Border Vigilantes

The border vigilantes will be at it again in April; lurking near the Canadian Border here in Whatcom County. They'd like to be called something official sounding. They'd like folks to think they're nothing but a neighborhood watch group. They'd like everyone to think they have some sort of official status.

I re-checked with the Whatcom County Sheriffs Office. I spoke with Chief Criminal Deputy Jeff Parks who supervises the Operations Division. He said the Minutemen are not endorsed by nor working in cooperation with the Sheriffs Department. Deputy Parks also made it clear that the Minutemen won't be getting any slack should they cross the line and try to take the law into their own hands.

The sheriffs Department won't be the only ones watch the Border vigilantes.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Local group to watch Minutemen

Volunteers will gather at border for month of April

JON GAMBRELL
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

A local group opposed to the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps will organize observers to watch those watching Whatcom County's northern border with Canada this April.

The volunteers will serve as legal observers, making sure Minuteman border watchers comply with the law, said Carl Shook, an organizer with the Coalition for Professional Law and Border Enforcement.

Shook said the point of the observers isn't just to wait for a Minuteman volunteer to break the law so "we can point a bunch of fingers." Instead, having observers could calm a situation he believes is prime for potential abuses.

"We are trying to establish beforehand enough accountability, transparency and public awareness of what is actually going on to try to key down this entire situation," Shook said. ...(full article)

- HOW TO CONTACT GROUPS
- To find out more about the Coalition for Professional Law and Border Enforcement, visit notinmycounty.org.

- For more information about the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, visit its national Web site at minutemanhq.com.