Surveillance

WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union charged today that the FBI and local police are engaging in intimidation based on political association and are improperly investigating law-abiding human rights and advocacy groups, according to documents obtained through a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. ACLU affiliates today filed FOIA requests seeking similar documents in ten states.

On Friday, police arrested 37 riders and confiscated dozens of bicylcles. Last week, the city filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the group TIME'S UP! from promoting or advertising events that the city alleges to be illegal. The lawsuit also states that TIME'S UP! and the general public cannot participate in riding or gathering at the Critical Mass bike ride.

The Boston Herald reports that Local Joint Terrorist Task Force investigators are keeping close tabs on Boston's Anarchist Black Cross.

The ACLU has launched a nationwide effort to expose and limit FBI spying on people and groups simply for speaking out or practicing their faith. As a first step, the ACLU and its state affiliates have filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in 10 states and the District of Columbia. They have evidence that the FBI and local police – working through so-called Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) – are spying on environmental, anti-war, political, and faith-based groups.

Civil liberties activists won a victory on Wednesday, September 29 when a key part of the USA PATRIOT Act that allows the FBI to secretly demand information from Internet providers was ruled unconstitutional by a U.S. District Judge. Section 505 of the Act requires Internet service providers and any other type of communication provider--including telephone companies--to comply with secret "national security letters" from the FBI. Those letters can ask for information about subscribers--including home addresses, what telephone calls were made, e-mail subject lines and logs of what Web sites were visited. The law was struck down the grounds that it violates free speech rights under the First Amendment as well as the right to be free from unreasonable searches under the Fourth Amendment.?

The ACLU, which filed the lawsuit six months ago on behalf of an unnamed Internet company, says that the Court's decision was an "important victory and significant step in the efforts to dismantle the harmful aspects of the Patriot Act."

The ruling could have a broad impact on government surveillance.

[ ACLU press release | Court Ruling | Related section of the PATRIOT Act ]

When cops play peacekeeper, free speech too often becomes the enemy. (A decent article from the Village Voice.)

These images, presented in no particular order, provide evidence that the NYPD used diverse means to interrupt and discourage Constitutionally protected dissent, through illegal arrest, intimidation, and other tactics. Photos were taken between 8/28 and 9/1/2004.

Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Harassment, intimidation, and arrests hallmarks of increasing government campaign against dissent

IndyMedia realtime reports of police abuses during RNC protests on Sunday, August 29, 2004

Hi-Tech gadgetry in use by NYPD and Homeland Security to intimidate protestors