July 14, 2008, San Diego, California: Raymond Herrera of the Minuteman Project protests outside the San Diego Convention Center during Republican presidential candidate John McCain's speech to the National Council of La Raza, a Latino group meeting at the convention center.
The Minutemen bill themselves as a group opposed to illegal immigration. Their critics accuse them of racism. The Minutemen accuse La Raza of racism.
A bit later that day, the Minutemen and some people who disagreed with them spent some time yelling at each another, separated by about 20 feet and a half-dozen police officers. Some of the anti-Minutemen folks held a sign that said "No borders / No nations / No deportations / Amnesty 4 All."
There was plenty of heat, but little light was shed on immigration or any other subject.
Quote of the day: A guy explained the situation to his friend this way, gesturing first at the Minutemen and then at the group Iraq Veterans Against the War, demonstrating across the street: "These people don't like McCain because he's too far to the left. These people don't like him because he's too far to the right."
More photos from the protests, including the most incongruous T-shirt of the day, on my Flickr site.
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