Wash. peace group sues over infiltration

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

Members of a Washington anti-war group are suing an Army intelligence analyst, as well as the city of Olympia and several of its police officials, claiming their organization was illegally infiltrated and that the information gathered was used to make wrongful arrests.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, 13 people alleged John J. Towery, a civilian intelligence analyst at Fort Lewis, attended their meetings and demonstrations using a false identity and relayed information about them to law-enforcement authorities, such as Seattle's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Members of Olympia Port Mobilization Resistance - so called because it opposed the Army's use of civilian ports to ship Stryker vehicles to Iraq - outed Towery last summer, after learning who he was through public disclosure requests filed with Olympia. They said he had been involved with the group since early 2007 and claimed he confessed when confronted.

"This is important because it's one of the few times the military has actually been caught spying," said Larry Hildes, the attorney who brought the case. "It has fundamentally chilled the climate for First Amendment activity in Olympia and Tacoma. It's caused people to distrust each other, and it's made it very difficult to organize peaceful demonstrations."

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010786937_apwadomesticsurveillance1stldwritethru.html

[EFerrari]

1. Good for them!

[midnight]

2. This is why they spy. It causes people to keep to themselves....

[scentopine]

3. Fucking spying on citizens without any evidence of wrong doing, and centrists will say...

that we need to be realistic about the necessity to spy on the left wing citizens while coddling the GODDAMN tea baggers.

I always knew republicans hated us, but now I realize democrats do to.

They hate liberals because they hate our independence and free thinking.

[boppers]

16. lol, didn't see this post until I went back to re-scan the whole thread.

The mentally ill know no party, and both the borderline violent left, and right, have to be watched.

Especially when they have a history of inciting large action, that could potentially turn into dangerous situations for all involved.

It's not the independence, it's not the free thinking, (on either side), it's the utter contempt and disregard for others that comes with any set of passionate beliefs which are untempered by reason.

[glitch]

21. Just because they call themselves "centrists" doesn't mean you have to.

They are not.

[HughMoran]

34. strawman

Nobody would say that, and you know it. :crazy:

[boppers]

4. Sue everyone! It's the american way!

This "illegal infiltration" is certainly a novel angle. The mafia should totally try out that angle, see how it flies... I'm guessing it won't. Oh, and claiming that you're getting unfairly arrested for committing crimes, when you planned to commit a crime, and held freaking *meetings* about it?

Yeah, these folks are not rocket scientists.

[scentopine]

5. LOL! - I knew the centrists would show up scolding like right wingers

yep -very good analogy, handful of war protesters (whose values and actions I support) compared with the mafia. Fucking brilliant.

Only a centrist would scold and mock people for applying liberal principals on a web site like this.

You seem capable of deciding what is and what is not a crime. Too bad those poor slobs can't afford Wall Street lawyers and don't own the legislature for some legal help when they need it. But who needs help with democrats like you twisting the knife.

When the full force of government (who in your eyes would seem to be pure and righteous) goes against a group of ordinary citizens with few resources, I would not be so quick to accept the police and government threat assessment. Especially if it turns out the "infiltrator" was actually instigating.

But I'm not a rocket scientist either. However, since you are bringing your obvious superior intellect to the case, when and how is civil disobedience appropriate? And when is government surveillance of citizens inappropriate? How about the members of this group who were being spied on and didn't participate in any action at all? Is it still OK, like torture - the end always justifies the means? Were they arrested and convicted or were charges dropped for lack of evidence? It is common to arrest people first and ask questions later.

Our world is not turned upside down by an excess of civil disobedience. In fact, just the opposite. Democrats are turning into neo-con apologists.

Or do you just hate liberals and poke fun at anything they do? You know those hapless liberals. Not like the centrists. Nope, centrists are the best - unencumbered by principals and ethics, letting nothing stand between themselves and an expedient political victory. Centrists are attracted to shiny objects, gold and silver.

I'd love to bring back the draft and fill boats and airplanes pointed at Afghanistan with centrists and their cousins the neo-cons and force them to put up or shut up.

One centrist is 100 times more dangerous than any war protester.

I'm working with others to bring back the draft. And I will only be too delighted to watch all the centrists piss themselves when it happens.

[boppers]

6. Did you read the article, or pass judgement without reading?

200 arrested. 36 charged.

They were having public meetings. This wasn't secret wiretaps, or covert searches, this was folks showing up at meetings.

Oh, and the "instigator" claim is rich. Especially when it's made in the same breath as trying to justify the actions.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[boppers]

9. I've worked in government surveillance. The real thing, not the movie kind, FWIW.

The arrests were part of interrupted direct action. That's actually part of the lawsuit complaint.

At their discretion, the government can charge those arrested, or not.

Your statement of "Police fucked up 200 people" isn't in the article.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[boppers]

12. I looked into the group some more.

Attempts to derail trains is not non-violence, it's domestic terrorism. Period.

The trash dumping is more of a minor thing, though, and the trespassing looks fairly minor.

*shrug*

I have an arrest (and conviction) record, I'm surprised that so-called activists would fear such a thing... my, how things have changed. "I'm not willing to be uncomfortable in a jail for my cause!"

[Tempest]

19. How much of the so-called violence was the cop's idea?

This same thing happened to Peace Fresno and it was the undercover cop who was trying to turn the group to violent acts.


I have an arrest (and conviction) record

For what? Jaywalking? Littering? Speeding?

Couldn't have been for much else since any other conviction would prevent you from getting a security job with the government as you "claim" to have.

[boppers]

24. DUI

Depending on the job they *may* crawl into every aspect of your life, find out if you're straight, gay, committed crimes (and what kinds), what drugs you've done, countries you've visited, past political affiliations, etc.

No biggie, as long as you're honest... and if you can't be hired for one reason or another, you work contract, and if direct contract doesn't work, there's always a contractor of a contractor of a (etc).

[Flaneur]

22. Wow, so you're both a spook and a criminal. Or so you claim.

Do tell.

[boppers]

25. Spook? Too many movies with too much glamor gets confusing, I guess.

My specialty is IT, in this context specifically, high speed (Gbps) networking intelligence. My best work was on gathering/monitoring/using internet traffic (and internal LAN/WAN traffic) in real-time, used for compliance monitoring, threat monitoring, and zero-day threat mitigation.

In movie terms, I'm one of the guys who built the software that can tell (and track) in real time that a specific workstation/network/etc is sending nuclear secrets (or bomb threats, or whatever), or is trying to attack a protected resource (or whatever), and then trap and trace all of that traffic while the guys with guns are dispatched... the movie version usually involves some tense music and a flashing ball bouncing around lines, and lots of pretty graphics or, more laughably, guys sitting in vans surrounded by equipment (that nobody has actually used for ages) spouting nonsense terms that "sound technical".

The real-life version involves much more mundane tools, which aren't nearly as pretty, as has nothing to do with proximity, let alone flashing alert sirens and blinking lights.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[U4ikLefty]

8. I guess you were good with the govt doing this to MLK & the SCLC.

They often arrested AND charged as well.

[boppers]

10. MLK and the SCLC tried to sue the government for money because of it?

I think I missed that part.

Probably because it didn't happen.

MLK knowingly committed crimes, and did time for it. He did so in such a way as to draw attention to his cause, and earn sympathy for the movement. He didn't complain about it, he (and the SCLC) used it as an intentional *tactic*.

To compare these "stop stryker vehicle parts from being put on boats" wanna-be activists to MLK is a tad insulting to his memory, too.

[U4ikLefty]

13. I guess I missed the part where I made it an issue...nice try!!!

The issue is not the suit, but the fact that the govt was infiltrating a peaceful group. Liberals & Progressives tend to look donw on authoritarian shit like that.

Now since you "worked in government surveillance", and "the real thing, not the movie kind" (lol), you'll probably consider that just fine.

THAT is the issue...not you weak-assed right-wing talking point about "sue everyone".

[boppers]

15. It's amazing what folks don't know.

"the fact that the govt was infiltrating a peaceful group. Liberals & Progressives tend to look donw on authoritarian shit like that. "

Please tell me when this has not been the case (we can argue about "peaceful" as well, but I'll just ignore it right now).

The US government has been collecting intel on people and groups since, well, before there even *was* an official US government. Depending on conflict levels, the amount of time and effort involved has changed, but there hasn't been any time in history that I know of where the US government was forbidden from reading newspapers, or going to public meetings, in case they accidentally might be informed about what a group was up to.

"you'll probably consider that just fine."

It's status quo. Same as it ever was.

I suppose what surprises me is an assumption that "Liberals & Progressives" are so ill-informed, so un-interested in history, as to think that this is new, or unusual, or different.

'THAT is the issue...not you weak-assed right-wing talking point about "sue everyone".'

They don't like the government protecting its self interests by gathering information, so they're going to sue the government.... for doing the same things the government has done since we rode on horses and delivered letters written with quill.

[sudopod]

18. What the fuck?

Really? You're defending this?

[boppers]

26. Gathering intelligence on violent domestic groups?

Yup, I'm defending that.

[sudopod]

28. And the non-violent ones? nt

[boppers]

31. Gathering info on non-violent ones tends to be a waste of money.

The "hitch" here, as it were, is that not all peace groups are non-violent, and making that determination takes some work to start with.

[sudopod]

32. and you don't see a problemw with invading the privacy

of the innocent?

[boppers]

33. If invasion of privacy is involved, that would be a problem.

Inviting the public to a meeting, however, negates an expectation of privacy. So does publishing an newsletter, printing brochures, etc. These are actions which trade privacy for the public submission of one's views.

[Doctor_J]

20. Anti-war groups are mafia?

thanks for the update :eyes:

[boppers]

27. Is criminal behavior justifiable due to motive?

That's the question.

[New Dawn]

17. Kick for truth.

[glowing]

23. Back in 2006, before the Gov election, we had a CentCom woman come to

our CodePink meeting before a rally... I guess we were harmless.. she never showed back up.

[gratuitous]

29. Maybe it's time to use RICO against the military

Because this kind of racketeering against citizens just plain needs to stop. "Minority Report" was supposed to be a movie, not a blueprint for the kind of authoritarian "you'll probably break the law some time in the future, so we'll arrest you now and charge you with the crime we're pretty sure you were going to commit" nonsense that spawns this sort of dictatorial regime.

I hope the military disgorges a great deal of taxpayer money and that more than a few people go to jail to learn about what the Constitution really says and means.

[The Stranger]

30. Sovereign immunity?