saildude: My run in with Homeland Security

[babylonsister]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/3/102234/3343

My run in with Homeland Security
by saildude
Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 08:35:45 AM PDT

This is my first diary and I am sure it will show but here goes.

Many in our community, Charleston, SC, oppose a planned expansion of the Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminal and have made our voices heard at public hearings and local blogs. The company insists they are well within the permit levels and have stated on the record that the emission levels are 10 times below permitted levels. I dispute this and have been videotaping the company in the act of violating their permit and posting them to YouTube.

Company polluting our local water and air-caught in the act
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=svosprey

The videos clearly show large amounts of coal and cement going directly into the water and also shows the fine dust released which travels for miles and covers all in its reach.

I live on my sailboat next door to the facility and have always just washed the mess off and lived with the nuisance. When I learned of the plan to more than triple the size of the operation I became more active in my opposition and after hearing Kinder Morgans claims I decided to document what I have been observing that directly contradict their claims.

I believe that because of these and other efforts by many others the permit has been delayed. Kinder Morgan is not happy with the delay or my videos so they decided to call upon Homeland Security to silence their critics. This resulted in an armed raid and a no warrant search of my boat (home) and myself. My video tape and digital camera footage was viewed.

Charleston City Paper has a good article written by Stratton Lawrence at this link:

Calling out Kinder Morgan's polluting habits earns one man a visit from Homeland Security
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A30895

When Homeland Security becomes a tool of the corporations to be used against US citizens to silence them we are truly up shit creek without a paddle.

The particular task force used was called Project Sea Hawk and is a pilot project under consideration for expansion nationwide. I believe after 30 or so million dollars their claim to fame is catching 30 illegal immigrants building a bridge and me taking pictures.

Charleston-based SeaHawk task force the first in U.S. to focus on cargo terror threat
http://www.crda.org/news_article.shtml?id=447

My repeated requests for a police report or investigation into who called in a suspicious person report have been met with silence. Kinder Morgan was well aware of who and why they were being filmed and used Homeland Security to try and make the problem go away.

Didn't work.

[MADem]

1. If we were really up shit creek without a paddle, there'd be no newspaper article

And you wouldn't be posting this, nor would the victim be posting it at KOS.

That said, ACLU oughta help this guy--maybe get him a nice payday, too.

[John Q. Citizen]

5. Represive regimes don't materialize over night. They start slow and work their way up.

Hitler wrote in Mein Kompf: The victor should present their demands to the vanquished in installments, whenever possible.

Play time is almost over. The door is shutting. If we assume it won't get any worse, we are just kidding ourselves, because it keeps getting worse.

[MADem]

6. I see the tide turning. NT

[SmokingJacket]

8. I keep thinking I do.

Then more and more shocking stories emerge...

There has been change in the talk, though little change in reality, yet.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Turning toward granting more powers to this dictator? Yeah, I see that too.

The vote made it very clear.

[superkia]

13. And at a faster rate than before!

[SmokingJacket]

7. I think we're up shit creek with an article about a paddle.

Things have gone *rather too far.*

We don't have a paddle, though perhaps we can paddle with our hands, or old copies of National Geographic, or something...

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. LOL - very good! n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Yes best to do nothing and be smug until they come for you.

That reminds of some famous quote about Germany in the 30's. "First they came for ..."


Never mind, you've got it all figured out. How'd you like the voting over in the Senate and House yesterday? Still feeling all smug and comfy with our 'opposition party'?

[Ian David]

2. A Freedom of Information Act Request would be in order. n/t

[saildude]

21. Already in the works

Sort of funny thing to have to do though. I told them the situation and asked to file a complaint as Kinder Morgan knew I was filming and filed a false report. Project Sea Hawk says no investigation.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. A friend in Florida

who happens to be a comic-book artist, rented a few prop guns from a prop place near Orlando (these are non-firing weapon replicas or guns with soldered barrels). His idea was to take many pics of himself holding the guns, which included one monster chain-fed machine gun (M-60?). His purpose was to build a reference library of different perspectives and angles to help his second fledgling career of film storyboarding.

He took his film to a local photo developer. First mistake. Second mistake: he's sort of balding, and it's goddamn hot in FL, so his head was shaved in the pics.

Developer saw the pics and called the cops. Cops, ATF, and Homeland Security agents surrounded his place (at 5 am). He answered the door, bleary-eyed. Slam, to the floor, cuffed, manhandled, insulted. "Where are the guns, man?!?" The streets are blocked off around his place, three blocks in every direction.

He explained, showed the agents his studio. They uncuff him, brush him off, and the ATF guys hand him a business card. "We love movies. Let us know if we can be any help in the future!"

[shance]

4. Guess citizens can't be armed to protect themselves from the militias?

This militarization by "government" groups concerns me and it really should everyone, including those in our military.

[Dr.Phool]

12. It's spreading.

Just yesterday, I was reading about Homeland Security searching bus patrons in Indianapolis.

It's getting scary out there. The fascists are on the move.

[dickbearton]

15. Yes, they are...

but can they be stopped?

[suffragette]

14. First they came for the Texas Democrats

First they came for the Texas Democrats,
and I did not speak out because I was not a Texas Democratic legislator
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0514-07.htm

Then they came for the bus passengers,
and I did not speak out because I was not a bus passenger
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/3/03736/76330

Then they came for citizens protesting corporate malfeasance,
and I did not speak out because I was not that citizen

Next?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. getting more Orwellian every day

[awoke_in_2003]

20. Love that pic

"He has a wife, you know. You know what she's called? She's called... 'Incontinentia'... Incontinentia Buttocks "

[CGowen]

17. What kind of laws are they using? Is this the same thing that happened to Greg Palast?

One of George Bush’s weirder acts in office (and that’s saying a lot) was to move FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose main job is to save us from floods and earthquakes, into the control of the Department of Homeland Security. Exxon’s refineries, once “pollution source points” scrutinized by government watchdogs, are now “critical infrastructure” protected by federal hounddogs.
http://www.gregpalast.com/reporter-palast-slips-clutches-of-homeland-security/

[broadcaster]

18. Ok, note this about the report by saildude (I'm agreeing with him)

Saildude is out there in America, a land of vast expanse, and of 300,000,000+
people, and he complains -- one man -- about pollution, thinking he's got the
right to do this, and to provide documentation via video.

He's a dot on the landscape of America, maybe a CIA satellite with state of the
art image stabilization can look down on him.

The rest of us--important to note-- are going about our lives, wherever we are,
and embedded in our DNA is the belief that we can get wrongs addressed, and
that we won't be jailed or beaten up for complaining.

We are perhaps at lunch, or we're getting up to go to work, as a fleet of
black vans pull up to the dock where Saildude's docked, jump out and move toward
his boat. Or maybe it's the black vans AND the local police. They have a report
that someone called to say a suspicious person was sighted near the coal
facility, and so a terrorist alert was issued and Saildude is standing there
with his mouth open, shocked.

Meanwhile, we have breakfast, or go to a meeting at work, busy as normal. Saildude
however wishes we could see what was happening to him now. A policeman 'accidentally
breaks his camera'---the one used to take pictures of the coal pollution. Threats
are made. Saildude says 'I have my rights' and the black van guys stare at him
like you would do if someone said something very very stupid.

Perhaps in my story, the black van guys leave, and the police 'invite' Saildude
downtown for fingerprinting and an interview. Saildude wishes we could be there to
see that just saying "Constitution," and "you are violating my rights," means so very
little. We don't see him, or hear him.

So we continue our day, safe in the belief
that in America the Constitution applies, and so do basic human rights, until the
vans come for us.

end of story.

[Auntie Bush]

19. You can count on the vans coming for us or our grandchildren someday!

We will be saying..."Do you remember the good old days when we could actually say we hated out government etc.?"

[saildude]

22. That is why I am pressing for a formal report

No American citizen should be put through this with out a formal report. Trust me there is more to this story and it will come out in the end.

They are back pedalling and changing stories and times to try and make all this gybe with how they want to be perceived.

I had already left and over an hour past before these guys showed, if I was a terrorist it would have been over long before the DHS showed.

They are now going to try to cover this by saying the methods they use are secret and can't be disclosed.

I have witnesses and videos and I want my day in court.

[saildude]

23. Thanks for spreading the word

Thanks, Ken