Los Angeles, CA – One year ago, on May 17, 2011, Carlos Montes awoke at 5:00 a.m. to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s SWAT team crashing down his front door and waving automatic weapons in his face. Sheriffs handcuffed Montes and put him in the back of a squad car, where the FBI attempted to interrogate him about his association with 23 other anti-war activists targeted by the FBI.

The pretext for the raid was Montes’ ownership of a firearm, but the sheriffs and FBI carted away meeting notes, a computer, a cell phone and historic documents from his long political career. It is clear this case is about the FBI punishing Carlos Montes for advocating for Chicano self-determination and immigrant rights and for opposing U.S. imperial wars around the globe.

One year later however, Carlos Montes is still free, out on bail with his trial resuming on June 20, 2012. The FBI claims that in 1969 Carlos was charged with a felony during a student protest demanding Black, Chicano, and Women’s Studies at an East Los Angeles community college. This FBI claim has yet to be substantiated, with some legal documentation showing a misdemeanor, while other documents are unclear. Back at that time, Montes was given summary probation and served no jail time, again proving that he was never convicted of a felony under California law.

Today Carlos Montes continues his activism promoting public education, protesting police brutality and ICE immigration raids. Montes helped to lead the large May 1 march for immigrant and workers rights in Los Angeles. Carlos continues to fight the good fight with the support of many sectors – from students, unions, immigrants, anti-war activists and oppressed nationality community leaders.

On Sunday, May 20, Carlos will join with thousands to protest the war makers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Chicago. He believes it’s important to unite and show the warmongers that we will not stand for their attacks on the self-determination of oppressed people around the globe. Carlos Montes is one of the main speakers, along with the Reverend Jesse Jackson and many others. Carlos Montes will march with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression contingent, alongside Palestine supporters, Puerto Rican and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) contingents. The Iraq Veterans Against War will lead the march and conduct a ceremony to return their medals to NATO generals outside the NATO summit.

Stand with Carlos Montes until the charges are dropped. Call Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley at 213-974-8512. Sign the petition at www.StopFBI.net.

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