Updated: Sept. 27, 2010 added videos and links to previous posts somewhat related.
by Roxanne Amico
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Spirit Morph Studio
Sept. 26, 2010
Yesterday, while the Federal Bureau of INTIMIDATION–you know, the New Boss, same as the Old Boss–was raiding the homes of peace and social justice activists across the country in a fishing expedition meant to distract us all from the real criminals and terrorists, the email below arrived in my inbox–About how the U.S. Army, in uniform, in a government van, drove up and down Allen Street here in Buffalo, NY, removing posters announcing a protest scheduled for next Friday.
Below are links to the story about the FBI raids, and the email that came to my inbox (at the bottom of the body of this message, after the links.)
Included in the links below is information about what to do if an agent knocks, and our rights.
Thank you,
~Roxanne
***
Links to the FBI raid:
Alert: FBI Raids On Activists
[Updated 2X] September 24, 2010 posted by Jimmy Higgins
I just saw a Facebook post from Steff Yorek, whom I have known for many years, in Minneapolis. It reads, in full:
The FBI is executing a search warrant on our house right now. The claim to be looking for evidence of material support for so-called Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The FARC and PFLP are mentioned by name. This is taking place in multiple cities across the country. I have been served with a warrant to appear before a Grand Jury. It’s an outrageous fishing expedition….Steff further reports that they have lawyered up–and clammed up….I have no way of knowing how broad this attack is and whether it is limited to supporters of the Colombian and Palestinian struggles, or if other groups on the FTO list are included. Please post any further information you have as a comment, and if they knock on your door, warrant or no, remember that YOU ARE NOT LEGALLY REQUIRED TO SAY ANYTHING TO THEM….So don’t….
http://firemtn.blogspot.com/2010/09/alert-fbi-raids-on-activists.html
Interview: Mick Kelly during FBI raids
Posted by Mike E on September 24, 2010
This appeared on the Marxist-Leninist blog.
http://kasamaproject.org/2010/09/24/interview-mick-kelly-during-fbi-raids/
FBI Sweep Across United States Targets Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Solidarity Groups
FBI Launching Mass Raids of Antiwar Activists’ Homes Insists Raids Are Related to ‘Material Support for Terrorism’ by Jason Ditz, September 24, 2010
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/09/24/fbi-launching-mass-raids-of-antiwar-activists-homes/
“Don’t F*** With Our Activists” – Mobilizing Against FBI Raids
UpTakeVideo | September 24, 2010
Minneapolis, September 24, 2010. The many faceted local peace community rallied quickly to protest and to act against the FBI search and seizure of 6 homes of peace activists and a local peace office. Computers, cell phones, files and records, passports were among items swept up in the early morning raid. This action came a few days after the FBI’s Inspector General criticized the FBI for lying to Justice Department about raids and surveillence of peace groups after 9/11. Washington Post (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/09/fbi_cover-up_turns_laughable_s.html)The 5:30 rally turned out several hundred concerned citizens who heard the first-person stories of the searches. There was a concern that the FBI motivation covered support of Palestinians and Colombian activists. Targets were ordered to report to a Chicago Grand Jury in the future. There will be continued action against the FBI actions including protests to the FBI IG, and local members of Congress. There will be a rally Monday, 9/27 in front of the Minneapolis FBI office.
FBI raids of pro-Palestine activist homes in four US states by Nigel Parry
Friday, September 24, 2010 at 2:38pm
Twin Cities Indymedia reports that FBI raids took place today in Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Illinois. While there is limited information right now, the FBI appears to be targeting people associated with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization for activist work relating to Palestine and Columbia.
http://nigelparry.com/news/fbi-raids-across-america.shtml
Nationwide FBI terrorism raids target anti-war activists
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/fbi-raids-antiwar-activists/
FBI raids six locations in Minneapolis as part of terrorism investigation By Mara H. Gottfried and David Hanners
Pioneer Press Updated: 09/24/2010 04:26:25 PM CDT
http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_16164223?source=rss&nclick_check=1
If an Agent Knocks: What to do when Targeted
Posted by Mike E on September 24, 2010
The FBI raids on the Midwest have brought home to many people the serious and ongoing danger of government repression — particularly of people determined to defend international struggles that the U. S. government considers dangerous….It has also brought home some of the many ways this Obama administration is no different from previous governments — in its use of raw and unjustified police action to intimidate…We have attached here a pdf of a pamphlet from the The Center for Constitutional Rights — If an Agent Knocks. http://kasamaproject.org/2010/09/24/if-an-agent-knocks-what-to-do-when-targeted/
Email: US Army invades Allentown
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hey, Have you heard about the protest below? It promises to be very interesting…. Our friend saw a government van full of army guys (in uniform) go down Allen Street this week and rip down all of the posters for this protest. They didn’t take down any other posters and one guy even re-affixed a poster that had come loose when he took the other down. A guy from the Pink came out and asked them what they were doing and they said they were taking down some “slanderous material”. There’s nothing especially crazy about the poster. It’s an anti-war protest poster. The crazy thing is that a van full of army guys, in uniform, are removing protest flyers from poles. And that’s OK? The last thing I knew, we had something called freedom of speech. As if the state of the US government isn’t enough reason to protest, we can now add the army trying to control what we see on poles in Allentown. Please forward this to anyone that you think may be interested. Thanks…
Email: Oct. 1st Anti Imperialism Protest and March from Johnson Park!
Thu, 23 Sep 2010
March to End Imperialism! October 1st 3pm converge at Johnson Park end up at Lafayette Square.
Come One and All! Come and show your rage at empire and express your joy of resistance! Bring signs, banners, drums and make your voice heard. The people will not be silent to the banker bailouts, wars of empire, corporate greed, profit driven ecocide, police state tactics, prisoner abuse, lack of affordable housing, education cuts, lack of good jobs and corruption! We invite you to join us in mobilizing and marching to herald the truth that another world is possible! The fact there is no draft doesn’t excuse us from building a movement stopping the US wars of aggression. Bring your friends, church groups, unions, co-workers, students, activists and anyone from the community who has had enough and wants real change!
***
Update
[DS added the videos.]
*Revisited* The FBI Knocked on My Door! *Censored*
SocialJusticeNOW | July 01, 2010
The Joint Terrorism Task Force Division of the FBI Visits an Austin Peace Activist to Question About Pre-Crimes! On April 21, 2010, two agents of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) came to my house to talk to me, a part time peace volunteer for Palestine. After verifying that they really were with the FBI, I asked them to wait. I shut my door, took a deep breath, and grabbed my video camera.
In an ideal world what prevails is “the truth.” Therefore, if you are innocent, you have nothing to fear since ultimately you will be found innocent. But the real world is not ideal; and what really counts in this world of ours is the “perception of truth.” Powerful governmental institutions with insurmountable resources at their disposal in terms of skills, money, manpower, organization, computer systems, etc. can create a perception of truth that ends you up in prison—even though you are innocent. This is why there are innocent people on Death Row. Consequently, the only prudent answer, when interrogated by government officials, is to exercise your Right to Remain Silent, and request an attorney, specially, during the current times of political agitation and war hysteria.
Just remember that as Voltaire once said, “It’s dangerous to be right when the government is wrong” and that “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” -George Orwell
I want to thank Jeffry Zavala for: * Helping me remain anonymous in this video * For creating something to help you if the FBI ever knocks on your door to question you about pre-crimes,* For helping me to tell others about my number one cause: Promoting the “One-State” Solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, instead of the apartheid-like “Two-State” scenario.
For more information about what to do if you FBI knocks on your door go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/8578721/Wha…
and http://aclu.org
This is a ZGraphix production.
http://zgraphix.org
Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
***
Stop FBI Harassment
PeoplesVideo | September 26, 2010
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American’s living in a police state?
RTAmerica | September 27, 2010
The FBI raided the homes of a number of anti-war activists in Chicago and Minneapolis. The Activists are planning demonstrations against the FBI. Is this a sign of a growing American police state? Former Reagan official Paul Craig Roberts argued that the US government is establishing in the mind of the public that anyone who criticizes the War on Terror is aligned with terrorists. He further argued that under the rubric of terror the government has stripped American’s of their civil liberties.
***
Democracy Now!
DN! FBI Raids Antiwar (1) and Pro-Palestinian Activists – Chicago and Minneapolis
DN! FBI Raids Antiwar (2) and Pro-Palestinian Activists – Chicago and Minneapolis
see
The Truth and Its Consequences By Timothy V. Gatto
Let’s Have a Real Protest, Not a Democratic Pep Rally, on October 2nd by Glen Ford
A Fist in the System Oct. 2, 2010 By Timothy V. Gatto
from the archives:
Know Your Rights: Shirley Horng + Matt Fogg, LEAP (videos)
No Warrant, No Search! + Ron Hampton (videos)
What To Do If You Get Stopped By The Police by Karl Denninger
BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters (must-see video)
Dandelion Salad 
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It seems that they are doing this to keep people fearful of speaking out or from being politically active.
It’s really a shame that matters have come to this, and I can just imagine how terrible it would be to have your life disrupted this way. It’s a new wave of McCarthyism, isn’t it?
So few Americans are resisting the government today; it’s makes the people who are active more precious… and more vulnerable. All I can say is that a line needs to be drawn here, or it’ll get worse and worse for everyone.
How do you draw that line? Here’s just a few ideas, off the top of my head. Write letters to the editor (real letters that you post in the mail) at your local daily or weekly newspaper, or even better, write letters to everyone you know to let them know what you think about this.
Hold a meeting to write letters to the FBI to let them know you think this is wrong. Send hundreds of letters to them.
Write letters of protest to your university Board of Directors. Request that they take a stance on this…
You can write letters to City Council members, you can ask that a discussion be scheduled on FBI raids of activists at the next City Council meeting.
You can contact your local legislators and ask them to sponsor a bill protesting this at the state level, or even a bill to stop this practice at the national level. Don’t concern yourself with what you’re doing will succeed; just take the steps that you can do anyways.
You can discuss it in your church and ask that the church take a stance on it. You can discuss it at every social event that you attend, so that it’s a topic of discussion and debate across the land in every city, in every place that people socialize, even football games.
Why do people limit themselves to the Internet? We can take back this country in dozens of different ways, if we put our mind to it. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, just lots of little actions that cumulatively impact our collective course.
An excellent compendium of things to know IF an FBI agent knocks on your door. Print it for reference.
This is more than heartbreaking for people who believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights when the FBI and other spy agencies break the rule of law DAILY all across the country — as they’ve bragged they do. Where is our President and his Advisors as this is happening? Is this part of CHANGE? IF SO, WHAT DOES CHANGE MEAN IN THIS CONTEXT? Sadly, Madeline J. Breslin
Thank you, Lo–Great formatting, and it’s important to get this info out to a broad audience asap, so thank you for making it possible! I’ll post links to this at FB and email, etc.
Cheers.
Thanks for putting this together, Roxanne. Cheers!