WeAreRacist.com Website Shuts Down Due to Threats

By Jeff Johnson
January 17, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - The Hispanic lobbying group that launched a website labeling opponents of illegal immigration "racists, cowards" and "domestic terrorists" claims to have disabled the site "Due to the threats" from "anti-immigrant" individuals.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) launched WeAreRacist.com to criticize opponents of illegal immigration who are members or affiliates of the Minuteman Project. Local chapters of the Minutemen have been photographing and videotaping contractors hiring workers at day laborer centers in Herndon, Va., and other locations and using the information to pursue violations of licensing and labor laws. The Minutemen believe many of the men hired are illegal aliens.

LULAC created WeAreRacist.com on Dec. 13, 2005, and WeAreRacists.com the next day. Both domain names pointed to the same site, which featured photographs of the Minutemen who participated in the contractor surveillance and identified them as, "racists, cowards, un-Americans (sic), vigilantes, and domestic terrorists."

After Cybercast News Service initially reported on the website Jan. 10, the plural domain name (WeAreRacists.com) became "temporarily unavailable."

Internet archives show that sometime between 2:20 p.m. (EST) Jan. 13 - when Cybercast News Service published a follow-up report - and 12:46 a.m. (EST) Jan. 14, LULAC deleted the photographs and accusations from the remaining site.

"Due to threats of violence we have received from the anti-immigrant movement who refuse to reveal their identity," the statement on the home page of WeAreRacist.com claims, "we are disabling this site!"

Brent Wilkes, executive director of LULAC, addressed the topic of threats during the interview for Cybercast News Service's first follow-up article.

"Several of the emails we have received threaten violence," Wilkes said.

He provided examples of "all the racist email we are getting."

"The only way to stem this is to take violent action against illegals," wrote one critic who signed his name "Gary Williams" and added, "Yes, that is my real name ... I am NOT a coward like most."

Another, profanity-laced email referred to LULAC as "spastic sons of 3rd world b*****s," but contained no threats.

The final example submitted by Wilkes decried illegal immigration and stated the author's desire to have "ALL illegal immigrants out.

"I have hated the illegal alien immigration problem in this country ever since I lived in Los Angeles," wrote the author identified only by his email account name "NovemberElection."

Wilkes believes messages like those justify LULAC's claims against the Minutemen and others who take overt action to discourage illegal immigration.

"All that serves to validate our initial impression that the motivation behind this ... the reason why they're getting up that early in the morning to go out there and do this, is based on racial prejudice," Wilkes said.

Though LULAC reportedly received the allegedly threatening emails between Dec. 13, 2005, and last Friday the group did not "disable" the website until Saturday, at the earliest. Wilkes was unavailable Monday to explain the decision. LULAC's offices appeared to be closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday.

CFPA: When National Director Patricio Bridges contacted "WeAreRacists" on 11 January 2006 and asked them to send proof that the MinuteMen were associated with racist organizations they never replied. Over the years the CFPA has received numerous threats but we never shut our sites down. Now you tell us who the cowards are. Below is the e-mail our Director sent.

Dear WeAreRacists,   On your website at www.weareracists.com you stated that "the Minute Men are: an anti-immigrant group often affiliated with white supremacy groups". Could you please send me a list of the white supremecy groups that this organization is affiliated with as this important information needs to be made public. Gracias.   Sinceramente,   Patricio Cortés Bridges