Activist Sues Nativist Leader for Defamation 鈥� Again
San Diego Minutemen leader Jeff Schwilk is the adult equivalent of a small child who burns his finger on a stove and 鈥� learning nothing from the experience 鈥� does it again.
Last May, Schwilk was $135,000 to Joanne Yoon, a Korean-American civil rights activist who had helped monitor Minutemen rallies for the ACLU. Yoon sued Schwilk and a former Minutemen spokesman for defamation after the men circulated photos of her accompanied by comments referring to 鈥渢he Korean anoroxic ACLU s---.鈥� The images were posted to a Yahoo group titled 鈥淜orean Kommie Kunt.鈥�
Today, Yoon sued the perpetually peeved Schwilk again for defamation.
In December, Schwilk allegedly sent an email to about 1,000 people with a link to a website video, stating that it showed Yoon admitting she was a 鈥減rostitute鈥� and a 鈥渉ooker.鈥� Just one problem, says Yoon鈥檚 attorney, Daniel Gilleon: That鈥檚 not Yoon in the video. Yoon鈥檚 new suit also names the San Diego Minutemen and 50 people as yet unidentified who allegedly aided and abetted in defaming her. She is asking for compensatory damages of 10 times the sum she was awarded last year, or $1.35 million, plus punitive damages. Schwilk didn鈥檛 respond immediately to a request for comment.
In the email he wrote, Schwilk asked, 鈥淲ill she and her handlers ever stop harassing the San Diego Minutemen? They seem to have endless funds to attack us in our courts, much of it probably drug cartel money.鈥�
Schwilk founded SDMM in 2005. It is one of the most of nativist extremist groups. Its members have called immigrants 鈥渨-------鈥� and 鈥減utas鈥� (w-----, in Spanish) and have chased down and harassed employers who hire immigrant day laborers.
While not shy about speaking of undocumented Mexican immigrants in derogatory language, Schwilk implies in his biography on the SDMM website that he鈥檚 no racist. 鈥淗e worked 3 陆 years in a car wash with hard working Mexicans in the early 鈥�80s,鈥� it reads. 鈥淗is best friend in school was half Mexican.鈥� Schwilk also claims to speak some Korean 鈥� so if he wants to get burned again, maybe he will disparage Yoon in two languages.
