The Southern Poverty Law Center has named Help Save Maryland a “nativist/extremist group” – its only such designation in the Free State.
SPLC, a civil rights organization devoted to combating white supremacist and hate groups, defines nativist/extremist groups this way:Organizations identified by the Intelligence Report as nativist extremist are groups that go after people, not policy. Rather than limiting themselves to advocating within the mainstream political process for tighter border security, stricter immigration controls or tougher enforcement of immigration laws already on the books, these fringe outfits target and confront immigrants as individuals.
In the past, Help Save Maryland has focused its efforts on cutting off public funding for day laborer centers and lobbying state lawmakers against drivers licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. But Help Save Maryland Frederick County coordinator Steve Berryman has admitted that his group worked “hand-in-hand” with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an organization that SPLC claims has worked closely with hate groups.
Some conduct armed “citizen border patrols.” Others confront Latino immigrants congregated at day labor centers or informal roadside pick-up sites. Some conduct surveillance of apartment houses and private homes. Almost all of them disseminate vicious, immigrant-bashing propaganda.
Help Save Maryland is offering thanks to guest speakers at its recent rally night in Annapolis. Those speakers include:
Senator Janet Greenip (R-33)
Senator Andy Harris (R-7)
Delegate Gail Bates (R-9A)
Delegate Ron George (R-30)
Delegate Rick Impallaria (R-7)
Delegate Patrick McDonough (R-7)
Delegate Warren Miller (R-9A)
Also appearing was Jack Martin from FAIR.
Now that Help Save Maryland has been branded a “nativist/extremist group,” will the above politicians continue to associate with it? Or will they abandon it as election time approaches?
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Help Save Maryland Named Nativist/Extremist Group
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I'm somewhat astounded that the Southern Poverty Law Center hasn't identified CASA de Maryland as an Extremist organization. After all, CASA's leader Gustavo Torres is on record in the Gazette as declaring that his organization was going to stalk the children of Mongtomery "Minuteman" activists: "We are going to target the Minutemen in a specific way... we are going picket their houses, and the schools of their kids, and go to their work. If they are going to do this to us, we are going to respond in the same way, to let people know their neighbors are extremists, that they are anti-immigrant."
By the definitions offered by SPLC, CASA de Maryland qualifies as "extremist", if not actually "nativist".
Indeed, they're quite the opposite of nativist. And CASA's organization receives money not only from taxpayers, but also from foreign governments, specifically that of Hugo Chavez, through his state-controlled CITGO corporation. If SLPC can declare Help Save Maryland as a nativist-extremist group, why not declare CASA de Maryland a group of unregistered agents of a foreign power, in blatant violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act ("FARA")?
Now, all of this being said, let's see any evidence whatsoever that may be possessed by anyone at all, which demonstrates any member or anyone directly associated with Help Save Maryland as conducting "armed citizen border patrols". Good luck with that. And let's also see any "immigrant bashing propaganda" from Help Save Maryland.
Let's let the record be clear here: In Montgomery County, at least, Help Save Maryland has consistently worked to assure Equal Protection (and this enforcement) of the Laws. Indeed, Help Save Maryland is at least partially responsible for recent changes in Montgomery policy, helping to formulate the current police/jails policy of checking against ICE of all persons arrested for crimes-of-violence or weapons violations, regardless of ethnicity of apparent national origin.
To be sure, there are groups on the SLPC's list that I would classify as at least having some members who are both Nativists, and Extremist.
However, SLPC's mischaracterizations of Help Save Maryland are as far off base as the characterizations by State Police of Takoma Park anti-death-penalty activists as national drug traffickers and terrorists.
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