Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
If you are like me, you remember the violent response by the FBI, DHS and local police forces to the many “Occupy” movement protests last Fall. In those protests, the police used incredible force and firepower to break up peaceful protests and make a mockery of the First Amendment. The police responses always seemed to be coordinated from city to city and there were allegations that the FBI and other governmental agencies were aiding the local authorities in stamping down the First Amendment rights of the Occupy protestors. Now, a treasure trove of documents was released pursuant to a Freedom of Information request by a group called The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. Those documents expose a level of governmental intrusion into the privacy of protestors and governmental and private bank partnerships designed to crack down on legal protestors.
“It was more sophisticated than we had imagined: new documents show that the violent crackdown on Occupy last fall – so mystifying at the time – was not just coordinated at the level of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and local police. The crackdown, which involved, as you may recall, violent arrests, group disruption, canister missiles to the skulls of protesters, people held in handcuffs so tight they were injured, people held in bondage till they were forced to wet or soil themselves –was coordinated with the big banks themselves.
The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, in a groundbreaking scoop that should once more shame major US media outlets (why are nonprofits now some of the only entities in America left breaking major civil liberties news?), filed this request. The document – reproduced here in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens.” Guardian
When we have discussed how the banks and the wealthy have purchased politicians in order to obtain friendly tax treatment for their companies and themselves we may have lost sight of just how much these “too big to jail” banks are also in bed with the Government and various police agencies. When the Citizens United decision gave the corporations and wealthy carte blanche authority to pour huge sums of money into the election process, we may have missed other strings that some of those same corporations are pulling.
“The documents, released after long delay in the week between Christmas and New Year, show a nationwide meta-plot unfolding in city after city in an Orwellian world: six American universities are sites where campus police funneled information about students involved with OWS to the FBI, with the administrations’ knowledge (p51); banks sat down with FBI officials to pool information about OWS protesters harvested by private security; plans to crush Occupy events, planned for a month down the road, were made by the FBI – and offered to the representatives of the same organizations that the protests would target; and even threats of the assassination of OWS leaders by sniper fire – by whom? Where? – now remain redacted and undisclosed to those American citizens in danger, contrary to standard FBI practice to inform the person concerned when there is a threat against a political leader (p61).
As Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the PCJF, put it, the documents show that from the start, the FBI – though it acknowledges Occupy movement as being, in fact, a peaceful organization – nonetheless designated OWS repeatedly as a “terrorist threat”..” Guardian
Does it surprise you that the portions of the documents where alleged threats of assassinations of OWS leaders were discussed were redacted and the leaders who were “targeted” are left in the dark as to who is targeting them? Will this hint of sniper threats actually act as a deterrent to free speech and peaceful assembly? Was that redaction and the alleged deterrent intentional on the part of the government?
When anyone opines about the huge amount of personal information that banks hold and control and the problems associated with that, I wonder if anyone ever imagined that this information could be used to curtail our First Amendment rights? It is no longer a tin foil hat conspiracy theory that the government is in bed with corporations. These documents prove that the government actually coordinated the police response to the peaceful protests with information from the corporations and their private security organizations.
Naomi Wolff, the author of the Guardian article linked above claims that is now clear that all of the militarizing of police forces was meant to stop all of us from finding out just how the Big Banks and corporations are breaking the law. “Why the huge push for counterterrorism “fusion centers”, the DHS militarizing of police departments, and so on? It was never really about “the terrorists”. It was not even about civil unrest. It was always about this moment, when vast crimes might be uncovered by citizens – it was always, that is to say, meant to be about you.”
They are coming to get you and “they” are a government/corporation partnership that is designed to protect their assets and prevent any citizen from blowing the whistle on their evil entanglement. After reading these damning documents, how can anyone be surprised that the wealthy are ready to hold the country’s economic health hostage to protect their tax breaks? The tax rate issue just may just be the tip of the iceberg. They are after much, much more than just a few percentage points in a tax rate. If the Occupy Movement can be considered double secret terrorists, none of us are safe. Do you feel safe?
HenMan,
Well said.
Should we be surprised by anything in a nation that is about to start determining the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security on the theory that if hamburger becomes too expensive for seniors to afford, they will switch to cat food- and therefore need less money from Social Security?
“Chained CPI” my ass! Just another name for the same old “Screw The Poor” policies of the Congress, Supreme Court, and yes, the President of the United States that some of you just voted for. Is it any wonder that the banks can use the full power of the U.S. Government to protect their turf?
DonS,
Outrage followed courage down the Patriot Act hole.
RWL,
The ranks would be filled within 24 hours. That used to be called scabbing, now it is survival by holding two jobs per parent.
I think the banks etc should be forcefully nationalized like Norway did in 1934 when their 4 largest banks threatened to croak. Yeah, finance support if you hand over the reins to the socialist government.
i seem to recall several stories of leo’s transporting or otherwise encouraging homeless/street people to hang out with occupy groups.
and no, i can’t supply links at this time. i’m trying to reboot another computer (not this one) with the help of three cats and a dog. (two of the cats are no help at all).
hardware i can deal with, software sux
Great link DonS.
shorter Beverelliee: a surmise on top of a speculation wrapped in an assumption 😉
Also in the Guardian is Glenn Greenwald’s column. This from section 4) of the link:
“obviously disturbing as it is, none of this should be surprising. Virtually every seized power justified over the last decade in the name of “terrorism” has been applied to a wide range of domestic dissent. The most significant civil liberties trend of the last decade, in my view, is the importation of War on Terror tactics onto US soil, applied to US citizens – from the sprawling Surveillance State and powers of indefinite detention to the para-militarization of domestic police forces and the rapidly emerging fleet of drones now being deployed in countless ways. As I’ve argued previously, the true purpose of this endless expansion of state power in the name of “terrorism” is control over anticipated domestic protest and unrest.
“It should be anything but surprising that the FBI – drowning in counter-terrorism money, power and other resources – will apply the term “terrorism” to any group it dislikes and wants to control and suppress (thus ushering in all of the powers institutionalized against “terrorists”). Those who supported (or acquiesced to) this expansion of unaccountable government power because they assumed it would only be used against Those Muslims not only embraced a morally warped premise (I care about injustices only if they directly affect me), but also a factually false one, since abuses of power always – always – expand beyond their original application.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/26/drones-yemen-fbi-occupy-terrorism
Justice,
You are correct that it is interesting that the Guardian reported it. Thank you for clarifying the record concerning the honor of the Occupy members.
RWL,
I am shocked that Wal Mart may be screwing its employees! 🙂
I wonder how much investigating they did on the tea party? I’m sure they did but didn’t need to use it because the media was so against them. How many positive articles on the tea party did you read vs. OWS? Police were more afraid of something the media was supportive of…I wonder why?
My experience with Occupy, though limited, was good. Period.
Do I feel safe? No!
It is interesting to note that this reporting is coming from The Guardian, a British newspaper. Our journalists are so afraid of this group that if they touch this story at all it will look like the conspiracy was Occupy Wall Street’s fault.
As the documents prove speaking truth to power has become even more dangerous in this country that we ever thought and it was being done during the Obama administration. Shame on Obama and his head of Homeland security for selling out the Constitution and the citizens of this country.
As to who made up OWS, I visited the group in NY. The mix of people was exactly what you would expect: intense young people, some college students, some unemployed college graduates, some young disaffected drifters; older people retired people, union workers, some off duty fire fighters, a smattering of professionals; tourists both foreign and domestic; and, police, lots of police and I was there on a very quite day. The encampment had its own library, its own medical tent and,when I was there, its own band. Where there a few eccentrics, sure but nothing threatening.
The sad thing is that many young people avoided becoming involved because they feared arrest and a criminal record for exercising their constitutional rights. They had too much to lose.
This article is fascinating, but it is decades late. The FBI, DHS, Secret Service, (Federal Government) etc has been infiltrating and dissolving groups or movements since the early 1900s (some historians believe that our government has been doing this before the 1900s). Your question of whether or not we should feel safe is something to ponder. We are safe if we follow ‘their (wealthy) formal and informal rules’. Unless the American people accept the fact that our democracy is an oligarchy, then we will always have movements, like the occupy wall street, civil rights, women rights, etc. Once we accept this fact, then we, the people, will be able to stand up against this oligarchy. However, we, the people, doesn’t even exist. We are a nation divided and-as the old saying goes-we are easy to be conquered by the wealthy or anyone else. Here is a typical example of how we are supposed to follow the rules:
A walmart associate told me that they (walmart employees) didn’t receive their 4th quarter bonus (averaging between $150-$350 per quarter) due to their store not reaching their sales goals, non-accident goals, etc. However, Fortune magazine published a list of the wealthy americans with 4 or 5 members of the Walton Family (walmart founders and majority share holders) net worth for 2012 is roughly $23-$28 billion for each individual Walton Family member. However, noone wants to talk about it at the store. Follow the rules, and hope to get your bonuses next year, if you don’t like it then, quit. How would the walton family make their billions if every walmart employee quit? And Walmart had an average of $10 billion in profits the past few years, and now, according to this employee,they are raising the health insurance premiums and co-pays?
Thank you Larry for covering this and, yes, shame, shame on our (supply your own adjective) media . The jackboots are out and they are in service of the 1% with the servile complicity of the feds. I view this in light of the civilized discussion below (relating to taxes, the French experience, etc) of how we should be oh so solicitous of the feelings of our betters (the 1%) and not be mad or vengeful of them because they took all the money. When one juxtaposes that call for rationality against the evident conspiracy to beat down dissent . . . well I lose patience with that equation that calls for my restraint while knowing full well we are being sucked dry as a democracy by the ‘plutocrats’ and their lackeys, including the government of the United States of America.
Here’s another look at parts of this story from Emptywheel. Regarding redaction of notes:
“But FBI redacted all these endnotes as a b(7)(E) exemption, which allows FBI to hide techniques used in law enforcement investigations.
“These are–at least according to the claims in the document–public websites (and would have to be to be permissible under preliminary investigation rules). And yet, the FBI refuses to tell us on which public websites these claimed suggestions were made.
“Probably, because that would show that FBI is using the timeworn “investigation techniques” of “drawing illogical conclusions from public claims” and “just making shit up” to invent the reason to use First Amendment activities as the predicate for an investigation.”
http://www.emptywheel.net/2012/12/26/dear-fbi-show-your-work/
One asks, e.g., of our Senators and Reps., ‘where’s the outrage?’
nick, My husband went to one, but he no longer posts here. 😉 I think they started out well but some of the sites changed. Their intentions were honorable, and they gave the American people an awareness of the 1% which hopefully will be their legacy.
When Eisenhower warned us to beware the “military-industrial complex,” I wonder if he could have envisioned the lengths to which the “Power Elite” would go to achieve its various, too-often totalitarian aims. Perhaps if we were better historians and actually had learned from the past, we could have prevented this Fascist ideology, strategies, and tactics from trampling on our basic our freedoms. No, probably not..
Anybody believe that we have a chance against this oppression?
They say that the end justifies the means. But if the end is our end and the Constitution is a paper to wipe your bum on, well are we not aware that massive demonstrations are our next move.
Any volunteers.
BTW, OT observation, today say EU economists that USA is goiing into a depression, and we will follow, since EU already took its cuts in welfare etc. and is dependint on US dollar loans, Sweden included. And it is in our case the banks are not taking the costs, we are. Up for discussion at our FED.
Happy New Year. 2 minutes past 12AM here.
It is a shameful Nixonian misconduct that should be investigated by a special prosecutor. And despite my political position, I seek the impeachment of those involved, including Obama
I can only speak on Madison, Wi. I don’t rely on the press since as GeneH eloquently wrote earlier today, they’re basically horseshit. Being a a walker, I would often[~ 30 times] walk past the occupy encampment in Madison. It was almost exclusively homeless and people w/ serious psychological problems. They were often incoherent. I did not approach these folks as an adversary but as an ally. There rhetoric was incoherent @ best, crazy @ worst. I was offered drugs and alcohol routinely. That is in NO WAY disparaging, but hopefully edifying. And..I like “different.” My favorite flicks are about “different” people ala To Kill a Mockingbird, Cuckoo’s Nest, Harvey, Edward Scissorhands, etc. I combine my personal investigation w/ a hilarious and disturbing piece done by a reporter for the Daily Show[the Englishman..I forget his name] on the NYC Occupy people and I respond to this post w/ WTF??
Madison, which is the Berkley of the midwest, has gotten fed up w/ these hooligans. If anyone here has actually gone to an Occupy site, I would be interested in your experience.
I’m glad you hit this topic, raff. It was one I had been considering until the Newtown wind blew through the news landscape. It’s important that people realize the draconian tactics used against people exercising their free speech rights by those in power who have everything to loose if their sand castles are pulled down around their venal corrupt power mongering ears by a public fed up with the inequity created by those who think they are above the law. In a truly just world, half of Wall Street would be in prison right now as well as a large number of our current and recent political leadership.
That is something that should not be forgotten, let alone forgiven.
Larry,
Great job and valuable information. In the past I’ve written about staving off a dictatorship of the “Corporate Elite”, with this I can no longer deny that it is already here. What exactly was the major threat this program was dealing with………..the truth perhaps?