FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring

[Capt Bringdown]

FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring (http://www.justiceonline.org/commentary/fbi-files-ows.html)

FBI documents just obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) pursuant to the PCJF’s Freedom of Information Act demands reveal that from its inception, the FBI treated the Occupy movement as a potential criminal and terrorist threat even though the agency acknowledges in documents that organizers explicitly called for peaceful protest and did “not condone the use of violence” at occupy protests.

The PCJF has obtained heavily redacted documents showing that FBI offices and agents around the country were in high gear conducting surveillance against the movement even as early as August 2011, a month prior to the establishment of the OWS encampment in Zuccotti Park and other Occupy actions around the country.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF): “These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.”

As early as August 19, 2011, the FBI in New York was meeting with the New York Stock Exchange to discuss the Occupy Wall Street protests that wouldn’t start for another month. By September, prior to the start of the OWS, the FBI was notifying businesses that they might be the focus of an OWS protest.
- more -> (http://www.justiceonline.org/commentary/fbi-files-ows.html)

[Nbadan]

Not surprising at all... since corporate lobbyist run the government....take the money out of government and give the people back the power...

[Wild Cobra]

FBI documents just obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) pursuant to the PCJF’s Freedom of Information Act demands reveal that from its inception, the FBI treated the Occupy movement as a potential criminal and terrorist threat even though the agency acknowledges in documents that organizers explicitly called for peaceful protest and did “not condone the use of violence” at occupy protests.
Makes sense to me.

The PCJF has obtained heavily redacted documents showing that FBI offices and agents around the country were in high gear conducting surveillance against the movement even as early as August 2011, a month prior to the establishment of the OWS encampment in Zuccotti Park and other Occupy actions around the country.
Good for them.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF): “These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.”
I disagree with that. It is a known fact that when you have a large organized protest, elements outside of those who were invited to protest bend in with the crowd with their own agenda.

As early as August 19, 2011, the FBI in New York was meeting with the New York Stock Exchange to discuss the Occupy Wall Street protests that wouldn’t start for another month. By September, prior to the start of the OWS, the FBI was notifying businesses that they might be the focus of an OWS protest.
I'm OK with this level of concern.

Why does it seen unreasonable?

[Winehole23]

right to petition?

[Winehole23]

for there to be an investigation, there should be some particularized cause. that's the tradition, anyway.

[Wild Cobra]

You don't believe in taking precaution? Why have any law enforcement around anyway then, if it's stated to be a peaceful protest. Are you against that too?

[Winehole23]

in any mass rally, there are legitimate public safety issues -- well short of presuming the protesters to be terrorists and mass murderers.

[ChumpDumper]

I don't know why anyone would expect anything different barring a complete overhaul of FBI methodology.

[Winehole23]

presuming they are, or might be, is contrary to the legitimate, constitutionally spelled out right of citizens to petition their government for a redress of grievances. also, manifestly political speech is expressly protected in the Consitution -- not that WC would particularly care.

[Wild Cobra]

in any mass rally, there are legitimate public safety issues -- well short of presuming the protesters to be terrorists and mass murderers.
Extending your logic, shouldn't there be more safety concerns when something so large and nationally is organized?

[Wild Cobra]

presuming they are, or might be, is contrary to the legitimate, constitutionally spelled out right of citizens to petition their government for a redress of grievances. also, manifestly political speech is expressly protected in the Consitution -- not that WC would particularly care.
Did the FBI do anything wrong?

[Winehole23]

I don't know why anyone would expect anything different barring a complete overhaul of FBI methodology.Board conservatives trust our government to get LE and military force right, but nothing else. That's what I don't get.

[Winehole23]

Extending your logic, shouldn't there be more safety concerns when something so large and nationally is organized?Not seeing it. Paranoia might be self-justifying but that doesn't make it legally justified.

[Wild Cobra]

Board conservatives trust our government to get LE and military force right, but nothing else. That's what I don't get.
There you go again...

[Winehole23]

well, aren't you the one taking up for the FBI?

[Wild Cobra]

well, aren't you the one taking up for the FBI?
I am only saying it is understandable to look for terrorists among such large crowds.

[Winehole23]

and therefore, to investigate private citizens, without any particularized cause. I know where you are on this WC -- you want Leviathan to have the edge on everything.

[Winehole23]

even where it has no business at all . . .

[Wild Cobra]

How were they investigating private citizens? Looks like to me they used public information. Now I only read about half the article, but I didn't see anything that screamed out as violating any rights.

Example please. It is possible I missed something.

[boutons_deux]

True to historical form, WC:

1. always sides with the institution/govt over individuals.

2. who don't share his blind ideology have no rights.

[Wild Cobra]

True to historical form, WC:

1. always sides with the institution/govt over individuals.

2. who don't share his blind ideology have no rights.
You most certainly forget so many things. Is that by stupidity, or design?

[spursncowboys]

right to petition?
They went past petition and demonstating when they started living there.
With all the crimes they were doing, I could see why the FBI would do that.

[boutons_deux]

"With all the crimes they were doing"

crimes? meaning resisting police brutality and unnecessary force, pepper spraying?

the vast majority of the violence and "crimes" were initiated by the police, and a only tiny fraction of OWS reacted violently, so for the police that justifies raping the privacy of every OWS member and communication.

America is a fucking technocratic police state, where even podunkville police forces are fully militarized. There is no more reasonable expectation of privacy or right to assemble.

and that's just the govt. The corporations are all over, and into, our asses, including our kids, here's only one of many examples:

Sneaky Apps That Track Cellphones

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/opinion/sneaking-after-cellphone-users.html?_r=0

[ElNono]

They went past petition and demonstating when they started living there.
With all the crimes they were doing, I could see why the FBI would do that.

Apparently the investigation predates the protests... Even if you entertain the possibility that criminal activity was conducted, this seemingly predates it. The real question this kind of LE activity raises is: do 'thought crimes' warrant an investigation? If so, how far should it go considering no crime has actually been committed?

[spursncowboys]

Apparently the investigation predates the protests... Even if you entertain the possibility that criminal activity was conducted, this seemingly predates it. The real question this kind of LE activity raises is: do 'thought crimes' warrant an investigation? If so, how far should it go considering no crime has actually been committed?
I didn't see that. Unless there were some of the people who organized this were under fbi investigation, this is another abuse of the FBI. Thought crimes, such as the planning phase of a crime? What do you think is too far?
FTR there were well over 100 arrests (for non-traffic ticket offenses) from all the groups throughout the country.

[ElNono]

I didn't see that. Unless there were some of the people who organized this were under fbi investigation, this is another abuse of the FBI. Thought crimes, such as the planning phase of a crime? What do you think is too far?
FTR there were well over 100 arrests (for non-traffic ticket offenses) from all the groups throughout the country.

I have no problem with arrests and investigations once a crime has been committed, that's exactly how it should work. But before the act? Do we have LE building dossiers on people that claim will start a protest soon? Are they domestic terrorists?

[Capt Bringdown]

I'm OK with this level of concern.

Why does it seen unreasonable?

I don't know if it's unreasonable, but it's certainly worth paying attention to, especially given the historical context of post 9/11 moves made in the civil rights arena & looking further back to things like COINTELPRO.
But if you want to get ideological, yeah, I think Wall Street calling the shots and getting yet another reach-around/rubber stamp from Big Government is a bad deal for working people.

[Leetonidas]

The implications of this are pretty important imo. If the government deems the occupy movement a terrorist threat then they have free reign to declare our country to be a war zone and implicate marshal law...and with all the whackjobs shooting shit up recently and the calling to take guns away is just icing on the cake for the people up top imo. the american population will beg for their freedoms to be taken away in the name of safety.

[DarrinS]

Seemls like they'd have better things to do than monitor a bunch of illiterate, homeless people.

[boutons_deux]

Seemls like they'd have better things to do than monitor a bunch of illiterate, homeless people.

FBI did bring down the director of the CIA

[boutons_deux]

Court Rules Antiwar Activists Can Sue Government Spies

A federal appeals court involving antiwar activists who were secretly infiltrated by US military spies has ruled in favor of the activists (http://www.nlg.org/news/court-rules-peace-activists-can-sue-us-military-infiltration), marking the first time a court has endorsed the people’s ability to sue the military for violating their First and Fourth Amendment rights.

“Declassified documents obtained by Students for a Democratic Society and Port Militarization Resistance,”reports (http://truth-out.org/news/item/13542-court-rules-antiwar-activists-can-sue-government-spies#121810) Democracy Now, “revealed a man everyone knew as ‘John Jacob’ was in fact John Towery,” who was assigned by the government to spy on the Washington state-based antiwar groups.

Towery was dispatched from a “fusion center (http://antiwar.com/blog/2012/10/18/fusion-center-boston-police-spied-on-peace-activists/),” or intelligence center, as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s post-9/11 anti-terrorism surveillance powers.

In October, the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee reviewed more than 600 reports that had come out of these so-called fusion centers and found (http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/03/intelligence-effort-wasted-billions-watched-citizens-abused-civil-liberties/) the giant bureaucracy surrounding the program produced almost nothing that had to do with countering terrorist threats.

Instead, the government spy networks snooped on political activists and infiltrated groups that were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights to free speech.

“The centers have made headlines for circulating information about Ron Paul supporters, the ACLU, activists on both sides of the abortion debate, war protesters and advocates of gun rights,”

http://truth-out.org/news/item/13542-court-rules-antiwar-activists-can-sue-government-spies

[Winehole23]

Judges not in the pocket of the MIC/VRWC/1%ers? You said that was impossible.

[boutons_deux]

Judges not in the pocket of the MIC/VRWC/1%ers? You said that was impossible.

there is random judge here and there, but the Repugs/!%/VRWC have both the SCOTUS and a large portion of the federal appeals judges.