info on Chris Simcox, Arizona senate canidate

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Chris Simcox (born 1961) is the American co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (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. [1]

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 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 illegally 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.[2] 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."[3]

In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist 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.

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".

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. [4]

Simcox is stepping down from MCDC to challenge in the 2010 Republican primary the renomination of U.S. Senator John S. McCain, III, of Arizona, the party's 2008 presidential nominee.[5]


[edit] References
^ Wagner, Dennis (2006-05-25). "Minuteman's goal: To shame feds into action". http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-24-minuteman-goals_x.htm.
^ Max Blumenthal, "Vigilante injustice", Salon, May 22, 2005. Accessed January 13, 2008.
^ "Standard Operating Procedure for Minuteman Civil Defense Corps", retrieved January 13, 2008.
^ Seper, Jerry (2006-07-20). "Minutemen not watching over funds". http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060719-091346-2988r.htm.
^ Smith, Ben (2009-04-21). "McCain Facing 2010 Primary". http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/McCain_facing_2010_primary.html?showall.

[edit] External links
Border - Documentary film featuring Chris Simcox
The Right Perspective podcast interview
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Simcox"