Infiltrated by feds, antiwar group turns on photographer (Raw Story)

[RagingInMiami]

MIAMI -- The first time federal agents infiltrated the Broward Antiwar Coalition was in July 2003, two months before a planned protest against President George W. Bush, according to one member of the South Florida activist group.

The second time was in September 2003, two months before the infamous Free Trade Area of the Americas meeting in downtown Miami, which resulted in several lawsuits against the Miami Police Department for using excessive force against protesters.

And the third time was less than a year ago, just days before the Organization of American States meeting in downtown Fort Lauderdale, said Ray Del Papa, one of the original members of the activist group.

(snip)

And it left them with a simmering rage -- and paranoia from being spied upon -- that exploded on the streets of Miami earlier this month when one of its members allegedly attacked a photojournalist, landing the activist in jail. The incident revealed the untold price of domestic surveillance: that people who feel they are being spied upon are liable to turn on each other.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/The_price_of_domestic_spying_Broward_0124.html

[alfredo]

1. Don't you think that is what the Junta wants?

[RagingInMiami]

2. Of course

Divide and conquer.

[alfredo]

10. Bingo!

They want us paranoid.

The Kent State murders had the desired effect, it put the fear of death into many anti war protestors.

[MnFats]

20. but the Kent State murders galvanized the antiwar movement...

like nothing that came before.
virtually every college campus in the country shut down and huge, massive crowds took to the street.
this was in the days following nixon's reference to protestors as 'bums.'
what a time that was...

[anotherdrew]

25. today no one would give a shit - even here there would be apologists

and nothing would happen. maybe a few "protest" that accomplish nothing, just impotent bullshit. they can kill us with impunity anytime they want and no one will ever do a thing about it. this country is dead.

[stepnw1f]

27. Bullshit! You Would do Shit!

Speak for yourself...

[alfredo]

28. Not really, the size of the protests dimminished

after the first big Kent State demonstrations. Subsequent marches were much smaller than before the murders. Remember, several were murdered in Augusta a short time later. You protest you die was the message many got.

http://www.trinicenter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1054

[madrchsod]

3. nothing new

one has to figure that in any group there will be a spy. i found that out when i was with the sds in the 60`s.

[TomInTib]

6. Maybe not new but nonetheless important and outrageous.

We can never accept this sort of bs.
I was part of it in the 60s as well and back then thought extreme action was needed.
While not quite so excitable now, this issue should be front and center in today's environment.

[madrchsod]

15. i do agree with what you say

even the "excitable now" and yes it has to be front and center. i guess i`m coming from the "i thought everyone knew that" but i guess they don`t.

[TomInTib]

17. There is no such thing as hitting too hard. We need to ride the front

of the wave, not the backside- wondering what happened and thinking "By God, we're not gonna let them do that again".

You and I have been around long enough to know you have to stop them in their tracks before they shake the rein and run loose.

[Hardrada]

19. I was in the SDS also and several other groups

and I always suspected moles but we went ahead anyway with carefully-thought-out protests and did not adopt any crazy agent provocateur type schemes. We were wary of one chap who talked loudly of selling weed and noisily praised Fidel Castro (!).

[MnFats]

21. in Minneapolis there were guys in the crowd pitching rocks&

shouting shit like 'kill the pigs.' others almost constantly tried to calm them.
later these people were seen getting into cop cars....and they weren't under arrest. they were cops.
It's not paranoia if they're actually out to get you.

[hughee99]

24. At the very least, though...

None of their previous "infiltrators" seems to be accused of doing anything like what you're talking about. While all of them were suspicious for various reasons, Del Papa doesn't seem to claim that any of them did anything to make the organization look bad (like shouting incendiary slogans or throwing rock).

[wuushew]

4. Why do people agree to these snoop jobs?

Is it just part of the pay check or do they really feel their target is a legitimate danger and threat? Perhaps someone in law enforcement could explain more clearly.

I guess in my mind those with social conscience could not be farther from the organized crime and racial supremacist groups that such tactics could be used against.

[Mabus]

8. Several reasons

From lack of control (fear) to toadying up to those in charge. Either way, if they cooperate they feel it raises their standing in the eyes of the perceived leader and saves their own ass.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

18. Bushbotic retardation

They probably think they are being great patriots by violating the principles of the bill of rights.

[baby_mouse]

5. "There has to be a spy." - their reasoning being...

Groups of people turn into....

UNCONTROLLABLE MOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An yet... strangely... they never consider *HOW* groups of people turn into uncontrollable mobs.

do they>?

[Mabus]

7. "The Monsters are due on Maple Street" - Twilight Zone episode

This is the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the OP. Here's a nice synopsis of the episode:

Remember the old Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," ranked as one of the series' best by those who care about such matters? A minor classic on Cold War hysteria, it takes place on a typical street in a typical American town, where the power goes out for no apparent reason. Within hours, the neighbors are at each other's throats, accusing one another of treachery and worse. As the lights intermittently come back on and the day turns to night, rioting and shooting occur and the whole place goes to hell in a hand basket. Because it's The Twilight Zone, with its mandatory groan-inducing denouement, we learn at the close of the show that two big-headed aliens, an advance team for a planned invasion of the planet, have been playing the Maple Streeters for suckers. What they did here, they'll soon do all over the country. http://www.reason.com/links/links081503.shtml

[neuvocat]

9. I saw the re-make

that has Forrest Whittaker in it. They did the same thing but the ending...






*spoiler alert*













didn't have aliens manipulating people but U.S. Army soldiers on a hill playing the same sort of tricks.

[Charlie Brown]

12. There was a movie called "The Trigger Effect"

which was basically the same story. I forget if there was a similar revelation at the end, though.

[Mabus]

13. That makes a lot of sense *spoiler alert*

The original episode was a commentary on the Cold War era and McCarthyism (at least that's how I took it). The remake merely pointed out the obvious. The current conditions just prove how easily it can be done. The sheeple are easier to lead when they are afraid. The feds have continually induced fear on many levels to try to gain and keep control.

I haven't seen the remake but I'll keep an eye out for it now.

:scared:

[MnFats]

22. Good call. Good one

it really was a classic episode. One for the ages if you ask me.

[Mabus]

26. It has always stuck with me

I saw the episode as a kid and my parents (ever vigilant) talked to us kids about it. They put it into perspective (McCarthy, group think, etc.) for us. It has always been one of my favorite episodes.

[Charlie Brown]

11. this is exactly what was supposed to happen

Destory the anti-war movement from within. J. Edgar Hoover would be pleased.

[joefree1]

14. Us against them

Bush's domestic policy. Bring it on.

[Mabus]

16. Definitely not new

Just ask a lot of Indian tribes. The government liked putting us on reservations near or with our enemies. When that doesn't work they get stooges to stir the pot for them. That way we fight amongst ourselves and aren't as big a threat to outsiders.

edited for clarity.

[Barrett808]

23. SOP for provocateurs

The US has undertaken such disruption operations for over a century. For details, see Frank Donner's definitive study:

Protectors of Privilege: Red Squads and Police Repression in Urban America
by Frank J. Donner, Frank Donner
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520059514/sr=1-1/qid=1138131930/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8154201-6838264?%5Fencoding=UTF8