Black activist jailed for his Facebook posts speaks out about secret FBI surveillance

[Skidmore]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/11/rakem-balogun-interview-black-identity-extremists-fbi-surveillance?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Facebook

Rakem Balogun thought he was dreaming when armed agents in tactical gear stormed his apartment. Startled awake by a large crash and officers screaming commands, he soon realized his nightmare was real, and he and his 15-year-old son were forced outside of their Dallas home, wearing only underwear.

Handcuffed and shaking in the cold wind, Balogun thought a misunderstanding must have led the FBI to his door on 12 December 2017. The father of three said he was shocked to later learn that agents investigating “domestic terrorism” had been monitoring him for years and were arresting him that day in part because of his Facebook posts criticizing police.

“It’s tyranny at its finest,” said Balogun, 34. “I have not been doing anything illegal for them to have surveillance on me. I have not hurt anyone or threatened anyone.”


'Everything is just gone': a mother reflects on the killing of her son by police
Balogun spoke to the Guardian this week in his first interview since he was released from prison after five months locked up and denied bail while US attorneys tried and failed to prosecute him, accusing him of being a threat to law enforcement and an illegal gun owner....more

[Tavarious Jackson]

1. Jeff Sessions DOJ nt

[MountCleaners]

2. Cointelpro is back

We all knew this was going to happen. Time to harass black activists again....

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[brer cat]

4. "Black identity extremists"?

Balogun, who lost his home and more while incarcerated, is believed to be the first person targeted and prosecuted under a secretive US surveillance effort to track so-called “black identity extremists”. In a leaked August 2017 report from the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit, officials claimed that there had been a “resurgence in ideologically motivated, violent criminal activity” stemming from African Americans’ “perceptions of police brutality”.

Wow. I wonder where those "perceptions of police brutality" came from?

Thanks for the post, Skidmore. Can't say I'm overjoyed to learn about this "secretive" surveillance, but I guess trump and Jeffyboy are.

[SunSeeker]

5. So Manafort gets to stay home pending his trial, but this guy was immediately arrested?

They had a shitty case against him, but he still spent months in jail, causing him to lose his home, car and family.

Me thinks he has a civil rights case against DOJ. He certainly was damaged by their actions.

[farmbo]

6. This is a classic federal Civil Rights claim under 42 USC Section 1983

...violation of rights under color of law. If the Guardian reporting is accurate, he appears to be qualified for monetary damages AND attorney fees.
Hopefully a qualified civil rights attorney from the Local Bar will step up.

[The Polack MSgt]

7. Kick and rec.

This nonsense needs to stop now.

We cannot allow this to feel normal. Strange that my pasty pale gun owning bretheren aren't screaming about the rights of this American... Compared to let's say George goat fucking Zimmerman

[oasis]

8. As alt right and nazi skinheads roam free, undermining our democracy.

Wake up America!