FBI frames Carlos Montes, long-time Chicano & peace activist, Trial set for 5/15th in L.A.

[annm4peace]

Last edited Tue May 8, 2012, 11:03 PM - Edit history (2)

Great new video online: “Hands off Carlos Montes!”
By Staff | May 5, 2012
Read more articles in FBI Repression
Los Angeles, CA – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression has created a great new video on the life of Carlos Montes, and the fight to beat back the attempt to jail him.

Montes is a veteran Chicano activist known for his leadership of the 1968 East Los Angeles student walkouts, the historic Chicano Moratorium against the U.S. war in Vietnam, and the recent immigrants’ rights mega-marches of 2006. Montes was a co-founder of the Brown Berets. In recent years he has be active in the anti war, Chicano, labor and immigrant rights movements. He currently one of the 24 anti war and international solidarity activists who have been targeted by the FBI, and is scheduled to go on trial May 15.

The video urges people to call Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, at 213-974-3512 to demand that all charges against Montes be dropped.

“Everyone should see this video and share it with their friends. It‘s the inspiring story of a heroic activists, Carlos Montes, who facing an FBI frame up. We can’t let him go to prison,” says Jess Sundin of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Please sign the new petition to
"Drop the charges against Carlos Montes!"
http://www.stopfbi.net/petition/national

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Carlos Montes goes on trial Tuesday, May 15-22, 2012 because District Attorney Steve Cooley is moving forward with the FBI-initiated political prosecution against this long time veteran Chicano leader and anti-war, labor and immigrant rights activist. Along with the FBI, District Attorney Steve Cooley is attempting to imprison Carlos Montes on charges stemming from 42 years ago, when he led a Chicano student strike at East L.A. College to demand Chicano studies.

Steve Cooley is the official face of political repression, targeting Carlos Montes in an attempt to imprison him for over 5 years. The trial of Carlos Montes is designed to repress our movements for peace, justice, equality and freedom. Now is the time! The stakes are high! We can win through solidarity!

http://www.stopfbi.net/

We are coming together in response to the FBI raids on seven homes and an anti-war office on Friday, September 24, 2010. The FBI also handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to fourteen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. These activists are involved in many groups, including the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists and many others came together to organize the 2008 anti-war marches during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. In December, 2010, 9 Palestine solidarity activists in Chicago were also subpoenaed.

Across the country organizations and individuals are standing together to protest the United States government’s attempt to silence and criminalize anti-war and international solidarity activists. We see the raids and subpoenas as an attack on anti-war and other progressive movements. It is an attack on our freedom to speak, our freedom to assemble with like-minded people, and our freedom to tell the government that their actions and policies are wrong. It is an attempt to clear the way for more wars and occupations of other countries by the U.S. military.

[annm4peace]

1. Please sign the petition and make calls

He is one of many peace activists our Government has targeted to stiffle people speaking out.

It is what is to come as people rise up and speak out... It hasn't worked out so well because all of the 22 activists threatened with grand jury had stood strong.. that is why they then targeted Carlos who they thought would either say the activists did something they didn't or the activists would give in cause of Carlos's age.

our government is going over intelligence officials who have spoken out and are whistle blowers and they are trying to target any activists who they feel are leaders.

We had to let them know the public isn't going to put up with it.

Stand up for Free Speech

[annm4peace]

2. Labor Notes: Speakers call for stepped up efforts to support Carlos Montes

Labor Notes panel educates and agitates to fight against political repression
Speakers call for stepped up efforts to support Carlos Montes
By Staff | May 8, 2012

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2012/5/8/labor-notes-panel-educates-and-agitates-fight-against-political-repression?utm_source=Fight%20Back%21%20News%20Service&utm_campaign=65c4e6fa6e-UA-743468-8&utm_medium=email

Chicago, IL - On May 6 over 100 people attended a panel at the Labor Notes conference called Solidarity Forever: The Labor Movement, Political Repression and the Fight for Civil Liberties. The panel focused on the repression against Carlos Montes and the Anti-War 23 and explained why it’s important for the labor movement to take a stand against political repression.

The panel was facilitated by Richard Berg, a long-time rank and file Teamster and labor movement leader in Chicago.

Long-time labor activist Paul Krehbiel from Los Angeles spoke about the repression against Carlos Montes, who is being targeted because of his decades of activism. Montes faces trial May 15 on four bogus felony charges, after his home was raided and ransacked by Los Angeles Sheriffs and the FBI last May. Krehbiel has attended most of Montes’ pre-trial hearings and protests, so he detailed many of the outrages so far. Krehbiel also spoke of Montes’ long history of union organizing and participation in labor struggles, in addition to his more well-known activism in the Chicano movement and anti-war movement.

Tom Burke of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) ended the panel by emphasizing the urgency to support Carlos Montes as his trial approaches on May 15. CSFR is asking people to call Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley at 213-974-3512 with the message, “Drop the charges against Carlos Montes,” and also to sign the online petition [http://www.stopfbi.net/petition/national] that sends your message to Cooley and several others.

Labor Notes is a biennial conference for rank-and-file union activists to form analysis and make plans for building stronger working class fight backs and to fight to transform unions that are corrupt or don’t organize workers to fight back. This year’s Labor Notes conference took place May 4-6 in Chicago and was attended by over 1500 people, with dozens of workshops and panels.