Minuteman imposter Shawna Ford charged in double murder
Michael Webster, Investigative Reporter
June 23, 2009
Shawna Ford, now the main suspect in a home invasion in Arizona that resulted in the murder of a nine-year old child and her father, as well as seriously wounding the child´s mother,
Three people, including the leader of a border watch group and an officer within that group, were arrested in connection with a May 30 home invasion that left a father and his daughter dead and the mother wounded, authorities said.
One of those arrested, Shawna Ford, is the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a group out of Washington State that conducts operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona. The group is not related to either the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps founded by Chris Simcox, or the Minuteman Project founded by Jim Gilchrist according to those organizations. But questions now persist and at least one of the leaders of one of the groups Chris Simcox now admitting Forde was a member.
Authorities also arrested Jason Eugene Bush, 34, who serves as operations director for the Washington group, and Albert Robert Gaxiola, 42, in connection with the shooting deaths of Raul Flores, 29, and his 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia Flores, said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.
The attempts at damage control at the anti-immigration groups in the United States following the arrest of Shawna Ford and her gang is on going, but as more and more information becomes available, it´s clear that Ford was not an unknown outsider within the anti-immigrant (and… more to the point… anti-Mexican) movement. According to MexFiles.
According to a popular web site that re-produces articles and information on the Internet pertaining to highly controversial immigration issues at: laura427@cox.net asked her readers to:
"PLEASE SEND THIS OUT SO EVERYONE KNOWS SHAWNA FORD WAS "NOT" PART OF THE: Editor insert - Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) OFFICIALLY EVER AND NEVER EVEN PASSED HER PROBATIONARY PERIOD. SHE WAS "UNSTABLE" AND NOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MCDC MM GROUP. THE PERSON WHO MADE THE YOUTUBE VIDEO IMHO SHOULD BE SUED FOR MISREPRESENTATION AND DECEPTIVE MEDIA. I KNEW THE OPEN BORDER LOBBY WITH MANY OF THEIR MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT FOR MONEY-LAUNDERING, FRAUD, AND OTHER FELONIES WOULD TRY TO RELATE SHAWNA FORD WITH ESTABLISHED MM GROUPS. THE MCDC HAS NEVER HAD AN INCIDENT AND HAS ALWAYS HELPED THE BORDER PATROL WHO ARE OUT THEIR RISKING THEIR LIVES EVERYDAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION"!
Chris Simcox is the co-founder of the MCDC) and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten teacher at the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, California, where he taught for thirteen years.
In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States's border with Mexico.
He claims he also founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol.
Simcox's practice of reporting illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. When the Civil Homeland Defense was first formed, Simcox's opponents claimed that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claimed at that time that these detentions were justified under a "citizen's arrest" policy.
Since the inception of the MCDC, however, their "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP) states that "Minutemen Observe, Report, Record, and Direct Border Patrol or other appropriate emergency or law enforcement agencies to suspected Illegal Aliens or Illegal Activities." One would assume that would include drug smugglers.
According to Simcox, Shawna Ford has misrepresented herself as not only a member of MCDC but held herself out as one of its leaders.
Simcox charges that Shauna Ford registered to become a volunteer with MCDC in July of 2006.
Simcox said that "never having cleared her probationary period, she was constantly found to be trouble; unbecoming behaviors included, deception, holding unauthorized meetings and promoting herself as a chapter director and spokesperson for the organization without authorization. She even convinced national leaders that she had been "drafted" by volunteers in her area to be the new Washington State Director. After less than 6 frustrating months she was terminated in February, 2007.
Concerned with Forde's bizarre behaviors, the organizations "Washington and Arizona State leadership teams reported to and worked cooperatively with law enforcement in Washington and Arizona. The other
individuals involved in the criminal incident were never registered volunteers of MCDC and had no affiliation with our organization".
In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist pictured lift to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilantes, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone.
According to Simcox Forde formed her own small group and forged an alliance with Simcox ex-cofounder Jim Gilchrist and the Minuteman Project.
In the spring of 2008, Forde visited our MCDC headquarters camp in California unannounced and was given a "tour" by a caretaker who had no idea who she was. Forde then moved to Arizona and in October was doing a "media tour" near Three Points, Arizona and attempted to forge a new working relationship, we refused and she continued to infiltrate other groups including the Patriots Border Alliance another group of malcontents who were terminated from MCDC and formed their own group.
Border Patrol and Pima County Sheriffs were notified and we shared our concerns about Forde and the PBA and other individuals who were working together in close proximity to MCDC operations. We shared our concerns with law enforcement that both groups were not operating under the same strict standard operating procedures employed by MCDC.
MCDC leadership followed our pro law enforcement pledge and civic duty to reporting suspicious behaviors of all worrisome individuals to the proper authorities.
The Minuteman PAC, led by Executive Director Brett Farley is supported and endorsed by MCDC.
Simcox, claims he also was the Minuteman PAC spokesperson. But had to give it up in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Simcox said " I had to give up that role after announcing as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
I personally have stumped for, campaigned for, recorded radio spots and robo calls for and filmed TV commercials for dozens of state and federal candidates that were endorsed and supported by the Minuteman PAC.
The same is true for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC".
Gilchrist and Eichler, immediately after hearing of my senate campaign rushed out and started a Minuteman Freedom PAC. Said Simcox.
Simcox says he contacted legal counsel and learned there is nothing he could do to stop them from promoting his campaign on their website nor could he stop them from
fundraising using my name.
"All we can do is let folks know that this is a Gilchrist/Eichler ruse and a scam and tell folks not to donate to it. I seriously doubt I will ever see any funding from it - and would not accept any - and I never anticipate that they will use funds raised on independent expenditure campaigns to help me in any way".
According to Wikipedia, and other web sites Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary. Simcox also appeared in a 2006 documentary by Joseph Matthew and Dan DeVivo called "Crossing Arizona," and a 2007 documentary by Chris Burgard called "Border". He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool.
On April 21, 2006, Simcox sent a message to President George W. Bush asking him to send National Guard troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property.
Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honoraria and fees received for speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a film that will soon go into production. The latest step in Minutemen cofounder Chris Simcox's extreme makeover is now up for electoral review: Simcox is challenging U.S. Senator John S. McCain III in the Arizona 2010 Republican primary the party's 2008 presidential nominee.
SimSimcox´s past may haunt his GOP primary bid. According to the "Southern Poverty Law Center´s Intelligence Projects" SPLCenter.org: Minuteman Leader has Troubled Past reported Simcox attempted to become an U.S. Border Patrol agent but was rejected for being too old. After settling in Tombstone, he worked for a while as a gunfight-show actor before purchasing the local newspaper, The Tombstone Tumbleweed. The report went on to say Simcox initially told followers he had drained his son's college fund to pay for the paper, but later switched to claiming he had emptied his own retirement account. Simcox used the paper to rail against illegal immigration and to recruit volunteers for Civil Homeland Defense, the outfit he founded in 2002 and described in the Tumbleweed as a "committee of vigilantes."
In January 2003, while on patrol with Civil Homeland Defense, Simcox was arrested by federal park rangers for illegally carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in a national park. Also in Simcox's possession at the time of that arrest, according to police records, were a document entitled "Mission Plan," a police scanner, two walkie-talkies, and a toy figure of Wyatt Earp on horseback.
Two months later, in a speech to the California Coalition on Immigration Reform, a hate group whose leader, Barbara Coe, routinely refers to Mexicans as "savages," Simcox offered a dire warning to his audience.
"Take heed of our weapons because we're going to defend our borders by any means necessary," he said. "There's something very fishy going on at the border. The Mexican army is driving American vehicles -- but carrying Chinese weapons. I have personally seen what I can only believe to be Chinese troops."
Shawna Forde was head of the Minutemen American Defense, or MAD, based in Everett Washington.
Read the Southern [Poverty] Law Center's dossier on Shawna Ford as part of their "Intelligence Report"
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1522
Three people, including the leader of a border watch group and an officer within that group, were arrested in connection with a May 30 home invasion that left a father and his daughter dead and the mother wounded, authorities said.
One of those arrested, Shawna Ford, is the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a group out of Washington State that conducts operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona. The group is not related to either the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps founded by Chris Simcox, or the Minuteman Project founded by Jim Gilchrist according to those organizations. But questions now persist and at least one of the leaders of one of the groups Chris Simcox now admitting Forde was a member.
Authorities also arrested Jason Eugene Bush, 34, who serves as operations director for the Washington group, and Albert Robert Gaxiola, 42, in connection with the shooting deaths of Raul Flores, 29, and his 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia Flores, said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.
The attempts at damage control at the anti-immigration groups in the United States following the arrest of Shawna Ford and her gang is on going, but as more and more information becomes available, it´s clear that Ford was not an unknown outsider within the anti-immigrant (and… more to the point… anti-Mexican) movement. According to MexFiles.
According to a popular web site that re-produces articles and information on the Internet pertaining to highly controversial immigration issues at: laura427@cox.net asked her readers to:
"PLEASE SEND THIS OUT SO EVERYONE KNOWS SHAWNA FORD WAS "NOT" PART OF THE: Editor insert - Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) OFFICIALLY EVER AND NEVER EVEN PASSED HER PROBATIONARY PERIOD. SHE WAS "UNSTABLE" AND NOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MCDC MM GROUP. THE PERSON WHO MADE THE YOUTUBE VIDEO IMHO SHOULD BE SUED FOR MISREPRESENTATION AND DECEPTIVE MEDIA. I KNEW THE OPEN BORDER LOBBY WITH MANY OF THEIR MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT FOR MONEY-LAUNDERING, FRAUD, AND OTHER FELONIES WOULD TRY TO RELATE SHAWNA FORD WITH ESTABLISHED MM GROUPS. THE MCDC HAS NEVER HAD AN INCIDENT AND HAS ALWAYS HELPED THE BORDER PATROL WHO ARE OUT THEIR RISKING THEIR LIVES EVERYDAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION"!
Chris Simcox is the co-founder of the MCDC) and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten teacher at the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, California, where he taught for thirteen years.
In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States's border with Mexico.
He claims he also founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol.
Simcox's practice of reporting illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. When the Civil Homeland Defense was first formed, Simcox's opponents claimed that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claimed at that time that these detentions were justified under a "citizen's arrest" policy.
Since the inception of the MCDC, however, their "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP) states that "Minutemen Observe, Report, Record, and Direct Border Patrol or other appropriate emergency or law enforcement agencies to suspected Illegal Aliens or Illegal Activities." One would assume that would include drug smugglers.
According to Simcox, Shawna Ford has misrepresented herself as not only a member of MCDC but held herself out as one of its leaders.
Simcox charges that Shauna Ford registered to become a volunteer with MCDC in July of 2006.
Simcox said that "never having cleared her probationary period, she was constantly found to be trouble; unbecoming behaviors included, deception, holding unauthorized meetings and promoting herself as a chapter director and spokesperson for the organization without authorization. She even convinced national leaders that she had been "drafted" by volunteers in her area to be the new Washington State Director. After less than 6 frustrating months she was terminated in February, 2007.
Concerned with Forde's bizarre behaviors, the organizations "Washington and Arizona State leadership teams reported to and worked cooperatively with law enforcement in Washington and Arizona. The other
individuals involved in the criminal incident were never registered volunteers of MCDC and had no affiliation with our organization".
In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist pictured lift to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilantes, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone.
According to Simcox Forde formed her own small group and forged an alliance with Simcox ex-cofounder Jim Gilchrist and the Minuteman Project.
In the spring of 2008, Forde visited our MCDC headquarters camp in California unannounced and was given a "tour" by a caretaker who had no idea who she was. Forde then moved to Arizona and in October was doing a "media tour" near Three Points, Arizona and attempted to forge a new working relationship, we refused and she continued to infiltrate other groups including the Patriots Border Alliance another group of malcontents who were terminated from MCDC and formed their own group.
Border Patrol and Pima County Sheriffs were notified and we shared our concerns about Forde and the PBA and other individuals who were working together in close proximity to MCDC operations. We shared our concerns with law enforcement that both groups were not operating under the same strict standard operating procedures employed by MCDC.
MCDC leadership followed our pro law enforcement pledge and civic duty to reporting suspicious behaviors of all worrisome individuals to the proper authorities.
The Minuteman PAC, led by Executive Director Brett Farley is supported and endorsed by MCDC.
Simcox, claims he also was the Minuteman PAC spokesperson. But had to give it up in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Simcox said " I had to give up that role after announcing as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
I personally have stumped for, campaigned for, recorded radio spots and robo calls for and filmed TV commercials for dozens of state and federal candidates that were endorsed and supported by the Minuteman PAC.
The same is true for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC".
Gilchrist and Eichler, immediately after hearing of my senate campaign rushed out and started a Minuteman Freedom PAC. Said Simcox.
Simcox says he contacted legal counsel and learned there is nothing he could do to stop them from promoting his campaign on their website nor could he stop them from
fundraising using my name.
"All we can do is let folks know that this is a Gilchrist/Eichler ruse and a scam and tell folks not to donate to it. I seriously doubt I will ever see any funding from it - and would not accept any - and I never anticipate that they will use funds raised on independent expenditure campaigns to help me in any way".
According to Wikipedia, and other web sites Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary. Simcox also appeared in a 2006 documentary by Joseph Matthew and Dan DeVivo called "Crossing Arizona," and a 2007 documentary by Chris Burgard called "Border". He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool.
On April 21, 2006, Simcox sent a message to President George W. Bush asking him to send National Guard troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property.
Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honoraria and fees received for speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a film that will soon go into production. The latest step in Minutemen cofounder Chris Simcox's extreme makeover is now up for electoral review: Simcox is challenging U.S. Senator John S. McCain III in the Arizona 2010 Republican primary the party's 2008 presidential nominee.
SimSimcox´s past may haunt his GOP primary bid. According to the "Southern Poverty Law Center´s Intelligence Projects" SPLCenter.org: Minuteman Leader has Troubled Past reported Simcox attempted to become an U.S. Border Patrol agent but was rejected for being too old. After settling in Tombstone, he worked for a while as a gunfight-show actor before purchasing the local newspaper, The Tombstone Tumbleweed. The report went on to say Simcox initially told followers he had drained his son's college fund to pay for the paper, but later switched to claiming he had emptied his own retirement account. Simcox used the paper to rail against illegal immigration and to recruit volunteers for Civil Homeland Defense, the outfit he founded in 2002 and described in the Tumbleweed as a "committee of vigilantes."
In January 2003, while on patrol with Civil Homeland Defense, Simcox was arrested by federal park rangers for illegally carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in a national park. Also in Simcox's possession at the time of that arrest, according to police records, were a document entitled "Mission Plan," a police scanner, two walkie-talkies, and a toy figure of Wyatt Earp on horseback.
Two months later, in a speech to the California Coalition on Immigration Reform, a hate group whose leader, Barbara Coe, routinely refers to Mexicans as "savages," Simcox offered a dire warning to his audience.
"Take heed of our weapons because we're going to defend our borders by any means necessary," he said. "There's something very fishy going on at the border. The Mexican army is driving American vehicles -- but carrying Chinese weapons. I have personally seen what I can only believe to be Chinese troops."
Shawna Forde was head of the Minutemen American Defense, or MAD, based in Everett Washington.
Read the Southern [Poverty] Law Center's dossier on Shawna Ford as part of their "Intelligence Report"
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1522
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