HANDS OFF OCCUPY ACTIVISTS: Drop charges on the ACAC 19
Fax/Call in Day Week of 12/17/2012.
Recently San Francisco Superior Court Judge Andrew Y.S. Cheng denied demurrers for all but one defendant of the ACAC 19 signaling that the case will most likely go to trial in the coming months. This week we are asking all supporters to fax and call San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascón, starting Monday, December 17th to demand that all charges be dropped against the ACAC 19.
Jake Cooper
December 25, 20121 Breaking: Just Released FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occup
Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:52 am (PST) . Posted by: “info@freemumia.com” mumianyc
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.
“This production, which we believe is just the tip of the iceberg,
is a window into the nationwide scope of the FBI’s surveillance,
monitoring, and reporting on peaceful protestors organizing with the
Occupy movement,” stated 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.”
“The documents are heavily redacted, and it is clear from the
production that the FBI is withholding far more material. We are filing
an appeal challenging this response and demanding full disclosure to
the public of the records of this operation,” stated Heather Benno,
staff attorney with the PCJF.
* 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.
* The FBI’s Indianapolis division released a “Potential
Criminal Activity Alert” on September 15, 2011, even though they
acknowledged that no specific protest date had been scheduled in
Indiana. The documents show that the Indianapolis division of the FBI
was coordinating with “All Indiana State and Local Law Enforcement
Agencies,” as well as the “Indiana Intelligence Fusion
Center,” the FBI “Directorate of Intelligence” and other
national FBI coordinating mechanisms.
* Documents show the spying abuses of the FBI’s “Campus
Liaison Program” in which the FBI in Albany and the Syracuse Joint
Terrorism Task Force disseminated information to “sixteen (16)
different campus police officials,” and then “six (6)
additional campus police officials.” Campus officials were in
contact with the FBI for information on OWS. A representative of the
State University of New York at Oswego contacted the FBI for
information on the OWS protests and reported to the FBI on the
SUNY-Oswego Occupy encampment made up of students and professors.
* Documents released show coordination between the FBI, Department
of Homeland Security and corporate America. They include a report by
the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC), described by the federal
government as “a strategic partnership between the FBI, the
Department of Homeland Security and the private sector,” discussing
the OWS protests at the West Coast ports to “raise awareness
concerning this type of criminal activity.” The DSAC report shows
the nature of secret collaboration between American intelligence
agencies and their corporate clients – the document contains a
“handling notice” that the information is “meant for use
primarily within the corporate security community. Such messages shall
not be released in either written or oral form to the media, the
general public or other personnel…” (The DSAC document was also
obtained by the Northern California ACLU which has sought local FBI
surveillance files.)
* Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) reported to the DSAC
on the relationship between OWS and organized labor for the port
actions. The NCIS describes itself as “an elite worldwide federal
law enforcement organization” whose “mission is to investigate
and defeat criminal, terrorist, and foreign intelligence threats to the
United States Navy and Marine Corps ashore, afloat and in
cyberspace.” The NCIS also assists with the transport of Guantanamo
prisoners.
* DSAC issued several tips to its corporate clients on “civil
unrest” which it defines as ranging from “small, organized
rallies to large-scale demonstrations and rioting.” It advised to
dress conservatively, avoid political discussions and “avoid all
large gatherings related to civil issues. Even seemingly peaceful
rallies can spur violent activity or be met with resistance by security
forces. Bystanders may be arrested or harmed by security forces using
water cannons, tear gas or other measures to control crowds.”
* The FBI in Anchorage reported from a Joint Terrorism Task Force
meeting of November 3, 2011, about Occupy activities in Anchorage.
* A port Facility Security Officer in Anchorage coordinated with the
FBI to attend the meeting of protestors and gain intelligence on the
planning of the port actions. He was advised to request the presence of
an Anchorage Police Department official to also attend the event. The
FBI Special Agent told the undercover private operative that he would
notify the Joint Terrorism Task Force and that he would provide a point
of contact at the Anchorage Police Department.
* The Jacksonville, Florida FBI prepared a Domestic Terrorism
briefing on the “spread of the Occupy Wall Street Movement” in
October 2011. The intelligence meeting discussed Occupy venues
identifying “Daytona, Gainesville and Ocala Resident Agency
territories as portions …where some of the highest unemployment
rates in Florida continue to exist.”
* The Tampa, Florida FBI “Domestic Terrorism” liaison
participated with the Tampa Police Department’s monthly
intelligence meeting in which Occupy Lakeland, Occupy Polk County and
Occupy St. Petersburg were discussed. They reported on an individual
“leading the Occupy Tampa” and plans for travel to Gainesville
for a protest planning meeting, as well as on Veterans for Peace plans
to protest at MacDill Air Force Base.
* The Federal Reserve in Richmond appears to have had personnel
surveilling OWS planning. They were in contact with the FBI in Richmond
to “pass on information regarding the movement known as occupy Wall
Street.” There were repeated communications “to pass on updates
of the events and decisions made during the small rallies and the
following information received from the Capital Police Intelligence
Unit through JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force).”
* The Virginia FBI was collecting intelligence on the OWS movement
for dissemination to the Virginia Fusion Center and other Intelligence
divisions.
* The Milwaukee division of the FBI was coordinating with the
Ashwaubenon Public Safety division in Green Bay Wisconsin regarding
Occupy.
* The Memphis FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force met to discuss
“domestic terrorism” threats, including, “Aryan Nations,
Occupy Wall Street, and Anonymous.”
* The Birmingham, AL division of the FBI sent communications to
HAZMAT teams regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement.
* The Jackson, Mississippi division of the FBI attended a meeting of
the Bank Security Group in Biloxi, MS with multiple private banks and
the Biloxi Police Department, in which they discussed an announced
protest for “National Bad Bank Sit-In-Day” on December 7, 2011.
* The Denver, CO FBI and its Bank Fraud Working Group met and were
briefed on Occupy Wall Street in November 2011. Members of the Working
Group include private financial institutions and local area law
enforcement.
* Jackson, MS Joint Terrorism Task Force issued a
“Counterterrorism Preparedness” alert. This heavily redacted
document includes the description, “To document…the Occupy Wall
Street Movement.”
You can read the FBI – OWS documents here where we have uploaded
them in searchable format for public viewing.
The PCJF filed Freedom of Information Act demands with multiple federal
law enforcement agencies in the fall of 2011 as the Occupy crackdown
began. The FBI initially attempted to limit its search to only one
limited record keeping index. Recognizing this as a common tactic used
by the FBI to conduct an inadequate search, the PCJF pressed forward
demanding searches be performed of the FBI headquarters as well as FBI
field offices nationwide.
The PCJF will continue to push for public disclosure of the
government’s spy files and will release documents as they are
obtained.