Restraining order cancels Minuteman meeting
The controversial Illinois Minuteman Project canceled its weekend seminar on illegal immigration in Crystal Lake after a McHenry County judge Thursday issued a restraining order barring the group from holding the event at a local hotel as planned.
At the urging of the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn's owners, Judge Maureen McIntyre ordered the Minuteman Project not to appear at the hotel and to notify its guest speakers and about 100 ticket holders that the seminar would not take place there.
The ruling left the Minuteman Project no option but to call off the event, Director Rosanna Pulido said.
"There's a lot of outrage out there that American citizens cannot have a meeting,"ˆť she said. "But this might be a blessing in disguise. People have to see what we're up against."ˆť
The group, which says its mission is to educate Americans about the negative effects of illegal immigration, was planning a seminar featuring guest speaker Sheriff Dan Beck of the Allen County, Ohio. Beck has won national attention for his efforts to deport illegal immigrants living in his county.
Saturday's seminar was expected to draw hundreds of protesters from at least three organizations, including the Carpentersville Community Alliance and the McHenry County Peace Group.
Peace group member Patrick Murfin said his organization was unhappy with the news that the Minuteman meeting would not go as scheduled.
"We're actually saddened when free speech or assembly rights are abridged in any way," he said.
Despite the Minuteman cancellation, Murfin said, his group still plans to hold a vigil at 1 p.m. Saturday at Route 14 and Main Street in Crystal Lake.
Citing concerns that guests and workers would get caught in the crossfire, the Holiday Inn's owners went to court Thursday asking McIntyre to ban the Minuteman Project from the hotel.
The Holiday Inn's attorney, Rita Alliss Powers, said Crystal Lake police told hotel management they would need 17 armed officers on the site and a SWAT team stationed nearby to ensure a peaceful environment.
"These meetings have a history of drawing a lot of visceral reaction and protest,"ˆť Alliss Powers said, noting skirmishes at a similar event in Arlington Heights. "(The hotel) has serious, serious concerns about having this type of event on its property."ˆť
Hotel lawyers argued that they had legal grounds to cancel Pulido's conference room reservation because she misled management about the nature of her organization and the likelihood of protests.
Pulido, Alliss Powers said, never wrote Minuteman Project on the application for a conference room, instead labeling the applicant "Sheriff Dan Beck - Immigration Conference."ˆť
Minuteman attorney Suzanne Walters argued that the hotel, knowing the seminar dealt with the immigration issue, should not be surprised by the likelihood of protests.
"I don't think the Holiday Inn should be in the business of regulating free speech, which is what they're doing right here,"ˆť Walters said. "It's another example of the rights of Americans being trampled on by illegal immigrants and their supporters."ˆť
McIntyre, however, said she viewed the matter as a contractual dispute, not a free speech issue.
"I am an advocate of the right to free speech, but I don't think the question boils down to an infringement of that right,"ˆť McIntyre said.