn Steil

Elected Officials, City, County & Township
Nasim Ansari, County Commissioner
Dave Healy, Texas Township Supervisor
Nancy Nevers, Macomb Township Trustee
Margaret O'Brien, Portage City Council
Adam Stacey, County Commissioner
John Zull, County Commissioner

Party Officials - County & District
Mary Ellen Agar, Kalamazoo County Exec. Dir.
Carla Anderson, Dickinson County Chair
Jeff Andring, Monroe County Chair
John Brack, Kalamazoo County E.C.
Kyle Bristow, 12th District Vice Chair
Jonathon Brown, Luce County Chair
Judy Buchholtz, 12th District State Comm
John Chouinard, 13th District State Comm
Deborah DeBacker, 9th District E.C.; State Committeewoman
Judith Faye, 3rd District State Comm
Carolyn Flore, Missaukee County Chair
Linda Glisman, 9th District Vice Chair; 5th Precinct Delegate
Rita Hale - Alger County Chair
Phil Hardy, Tuscola County Chair
Linda Harmon, 14th District Secretary
Barbara A. Harrell, 9th District E.C.; Oakland County E.C.
Rev. Ronda Hawkins, 8th District E.C.
Dr. Bruce Henderson - 9th District E.C.
Gerry Hildenbrand, 6th District Chairman
Ronald Hunter, 10th District Treasurer
Erik N Koenig, Iron County Secretary
Arthur Koester - Treasurer - 14th Dist.
Dan Marcum, Montgomery County Chair
Kenneth Matesevac, Van Buren County Secretary
Mike Miller, Mecosta County E.C.
Theresa Mungioli - 9th Dist. E.C; State Committeewoman; Oakland Cty E.C.
Bonnie Patrick, 15th District Secretary
Greg Rotter - Cheboygan County Chair
Teresa Stayer - 9th District Exec. Comm.; State Committewoman
Mary Ellen Tryban, 1st District Secretary
Fredrick Wilson, Genesee County E.C.
Michael Yentzer, 15th District State Comm

. . .

If you would like to have your name added to the list, or if your name is on the wrong list, or if it is listed in error, please send an email to JackForChair@gmail.com. This list will be updated regularly as more names are added.

Mistake and apology

2008-11-18T18:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Lennox,

I have received your e-mail of 18 November 2008 time stamped 1:08 p.m. I sincerely apologize that I did not contact you regarding the statements of Mr. Sylvester to verify the claim. You will find a correction posted on MichiganMessenger.com, as well as a public apology. In addition, this letter will be published on YAFWatch.blogspot.com to ensure the public knows of my error and my correction of it.

Thank you for responding to Michigan Messenger's coverage.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Heywood
sent via electronic mail

Bristow denies his run for MI-GOP Youth Chair

2008-11-18T09:02:00.002-05:00

Kyle Bristow is denying that he is seeking the Youth Chair of the Michigan GOP. But GOP insiders say Bristow's press release was sent out by Dennis Lennox and approved by Bristow. For the full skinny on the story, check out the story on Michigan Messenger.

Defeated Candidate for U of M Board of Regents accepted endorsement from Kyle Bristow

2008-11-17T21:04:00.004-05:00

A reader tipped YAF Watch off about Republican candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Regents Susan Brown accepting an endorsement from Kyle Bristow
(emphasis ours).

12th District

CHAIR: Dennis Buchholtz
VICE CHAIR: Kyle Bristow
SECRETARY: Victoria Rewiako-Smiley
TREASURER: P. Pete Vitale
STATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS: William Axtell, Judy Buchholtz

Susan Brown finished third in the race. She is just one of many Michigan Republicans who have recognized the hate group leader's role in the party.

Penn State YAF Chairman Condemns Kyle Bristow

2008-11-17T20:39:00.003-05:00

In response to a letter from Kyle Bristow in the Penn State Collegian, Penn State YAF Chair Joe Ramagli dismissed Bristow's characterization of the goals of YAF.

Claims do not accurately reflect Penn State’s group

It is time once and for all to settle the claims about Young American’s for Freedom (YAF). I am quite disturbed by any accusation that our YAF chapter is hateful. Mr. Bristow wrote in his letter “Writer displays ignorance about issues that matter” (Oct. 29) that YAF is against what he called “sexual deviancy,non-Christian faiths, and feminism.” Penn State YAF by no means adheres to this message. I respect an individuals right to practice “sexual deviancy” if they so choose. Though I myself am a Christian, I believe we are only a free society if we allow others to freely exercise their own religion. Although I do not support the goals of radical feminism, I do adhere to the belief that the sexes are created equal.

I am just about sick of the easy and empty rhetoric people use to refer to our group as hateful. Yes, we are proud conservatives who will not apologize for such. We welcome dialogue with the university community about the issues that matter. We will not succumb to dialogue based on false accusations that are based on inaccuracies and do nothing to promote freedom of speech, freedom of expression,and, most of all, freedom of thought.

Joe Ramagli
chairman, Young Americans for Freedom
senior-journalism

This is not the first time that YAF has been rebuked by another YAF organization. The National YAF group threatened MSU-YAF, saying MSU's chapter would risk losing its charter when it announced plans to bring racist Jared Taylor to speak on campus. The event was canceled, and Bristow resigned his chairmanship shortly after.

University of Michigan YAF Chair Andrew Boyd distanced himself from MSU-YAF's and complained about being compared to the group.

Boyd said he does not support much of what MSU YAF and its chairman, Kyle Bristow, do. “It makes me frustrated we have to deal with these mis-perceptions that we are a hate group because of Kyle,” Boyd said.

"Exactly the type of kid we want": RNC Chair candidate's support of racists in his party

2008-11-17T15:57:00.001-05:00

This year's election of the next Chair of the Republican National Committee is an important one for the battered and defeated party. Any chance they have to rebuild themselves will require a strong leader. The actions of the new chair will set the direction of the party for years to come.

One of the candidates is Saul Anuzis, Chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

The influence that the new RNC Chair will have makes the candidacy of Michigan GOP Chair Saul Anuzis a very disturbing. The party has already lost a large part of their base who have become Democrats or Independents. The new Chair will have to attract new members. Who Anuzis will bring in is of concern, because he has endorsed openly racist Republicans, including the leader of a hate group.

Hate group leader Kyle Bristow, left, with Saul Anuzis

In fall 2006 outspoken racist Kyle Bristow, chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom - Michigan State University Chapter announced he would be running "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day", a vigilante game meant to promote hate toward immigrants and Hispanics.

Bristow has also raised controversy for running for the MSU student government under a 13 point agenda calling for removing minority representation in the government, creating a Men's Council, and taking funding away from a non-heterosexual groups on campus. The agenda and the Catch an Illegal Immigrant game led to Bristow being recalled from his seat on the student government, the first time in the over 40 year history of the student government that a representative had been recalled.

As a result of the racist activities by Bristow, his organization was listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Shortly after YAF was listed Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer called on Michigan Republicans to distant themselves from Kyle Bristow.

Saul Anuzis responded to Brewer on "The Big Show with Michael Patrick Shiels", a statewide morning news and talk show.

“This (Kyle Bristow) is exactly the type of young kid we want out there.” Saul Anuzis also said “I’ve known Kyle for years and I can tell you I have never heard him say a racist or bigoted or sexist thing ever.”

Since giving the endorsement, YAF has brought several racist speakers to campus, including Holocaust Denier Nick Griffin (video of his MSU speech), Anti-gay author Ryan Sorba (video of event), Anti-immigration speaker Mark Krikorian (video of event), and worked with White Nationalist Preston Wiginton. For a comprehensive look at YAF, read the SPLC's article about them.

Saul Anuzis has not rescinded his endorsement nor the support of the Michigan Republican Party for the hate activity of YAF.

Since announcing his support for racists such as Bristow, a out and proud member of the Ku Klux Klan, Randy Gray, has been elected as a Republican precinct delegate in Midland, Michigan (Bristow was reelected as a precinct delegate for Clinton Township, Michigan).

Randy Gray recently made news when he dressed up in Klan robes to protest the election of Barack Obama.

Saul Anuzis's support for racists stands in contrast to the history of his family. Anuzis' parents and paternal grandparents were honored with the Righteous Among Nations award for helping save the life of Jews during the Holocaust. According to his bio on the Michigan Republican Party Website:

Anuzis is particularly proud of his family's history. He speaks with pride of the Righteous Among the Nations award his parents and paternal grandparents received from Israel's national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, for helping three young girls escape from a Jewish ghetto and make their way from Lithuania to Estonia during World War II. One of those girls, now grown, nominated them for the award.

If elected RNC Chair, we should expect the same sort of behavior out of Anuzis. Having turned his back on his family's brave acts during the Holocaust and given unconditional support to YAF, he has shown he is willing to legitimize the activity of hate groups that support the Republican Party. The legitimization would embolden the hate groups and lead them to feel more confident to take action against minorities in this country. Recent activities by hate groups already show that's the last thing this country needs.

Bristow running for leadership post in Michigan GOP

2008-11-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

Kyle Bristow, the former chair and current communications director of Young Americans for Freedom MSU is running for the Youth Chair post of the Michigan Republican Party. You read about it on Michigan Messenger.

YAF Adopts Neo-Nazi Symbol For Blog Banner

2008-11-16T21:37:00.005-05:00

YAF's blog The Spartan Spectator recently updated its banner. The design included an American Flag design Neo-Nazi Ankh.

According to the Anti-Defamation League the symbol is a ancient Norse Rune, used by Neo-Nazis.

Nazi Germany glorified an idealized "Aryan/Norse" heritage, consequently extremists have appropriated many symbols from pre-Christian Europe for their own uses. They give such symbols a racist significance, even though the symbols did not originally have such meaning and are often used by nonracists today, especially practitioners of modern pagan religions

**UPDATE**

Bristow has claimed that the symbol is a "support the troops" ribbon, and not a Neo-Nazi co-opted pagan symbol.

Below is an example of a Support the Troop ribbon. Note the rounded loop.

Below is an example of the Odal Rune, like the one from Bristow's site. It is diamond shaped on top. It appeared on AryanWear.com, a Nazi website.

Lansing officials kept in dark about immigration raid, call lack of info “recipe for disaster”

2008-10-31T11:28:00.002-05:00

LANSING — Lansing City Councilor-at-large Carol Wood says she is “deeply concerned” that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apparently failed to inform Lansing Police and other area officials about immigration-enforcement operations in the Lansing area Oct. 17-20, which resulted in the detention of 64 people, as first reported by Michigan Messenger.

Wood is not alone. Other Lansing City Council members have also voiced concern about how such a lack of communication could affect public safety.

Lansing City Council President Brian Jeffries said, “If a local law enforcement agency doesn’t know what’s going on, if they started getting calls for help [from those targeted in the raids or their neighbors] and those types of things. I mean it is really a recipe for some disastrous encounters that could happen in terms of two law enforcement agencies conflicting with each other.”

Michigan Messenger broke the news of the federal operation Friday night after a spokesperson for ICE confirmed the arrest of 64 people. Of those arrested, 40 were deemed “fugitives” by ICE, while the remaining 24 were determined to be in the country “illegally.” In ICE lingo, a fugitive is a person who has been ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge but has failed to do so by the time given by the court.

Officials from the Lansing Police Department said they were unaware of the operations, and officials in the office of Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero also said they were not informed. Calls to Police Chief Mark Alley and Bernero were not returned.

Council members sounded off on the topic before Monday night’s weekly meeting of the seven-member body.

“It troubles me more that law enforcement, our police department, didn’t know anything about it,” said Council Vice President Derrick Quinney.

Third Ward Council member A’Lynne Robinson said she too was disappointed by the apparent lack of notification.

“The fact that you are the one making me aware of that [ICE operation] disappoints me,” Robinson told Michigan Messenger in the council chambers just before the Monday night meeting.

“It’s hard to cooperate and coordinate efforts and communicate effectively when there’s no information … Yes, [not knowing about the operation] concerns me greatly.”

“We’re going to have to start asking questions to get a handle on this,” Jeffries said.

Community activists alarmed

Some Lansing-area residents also expressed outrage over the operations.

Elizabeth O’Brien, who works with the community center Northstar Center in Lansing, said she and others have been working with immigrant populations throughout the area, distributing information about immigration rights. She and other workers received calls from people associated with four of the 64 people arrested, and she is now making calls to Dickinson Detention Facility in Hamtramck, where many of the detainees are being held. She said she is also connecting people with attorneys and offering translation services to help those arrested.

O’Brien said she fears there will be more raids.

“I’m almost sure we will see even more sweeping raids in the last three months of the Bush regime,” she said.

Talk of making Lansing a “sanctuary” city for undocumented workers

Still reeling after learning from Michigan Messenger about the arrests, at least five members of the Lansing City Council said they are open to having a “dialogue” to declare Lansing a sanctuary city for undocumented workers.

“We haven’t been petitioned on that, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t look at it. But we would need a lot more information,” Jeffries said before Monday night’s council meeting. “It’s something that would require some debate and discussion.”

Northstar’s O’Brien said the statements by the council members expressing a willingness to explore the idea of making Lansing a sanctuary city was “huge.”

A declaration as a sanctuary city has no legal authority, but it would prevent city employees from inquiring about citizenship status while investigating or arresting persons in conjunction with a crime. It would not prevent more operations like the Oct. 17-20 operation conducted by federal immigration authorities.

“I figure in all fairness we should sit down and have that dialogue,” said Quinney. “I think now that it’s at the fore, it’s an opportunity to raise those concerns and talk about it, take a look at it. Sure, I’m more than willing to do that.”

Robinson, council member from the 3rd Ward, said she too would be open to discussing a declaration of sanctuary.

“I’m certainly open to any number of options that would help us to get our arms around what’s going on before an action is taken,” Robinson said.

Sandy Allen, 2nd Ward council member, said she would be open to the discussion but expressed concerns about making sure local jobs were saved for residents.

“My thing is we need to make sure that the jobs are being taken by people who are from here,” Allen said.

Wood said she too would be interested in discussing the establishment of sanctuary city status.

“That is a discussion we can have,” Wood said.

This story was originally published on MichiganMessenger.com. Video of the ICE team arresting suspected undocumented workers at El Azteco is available at Michigan Messenger here.

Immigration raids net 64 in Lansing

2008-10-27T16:30:00.001-05:00

Sign of stepped-up enforcement by ICE, local officials unaware of action

LANSING -- Officials from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service confirmed today that they had detained 64 people over the course of last weekend in the Lansing area for immigration violations. Of those arrested, 40 were wanted fugitives, meaning they had orders of deportation entered against them by a judge, while the remaining 24 were detained by officers because they were allegedly determined to be in the country illegally.

The arrests were all made between Oct. 17 and Oct. 20.

"This was a successful operation," Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson Michael Guilhooly told Michigan Messenger. ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security and responsible for finding people alleged to be in the country illegally.

Guilhooly said the 40 were specifically targeted by ICE for arrest because of their status as "fugitives." For someone to be listed as a fugitive, he or she must have already gone through a deportation hearing, Guilhooly said. Once those persons were determined by a court to be in violation of U.S. immigration law, a judge issues an order providing them an opportunity to leave the country on their own. When it's determined that those so ordered have not left the country by the specified date, a judge issues a new order of deportation and ICE categorizes them as "fugitives."

The 64 arrestees are now housed in ICE detention facilities in the U.S., according to Guilhooly. The 40 are awaiting deportation or possibly already were deported. There was no specific information on where the arrestees were from, hence there is no information about where they will go or where they were sent. The remaining 24 detainees will begin the due process of the justice system.

ICE operates 95 fugitive apprehension units around the country. The team involved in the arrest covers the states of Michigan and Ohio."Every day they [the fugitive teams] operate a list of targets and do basic investigations to locate them," said Guilhooly. "They then proceed forward and make arrests. This is their full-time job." He was unable to identify the last time the fugitive team operated in the Lansing area. The arrests appear to be part of a bigger operation by ICE officials, which Guilhooly said was the result of Congress making it a "priority."

The ICE Web site has a release on it touting a 20 percent increase in arrests and deportations from 2007 to 2008:

Overall, the number of illegal aliens repatriated by ICE jumped 20 percent in the latest fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. In the past 12 months, ICE removed or returned a total of 349,041 illegal aliens to their native countries, compared to 288,663 aliens in fiscal year 2007. Notably, one third of the illegal aliens removed from the United States last year were foreign nationals who had prior criminal convictions in addition to being in the country illegally.

Sources in Lansing city government said they were unaware of the raids, and were unable to comment.

"I don't know anything about it," said Deputy Chief of Staff Randy Hannan of Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero's office. "I will talk to the mayor and see if he knew anything and has any comment."

City Councilor at Large Carol Wood also said she was unaware of the arrests or the operation. She said that was particularly troubling.

"A lot of times when something happens in the neighborhoods, council members are the first ones to get called," Wood said. "Had there been an incident... if we had had some warning this was going to happen, it might alleviate some of the issues."

Wood said the council is regularly briefed on confidential activities, which they are not allowed to discuss until an action has been completed. "It would have been better to tell us rather than leave us out of the loop."

Lansing Police spokesperson Noel Gracia said he was unable to find anyone in the department who knew about the arrests. In fact, he said, he had not been able to confirmed them with ICE.

This story was originally published on Michigan Messenger.

YAF's Response to Criticism Proves Critic's Point

2008-10-14T22:48:00.003-05:00

Recently Young Americans for Freedom has announced plans to launch vigilante patrols along the alleged "rape trail" at MSU. In their press release they claim a rise in the number of sexual assaults and inaction by police necessitates this vigilante program.

However, MSU police statistica show a drop in sexual assaults from 2004 to 2007, exactly the opposite of what YAF claimed.

But crime statistics published on the MSU police Web site don't show any evidence of an increase in sexual assaults.
MSU had a spike in first- and third-degree criminal sexual assaults in 2004, with 17 reported. Only five were reported in 2007.
And, according to Terry Denbow, MSU's vice president for university relations, "the idea that there is a 'rape trail' along the Red Cedar is more contemporary urban legend than reality. Indeed, the last crime on that trail that could be termed 'rape' occurred three decades ago.

When confronted with his error Thieleman stubbornly said YAF would continue the patrols.

MSU police urged caution about vigilante tactics.

MSU police spokesperson Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said her concern was YAF not try to confront criminals directly.

"The thing we don't want to get into is individuals taking various situations into their own hands," she said.

The MSU Police have sponsored student participation in campus safety. The Lot Watch program trains student volunteers to keep an eye on areas of campus to deter theft and assaults.

Alpha Phi Omega, a non-Greek coed service fraternity, offers State Walk, which escorts students safely from the library.

It should be noted the last "Patrol" encouraged by YAF was "Border Patrol", a anti-immigrant shooting game that encourages murder and has Neo-Nazi symbols throughout the game.

Criticism
On top of YAF's lack of accurate crime statistics to back up there actions, the fact that they are listed as a hate group and engage in violent rhetoric came up in a letter to the State News. Jim Tremlett wrote:

YAF has constantly proven incapable of the respect and fair-mindedness needed to effectively police a diverse campus such as MSU. YAF’s communication director, Kyle Bristow, has said he hates diversity, and hardly a week goes by on YAF’s blog, the Spartan Spectator, when he isn’t proving it.

Bristow responded to the criticism by "coming out" as a bigot

I picked up a copy of the State News on Monday because a friend had told me that a liberal had extolled my virtues in a letter that was published on the opinion page. In “YAF not 'good candidates' for campus night patrol” (SN 10/14/08), Lansing resident Jim Tremlett, who plagues my blog, www.SpartanSpectator.com, by incessantly leaving thoughtless comments on my posts, writes that I hate diversity, and that “hardly a week goes by on YAF’s blog, the Spartan Spectator, when [I’m not] proving it.” He cites my criticism of sexual deviancy, Islam, and “penny-pinching, big-nosed Zionists” as evidence of my hate towards all things liberal.

I am going to come out of the closet: I am an evil, right-wing, fascist, liberal-hating Republican who froths at the mouth with hate every minute of the day, and I cannot help it, for I was born this way.

My coming out should come as no surprise, because if one had picked up a copy of the State News anytime during the last two years, they would already know this. They would also know that my hatred is not limited to just diversity, sexual deviancy, Islam, and “penny-pinching, big-nosed Zionists,” for I have also been critical of abortion, radical feminism, backwards countries and the savages that populate them, legal and illegal immigration, affirmative action, multiculturalism, multiracialism, communism, socialism, liberalism, and pretty much all other isms that do not begin with “national” or “conservat.” In truth, if something is antithetical to my narrow-minded, bigoted worldview, chances are I’ve come out against it.

It feels good to be out of the closet!

Kyle Bristow
International Relations Senior

YAF Against Australian Aborigines

2008-10-14T15:35:00.005-05:00

YAF's latest posts against non-whites have targeted Australian aborigines. Bristow posted a piece titled "Are Savages "Persons"?"where he attacked Australia's first people. He received a reply from an Australian aborigine activist. who Kyle challenged to name Aborigines who had been part of the Australian culture. When he was presented with a few names Bristow responded by citing his personal ignorance of Australians as proof that Aborigines had not contributed to the culture, saying "I do not know who Namatjira, Rrurrumbu, Jamieson, Enoch, Blair, Lanley, Jacobs, Uniapon, and Bunbajee are, because they have contributed nothing of significance to humanity."

Except for the names Lanely, Jacobs, and Bunbajee who I could not determine, I have posted information about the Australians cited.

Albert Namatjira was an aboriginal artist who was famous for his watercolor landscapes. I've posted one painting below. Several more can be found by doing a Google image search.

George Burarrwanga (stage name George Rrurrumbu) was a rock and reggae singer from Australia who sang in his native language. He can be seen here singing in concert.

Wesley Enoch is a playwright and theater director. A short clip of Enoch's play Bubbles, which was shown at the Sydney Opera House, is posted below.

Harold Blair was a singer in Australia. Clips of Harold Blair singing can be found in a biographical video here.

David Unaipon was a Australian inventor, spiritual leader, and aboriginal rights activist. He was so well renown in Australia that he is on the Australian $50 note.

Two GOP precinct delegates in Michigan have ties to white nationalism

2008-10-02T19:01:00.003-05:00

A self-avowed member of the Klu Klux Klan, Randy Gray of Midland, is the second newly elected Republican precinct delegate in Michigan who has ties to white supremacist organizations.

Gray was elected by Midland County Republican voters to serve the party in Midland County. The other newly elected Republican official is Kyle Bristow. He is the newly minted Clinton Township (Macomb County) Republican precinct delegate and is the former chair of the Michigan state chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), which the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a hate group.

Both won party positions during the primary vote Aug. 5.

As delegates, both Bristow and Gray will serve two-year terms and be expected to attend all state Republican conventions. In addition, they will be expected to run campaign activities for their precinct for Republican candidates.

In a report from Media Mouse (a West Michigan news blog), Gray said that all he had to do was put his name on the ballot and that he did not campaign for the position. The Media Mouse report includes a screen shot of Gray bragging about his victory on the message board of a white nationalist Web site, Stormfront.org. There is no evidence available whether Bristow campaigned for the position, either, or, similar to Gray, merely applied successfully to get his name on the ballot.

Bristow was one of just two candidates running for three open delegate seats in the 29th precinct of Clinton Township. (Results of that election are found on page 17 of this pdf). Similarly, Gray was one of three candidates who ran unopposed for three open delegate seats in Midland.

In his new position with the Republican Party, Gray reports to Midland County Republican Chair Diane Bristol. When called for comment, Bristol told Michigan Messenger, “If, in fact, he’s associated with the KKK, [then] yes, it troubles me.”

When asked if the local party knew about Gray’s candidacy, she said, “He completed the valid application. Neither I nor any one in the Republican Party can control who runs or who gets voted for.” She added, “He has the right to run. We have no control over the election process.”

Garnet Lewis is the Democratic candidate for the 98th district state representative seat that includes Midland. When asked her opinion about Gray’s election she said, “This is a wake-up call for those of us who are sitting on the sidelines. If we choose to sit on the couch, then we can’t complain when others run for office. We have to step up and participate and run, or be satisfied with those who choose to.”

In August of last year, Gray participated in a “Rally Against Black Gang Terrorism.” The rally was organized by white supremacist radio host Hal Turner, who was later identified as an FBI informant.

In a story prior to the event, I reported that the speakers confirmed for the Kalamazoo rally where Gray addressed the crowd were considered “the worst of the worst” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

During his speech that day in Kalamazoo, Gray attacked Jews and blacks.

During his tenure leading MSU YAF, Bristow and his group have been involved in a series of controversial programs at MSU, including hosting a speech by Nick Griffin, the chair of the British National Party, which has a platform of removing all nonwhite immigrants from England. Griffin himself has stated that the Holocaust was a made-up event. Under Bristow’s leadership MSU YAF also proposed a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day,” a proposal which met a harsh outcry from MSU students and administrators and was ultimately canceled. Bristow, a Clinton Township native, was also involved in bringing Canadian neo-Nazi Paul Fromm to Lansing for a speech.

Bristow failed to return email inquiries for this story. Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis also did not return email inquiries seeking comment.

PHOTO: Members of the National Socialist Movement arrive at the "Rally Against Black Gang Terrorism" held in Kalamazoo on August 4, 2007. They were coming to hear, among others, Randy Gray of Midland, who was recently elected as a GOP Precinct Delegate in Midland. (Photo by Todd A. Heywood. All Rights Reserved.)

This article originally appeared on Michigan Messenger.

YAF Admits It Is Opposed to Free Speech, American Values, and the Constitution

2008-10-02T10:42:00.010-05:00

After complaining for years that their free speech rights have been violated, the Young Americans for Freedom have admitted that they are opposed to free speech rights.

In a recent comment on Spartan Spectator Kyle Bristow says in response to commenter "Galahad"

I am not a hypocrite, because I support freedom of speech for non-leftists only.

YAF AGAINST THE BILL OF RIGHTS
This comes as no surprise to anyone aware of YAF's history. YAF speaks fondly of brutal dictators. In a poll on their website, putting Marxists in front of firing squad was the most popular response from readers. Other choices included a soccer stadium in Chile (Where mass-murderer Augusto Pinochet tortured, raped and killed thousands), the gulag, or at the gallows.

YAF also doesn't hide it's contempt for freedom of religion, as they have shown hate against Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Episcopal Christians.

YAF also opposes the rights of anti-war protesters to assemble peacefully to petition the Government for redress of grievances, claiming fascist dictator Francisco Franco would know what to do with them.

YAF's view of killing and imprisoning Marxists (which they define more broadly than actual communists or socialists) also shows they are opposed to the civil rights protections in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th amendments. Fair trials, right to privacy, and other constitutional protections would not apply in the police state that YAFers envision for America.

YAF Against Democracy

A while ago Bristow let slip the fact that Young Americans for Freedom is not a pro-American democracy group. On the Facebook profile for Young Americans for Freedom Bristow asked "Why do you have "democracy" listed as a YAF interest?"

YAF supported the brutal regime in Iran when it arrested Babak Zamanian, a pro-democracy student activist.

Bristow has also gone as far as support dictatorship in America. In response to a Pat Buchanan article he said:

I have a three step plan to save America:

1. Take over the country.
2. Purge the liberals (including neocons) from government.
3. Install Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul as dictators for life.

YAF's own constitution is an undemocratic one, where the new Chairman is selected by the Executive Board, and after being chosen, the Chair chooses the Executive board. Lay members have no choice in leadership.

Bristow has spun further and further to extreme positions as he's seen YAF membership drop, been threatened by the National YAF group to have MSU's chapter's charter revoked, and having to resign in shame.

Kyle Bristow Continues Anti-Semitic, Anti-Muslim Rants

2008-09-22T22:01:00.002-05:00

Kyle Bristow continues to push YAF's anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim agenda in the group's latest online poll. The poll asks "What Poses the Greatest Threat to Western Civilization?"

Bristow offers as choices "Penny-Pinching, Big-Nosed Zionists" and "Goat-Herding, Cave-Dwelling Allah Worshipers".

YAF's previous anti-Semitic work includes hosting Holocaust Denier Nick Griffin, spreading conspiracies about "Judeo-Bolshevism", and misrepresenting themselves to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills so they could host a hate speaker.

YAF Anti-Muslim actions mirror many of the anti-Semitic events. Nick Griffin's speech and the canceled speech at the Holocaust Memorial Center were both centered on spreading hate against Muslims. YAF has also gone as far as to support a "Koran Desecration Contest".

Both Jewish and Muslim groups on campus have come together to condemn Young Americans for Freedom.

Army of God sends a new letter

2008-09-14T06:15:00.002-05:00

Apparently the letter from Army of God sent via United States Mail last year to me on September 11 is going to be an annual event. Once again, on Sept. 11 I was greeted with another threatening and vile letter from the lovingly Christian folks at Army of God.

The letter can be seen here. This year's letter has such amazing turns of phrase as "YOUR SOUL IS SLOWLY ROTTING FROM AIDS AS SATAN SODOMIZES YOU. YOUR BLASPHEMOUS MOUTH HAS BECOME A CESSPOOL FOR THE VILEST OF DEMONS."

Now that is what I call the Love of Christ. Oh yeah the letter also demands I make Satan number two. Now my understanding of Christianity, Satan is supposed to be last, not number two.

But on a more serious note, last year when the letter arrived, there were some indications YAF might be involved, but they denied any involvement and we took them at their word. However, there are more connections which raise some serious questions about whether Kyle Bristow and YAF are supporting the Christian Al Queda.

Specifically, a search of the Army of God website turns up a Dr. Ronald Graeser of Fremont Michigan as a signer of a document supporting the acquittal of Paul Hill -- the abortion doctor assassin.

Turns out Dr. Graeser was a 2006 candidate for Congress on the.. wait for it... Constitution Party Ticket! That's right, Graeser is on the ticket with Chuck Baldwin, whom Bristow has said he supports for President.

Now this could be just another series of bizarre coincidences, but one has to wonder when Bristow has become stridently more white nationalist, and his rhetoric more violent, and the recent posting of the border patrol game, if maybe Bristow might not be a Christian Al Queda himself. How about it Bristow? Christian law like Shria law? Kill homosexuals for being homosexuals? Kill children who mouth off to their parents? Kill people for eating shellfish? Or for wearing mixed fiber clothing? How about the implementation in local zoning ordinances the requirement for menses shacks and while we are at it, a little law to force women into those shacks for their 7 days of uncleanness?

YAF promotes blatantly racist and violent video game

2008-09-14T06:03:00.007-05:00

Those charming fellows at YAF, who have nothing in common with the KKK or Nazis, are promoting a video game that is horrifyingly racist and violent.

The game, Border Patrol, encourages the player to shoot Mexican immigrants dashing over the border. When the player shoots one of the immigrants, a blood splatter appears. The various targets for the player include a pregnant woman, a baby and man carrying a backpack.

If you don't kill enough of the illegal immigrants and the game greats you with a racist commentary "Alright Paco, got a green card?"

Emails to Michigan State University requesting comment have not been returned. Neither were emails to MSU Chicanos Y Latinos Unidos (CLU).

This is not the first time YAF has been involved in degrading immigrants. They first made headlines with a proposed "Catch An Illegal Immigrant" game in 2006. The game would have featured a person portraying an illegal immigrant, and encourage game players hunting the person down. The game was condemned by MSU officials, including President Lou Anna K Simon. It eventually was canceled.

**UPDATE** Kyle Bristow left a response to this post he said "My high score is 64/88."

88, the highest score possible in the game, is a Nazi slang for "Heil Hitler" H is the 8th letter of the alphabet. Source: Anti-Defamation League.

Additional pictures from the Mac's Bar protest

2008-08-20T21:24:00.003-05:00

The above pictures were taken on Monday August 18, 2008 during the protest of the canceled M.O.D. concert at Mac's Bar. All pictures were taken by Todd A. Heywood and are copyrighted. All rights reserved.