Remember Brisenia Flores

On May 30, 2009, nine-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father, Raul, were shot and killed in their home in Arivaca, Arizona. Shawna Forde, the mastermind of the Flores home invasion robbery, led the vigilante group Minutemen American Defense and has been tied to the national Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

FAIR and the Minutemen groups have a long record of dehumanizing immigrants and vilifying Latinos and have been labeled as “hate groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. But despite their track record, Congress consistently legitimizes these organizations, inviting them to testify as “experts” while their rhetoric gives rise to violence against Latinos. So in response to the Flores murders, Presente.org launched a campaign demanding that members of Congress renounce FAIR, the Minutemen, and all other anti-immigrant hate groups.

Update: In early 2011, Shawna Forde stood trial in Tucson, Arizona for two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder for shooting Brisenia’s mom, Gina Gonzalez. The mainstream media stood silent for most of the trial, so Presente.org designed a poster to raise awareness of Brisenia’s case and lift up her story. To download the poster click on the link below.

Click here to see the original email we sent to members about this campaign.

This campaign has concluded.