South Central Neighborhood Council: FBI Raids on Trade Union, Immigrant Rights, Chicano Rights and Community Activist Carlos Montes

The following resolution was adopted by the South Central Neighborhood Council on June 22, 2011.

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###FBI Raids on Trade Union, Immigrant Rights, Chicano Rights and Community Activist Carlos Montes

Whereas, in the early morning of May 17, an armed SWAT team accompanied FBI agents as they smashed Carlos Montes’ door and raided his Los Angeles home. The FBI confiscated computers, documents, cell phones, pictures of members of other activists, and personal belongings.

Whereas, Carlos Montes is Chicano rights activist, immigrant rights organizer, workers rights, anti-war, anti-police brutality, and public education activist around the city of Los Angeles including the South Central Neighborhood Council area.

Whereas, issues such as Chicano rights, immigrant rights, workers rights, war, police brutality, public education and international solidarity are issues that have a profound impact in the Greater Los Angeles Area including the South Central Neighborhood Council Area.

Whereas, the FBI has a long history of violating peoples’ human and civil rights including during the 1960s the FBI COINTELPRO spied on and harassed union rights, civil rights and anti-war activists, including the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr .

Whereas, the raid on Carlos Montes’ home and subsequent charges related to that raid are part of a nationally coordinated raids and fishing expedition on behalf of the FBI is an assault on the First Amendment rights of every union fighter, immigrant rights activist, community organizer.

Whereas, the South Central Neighborhood Council recognizes the escalation of state repression is a response to the growing number of impoverishment of our community and Carlos Montes’ community involvement is a challenge to state repression.

Therefore be it resolved, that the South Central Neighborhood Council supports the following demands:


1. Stop abusing authority through national security laws to intimidate activists from using their 1st amendment rights.

2. Immediately return all confiscated materials: computers, cell phones, papers, documents, personal belongings, etc.
3. Drop all the charges against Carlos Montes.

And be it further resolved, that the South Central Neighborhood Council participate in the ongoing movement to defend our right to organize and civil liberties from FBI infringement; forward this resolution to other Neighborhood Councils; and call on similar organizations at all levels to similarly oppose the witch hunt.

Cc: Attorney Eric Holder, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Head of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Lee Baca, Police Chief Beck