Gilchrist involved in another controversial invitation to speak

Once again, border vigilante Jim Gilchrist finds himself at the center of controversy over a speaking engagement at the University of Nevada-Reno. The ACLU has become involved in the controversy.

Last month, border vigilante and Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist has a much anticipated invitation to speak at a Harvard symposium revoked when students of the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee (HULC) sought his removal as a guest panelist. They were successful, and Gilchrist, being the type of person he is, launched a virulent and nasty attack against one of the leaders of the successful protest, Kyle de Beausset

Controversy surrounding Gilchrist has reared it’s ugly head once again, only this time with an ironic twist.

Once again, Gilchrist has been invited to be part of a panel discussion about immigration at the University of Nevada-Reno, and once again, student leaders and faculty do not want to give a forum to his brand of bigoted xenophobic rants.

“We’re hoping there is a way we can prevent his visit to our community,” Daniel Perez, an assistant professor in languages and literatures, said Wednesday. “Gilchrist is part of a vigilante group and of an organization that clearly uses hate speech, and that clearly translates into hate crimes.

Emma Sepulveda, director of the Latino Research Center at UNR, said she was “completely surprised and shocked” that Blevins would invite Gilchrist to the campus without consulting with the Latino center or any Latino groups. Ms Sepulveda went on to say;

“There are many other organizations around the country that are anti-immigration that are peaceful and could provide an intelligent debate,” she said. “But Jim Gilchrist has been connected with criminal activity and paramilitary groups that advocate violence and contribute to hate speech that has led to the deaths of immigrants around the country.”

But then things get a little strange.

ACLU urges UNR to let controversial illegal immigration opponent appear

The ACLU gets involved. The American Civil Liberties Union, which many on the right refer to as a communist socialist. is backing Gilchrist’s right to spread his hate in the UNR forum.

Rebecca Gasca, public advocate with the ACLU of Nevada, said the letter was sent to UNR President Milt Glick and Sandra Rodriguez, director of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, Reno, the student group sponsoring the forum.

“We are urging the University of Nevada, Reno not to succumb to pressure from various members of the university who are trying to stop Mr. Gilchrist from participating in the immigration forum,” Gasca said.

Opponents of the Minuteman leader’s coming to UNR point to his previous support for Shawna Forde, the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a different group from Washington state that patrols the borders for illegal immigrants. Forde is facing murder charges along with two fellow members of her group for killing an Hispanic father and his 9-year-old daughter in Arizona last May while allegedly trying to rob him of drug money they thought was in the family’s home.

We wonder who contacted the ACLU and got them involved? Could Gilchrist have made the call that resulted in the ACLU’s involvement? What hypocrisy.

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