In case You Missed This... FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide OCCUPY Monitoring

[WillyT]

FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund
DECEMBER 22, 2012

<snip>

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...

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More: http://www.justiceonline.org/commentary/fbi-files-ows.html

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Thank God for Occupy, and for Ed Snowden

Things behind the curtain have gotten very, very ugly. Throwing the curtain open helps us know what we're dealing with.

[cantbeserious]

2. + 1,000

eom

[cantbeserious]

3. Thank You For Sharing

eom

[WillyT]

13. Anytime...

[Fumesucker]

4. Wait and see, we'll find out they were doing the same thing to the Teabaggers

Right?

[Skip Intro]

5. There appears to be secret, nation-wide monitoring of nearly everybody. n/t

[WillyT]

7. I'm Coming To That Conclusion Myself...

[mindwalker_i]

10. Oh this is just ODS

[sabrina 1]

6. Wasn't Homeland Security supposed to be to protect us from Foreign Terrorists?

Don't they huge amounts of money based on that?

So what are they doing spying on Americans exercising their Constitutional Rights?

Does anyone care in this so-called Democratic Government of ours?

This information that the Orwellian named 'Homeland Security' has changed its purpose and is now working for the 'stock exchange' to keep on eye on US Citizens peacefully protesting, should have sparked a Congressional Inquiry at least.

They hold the purse strings, isn't it their duty to ensure that the tax payers' money is not being spent on this kind of violation of rights?

I wonder what it would feel like to be able to trust that your Government actually WAS working to protect you and your rights against these kinds of abuses?

[rhett o rick]

11. It reminds me of Jonestown. nm

[bananas]

8. "we believe is just the tip of the iceberg"

There's a lot of iceberg hidden under the water.

[U4ikLefty]

9. Most of us assumed we were on their shit list.

I was a legal observer for a many actions and assumed I was on "the list." To me, it was more important to foster a new paradigm for the nation...we did that.

Occupy changed the focus & continues to do great things (even if not officially called "Occupy&quot .

I have no regrets for my involvement in Occupy.

[Matariki]

12. One would hope they are also monitoring those folks who show up to rallies with their guns

aka the Tea Party