surveillance

Not only was an anarchist house broken into, but there have been several reports of police, unmarked and in regular squad cars, following activists and driving by anarchist houses, doing surveillance. 

reposted from http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/3697-case-study-in-political-para...
by Tom Burghardt

Political repression comes in all shapes and sizes: from the beat cop smashing the head of a demonstrator to the bureaucrat adding a name to a watch list. While the former has an immediate and shocking effect, the latter, more insidious and far-reaching in its probable consequences to the individual, is less amenable to redress. Once indexed, always indexed.

UPDATE 1/8: Bradley Crowder has apparently taken a plea agreement.

The exposure of Brandon Darby as an FBI Informant has sparked outrage and sadness amongst communities both in Minnesota and Texas. The Austin Informant Working Group released a second statement on Darby yesterday, titled "Darby is Provocateur, Not Hero," in response to often pro-FBI (or, following historical precedent of informant cases, FBI-handled) portrayals of Darby in the media. Also yesterday, Democracy Now! featured the story and interviewed Common Ground co-founder Malik Rahim, who said, "I couldn't read the whole letter [from Darby] ... every time I do, it breaks me down into tears."

The "Texas 2" trial of Bradley Crowder and David McKay on weapons charges is set to begin at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Monday, January 26th. Many who have spoken with the accused believe McKay is cooperating with the government while Crowder is not. Both are inexperienced activists whom FBI documents show were pressured by Darby to escalate their actions, according to the Austin working group. Also on the 26th, the RNC 8 will be in court for a motion hearing and the trial of Darryl Robinson, beaten unconscious by police while copwatching last July and later charged with assault himself, is set to begin.

Writes Michelle Gross of CUAPB, "Through his actions, Darby helped to create a narrative by police that activists/protesters are dangerous. That narrative allowed police to justify obscene expenditures on weaponry, touched off pre-emptive raids and detentions of people who had committed no crimes, and unleashed vicious assaults on people attempting to exercise our First Amendment rights during the RNC." (commentary continued below)

Support Info for Jan 26 TX2 trial | Darby is Provocateur, Not Hero (2nd statement from Austin) | Democracy Now! Interview | New York Times article | Sometimes You Wake Up and It's Different (1st statement from Austin) | BrandonDarby.com (anti-snitch website cataloging Darby | Letter from Darby | Snitch culture: historical examples and current proposals | Betrayed! FBI Provocateur Sets-Up Anti-RNC Activists by Tom Burghardt

"Mr. Darby would not provide details about his undercover activities, but said he had also worked as an informant in cases not involving the convention."
...
"He wore recording devices at times, including a transmitter embedded in his belt during the convention."

January 5, 2009
Activist Unmasks Himself as Federal Informant in G.O.P. Convention Case
By COLIN MOYNIHAN
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/05informant.html

Brandon Darby of Common Ground is an FBI Snitch.

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081231114519856

He’s snitch on many including many at the Pre-RNC groups.

I know many of us know him from his work at Common Ground in N.O.
If Malik Rahim of all people will not disown him, then Common Ground it the enemy too.

Dear friends and allies,

Below is a statement by a group of Austin-based community organizers that documents that a local activist, Brandon Michael Darby of Austin, is a government informant/provocateur.

Brandon now publicly acknowledges that he is working with the FBI and has been for some time.

Sometimes You Wake Up and It's Different: Statement on Brandon Darby, the 'Unnamed' Informant/Provocateur in the "Texas 2" Case from Austin, Texas

It has come to our attention through information that we've received that there was a person informing to the FBI about numerous individuals involved in the Wild Rose Rebellion group and University Of Iowa Anti-War Committee. He has since been outed, confronted and ousted from our community. The purpose of this statement is to warn all radical organizations and people, that we don't have personal ties with, across the country about the following person.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2008/september20...

The U.S. Department of Justice revealed September 3 that the content of a library internet search was among the pieces of evidence leading to the August 30 arrest of a Michigan man for allegedly plotting to disrupt the 2008 Republican National Convention with Molotov cocktails. However, FBI agents pursuing the case never sought investigative assistance from any staff members at Hennepin County (Minn.) Library, where the suspect allegedly sought information on how to make more effective bombs.

About 1pm Sunday afternoon a young white male with a camera came into the Seward Cafe. He stated he was doing a project of documenting the RNC, and asked workers their thoughts RE: RNC. While the cafe was very busy he was sighted taking pictures on the sly of the employees on shift without permission. After taking of pictures was discussed by collective workers, the cameraperson was asked to erase any pictures, and he promptly left the location.

We are calling for autonomous groups to participate in this Sunday night’s surveillance camera hunt around Minneapolis. The game is easy. In small groups, disable or damage as many cameras as possible.