ACLU attorney targets Mansoor

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor spent hours on the stand Thursday as an ACLU attorney sought to show he engaged in “political prosecution” when the mayor ordered officers to escort a 26-year-old man from a City Council meeting last year after he criticized the mayor’s plan to train police in immigration enforcement.

During his testimony, Mansoor acknowledged he is an honorary member of the Minutemen Project, a pro-immigration-reform group.

“People give me honors. I simply say, ‘Thank you,’” Mansoor testified in the first day of the trial against Benito Acosta. “They wanted to make me an honorary Minutemen. I simply said, ‘Thank you.’ I don’t participate in any of their activities.”

Mansoor testified police escorted Acosta from the January 2006 meeting because he believed his continued protests would incite “property damage and assault” in City Hall.

He characterized Acosta as “disruptive” to the meeting.

The jury, comprising 11 women and one man, listened to Mansoor’s testimony for most of Thursday. Acosta leaned back his chair during portions of the proceedings, whispering occasionally to one of his attorneys.

Several of Mansoor’s friends and supporters were in the courtroom for most of the day.

Acosta’s American Civil Liberties Union-provided defense contends Minutemen Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist was allowed to speak without interruption at the Jan. 13, 2006, City Council meeting.

Gilchrist asked supporters to stand up in support of his speech at the meeting, but Mansoor did not object, according to a video the defense played in court.

The mayor later admonished Acosta during his pro-immigrant speech at the meeting for similarly asking his supporters to stand up, Acosta’s defense attorney B. Kwaku Duren brought out through the mayor’s testimony.

The video also showed Acosta asking his supporters to stand. Mansoor could be heard on the tape saying, “I will not allow it,” as Acosta shouted over the mayor, “do it, do it,” to the audience.

In testimony, Mansoor said Gilchrist’s supporters sat down before he had a chance to admonish Gilchrist. Mansoor also contended in testimony that Gilchrist’s group was not disruptive, but Acosta’s supporters were.

“They did not get loud or start shouting,” Mansoor testified.