Forum Post: If An Agent Knocks
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 1, 2011, 4:13 a.m. EST by GarciaLorca
(53)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
"Federal law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have a dark history of targeting radical and progressive movements. Some of the dirty tricks they use against these movements include: the infiltration of organizations to discredit and disrupt their operations; campaigns of misinformation and false stories in the media; forgery of correspondence; fabrication of evidence; and the use of grand jury subpoenas to intimidate activists. Today’s activist must know and understand the threat posed by federal law enforcement agents and their tactics as well as several key security practices that offer the best protection.
"Federal agents have many tools at their disposal to target activists. While it is important to know and understand these tools and tactics, it is of critical importance that you resist any paranoia of government surveillance or fear of infiltration, which will only serve to paralyze you or your organization in your quest for social change. If fear of government repression prevents you from organizing, the agents of repression will have won without even trying.
"The Center for Constitutional Rights created If an Agent Knocks to provide advice to activists likely to be targeted by FBI agents or other federal investigators. Since its original release in 1989, If an Agent Knocks has been widely circulated in progressive activist communities across the country. This guide includes both the timeless advice included in the original version and extensive updates to reflect the current state of the law and law enforcement tools. This updated edition also includes a comprehensive discussion of today’s technology, including cell phones, e-mail and web browsing. This guide should be seen as a resource for the information needed to protect yourself and other activists from government investigation and to empower you to continue the struggle.
"We have attempted to provide answers to a broad range of questions for the many scenarios that one can encounter as an activist. We hope individuals and groups use this pamphlet to develop and prepare practical responses – if an agent knocks at your door."
Sirs, it is very simple minded if some one believes a government does not defend itself by all available means. OWS has targeted the root of US establishment. If OWS flourishes I'll be surprised if not a generalissimo, or a military junta dictatorship will not pop up in the US. It is like a law of nature that that will happen. A joint meeting of congress-senate will ratify it over nightly.
This is true. We should not make a fetish of the rule of law. However, there are openings that can be exploited within the rule of law, and the Center for Constitutional Rights has put together a very good pamphlet for basic legal self-defense. Think of it as a legal first-aid kit. But you are right that problems we face go far beyond simple fidelity to the law.
Also, the information contained within this pamphlet, about the technologies now used for surveillance, is truly educational. Before reading the pamphlet I had no idea that a cell phone could be used as a "roving wiretap" even when it is turned off! There is a lot of good information like that.
Sir, I downloaded and read that document. This OWS happens in the US because the law of nature dictates that it should happen in the most advanced super-technological country such that its society can find and tackle the difficulties accompanying it. This society already has reserved its resources for such a "Herculean" task when meditating to commit to it. “They” might even know what one had for his lunch by tracking the account of each person, but always part of the “They” is us: their families and relatives, friends, neighbours. So when the snowball starts, “they” also become vulnerable as us.
//i.imgur.com/iVjUA.jpg
you're right