America Today: FBI Raids Peace Activists, Confiscates MLK Photo

[kpete]

Stephanie Weiner, a peace activist in Chicago, said about 20 FBI agents raided her house and took documents and photos, including one of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Another activist was an organizer for the 2008 demonstrations at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Steff Yorek, an antiwar spokeswoman, said the Anti-War Committee offices where she worked at 1313 5th St. SE. also were raided.

Tracy Molm said she woke up to:

"federal agents pounding on the door. I was told to be seated on my couch and I had no rights to walk around the apartment and I was under an investigation for my connections with groups in other countries, particularly Palestine."

Molm said she went to the Palestinian territories in 2004 with an international solidarity delegation. She said she saw houses demolished without notice and people jailed without evidence. "I don't believe I've done anything illegal."

the rest:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/9/25/905259/-Wheres-the-Change-FBI-Raids-Peace-Activists,-Confiscates-MLK-Photo

[gratuitous]

1. You are now supposed to imagine how much worse this would be under Bush or McCain

Kapeash?

[tblue37]

15. Capisce. It's Italian.

". . . third person present tense form of capire “to understand”, from Latin capere “to grasp, seize." Related to capture."

[bahrbearian]

28. Now I understand , because it would have been worst under Repugs

Its OK under the Dems.

[Bluebear]

35. +

[yurbud]

49. under Bush, they would have been beheaded and terrorists blamed.

[Scuba]

2. Outragious.

[stray cat]

3. hamas is not considered a terrorist group by many peace activists who aid them

kind of the way some anti-abortion supporters are sympathetic to the violent activists

[EFerrari]

4. What utter cr@p. There is NOTHING linking these long time community workers

to HAMAS.

[Pavulon]

8. you are right it was hezbolla in lebanon. will see what they got on the warrants(nt)

[Puregonzo1188]

16. You keep posting this in all the threads about this. Here is the warrant:

http://tc.indymedia.org/files/kelly-warrant-92210.pdf

See for yourself.

[Buenaventura]

38. "...Minnesota, and other foreign countries..." n/t

[Puregonzo1188]

50. Picked up on that one today. I was telling someone about it over the phone and was reading

the warrant and when I said "Minnesota, and other foreign countries" I assumed I had misread.

I had not.


We both got a kick out of that.

[laughingliberal]

40. Huh. Wonder how a picture of MLK fits in with the evidence for which they claimed to be working. nt

[golddigger]

5. "ChangeThat Matters," yeah right.

[Pavulon]

10. Yeah I expect the president to stop enforcing US law..

and make illegal activity legal. I mean other than drugs, those should be legal. Unlike hamas, farc, pflp, they dont blow up pizza joints and buses.

[golddigger]

13. Yeah, your right. Those pics of MLK could cause

some serious damage. My mistake.

[Pavulon]

14. Aww, poor guys. I am sure they will get their stuff back

after the FBI searches it for criminal activity as detailed in a warrant. I dont care about their jobs, politics, or pictures on their wall. They are either going to be indicted for a felony or get an apology. Lets see what happens.

[flyarm]

34. please document the last time the FBI issued an apology! I would love to read that!

and please also document the last time the FBI paid innocent people back for their going broke attaining attorney's for bogus harrassment!

Lets see the documents!!

And the Apologies!

I will await your providing those for all of us to see.

[hobbit709]

25. guilty until proven innocent you say?

[ZombieHorde]

31. Did you expect the President to stop enforcing US law with Bush?

Bush gets a pass; peace activists don't?

[City Lights]

32. !

:thumbsup:

[dflprincess]

51. The president doesn't seem to worry about the law when it comes to Bush & Cheney

then we're suppose to "look forward" and forget about war crimes.

[golddigger]

6. I warned people this was going to happen

under McCain/Palin...oh wait!

[Uncle Joe]

7. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[Hannah Bell]

9. the terrorist mlk! omg!

[EFerrari]

12. Maybe J. Edgar Hoover isn't really dead. n/t

[Hannah Bell]

18. seems like his animated corpse walks.

[laughingliberal]

42. +1000 nt

[Starry Messenger]

11. k & r

[chimpymustgo]

33. Great post.

[Odin2005]

17. The fuckers in power all all the same fascist thugs, not matter what party.

:grr:

[TBF]

23. Although I would note that the last time this happened it was

also under a democratic administration. WTF?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Raids

The Palmer Raids were attempts by the United States Department of Justice to arrest and deport left-wing radicals, especially anarchists, from the United States. The raids and arrests occurred in November 1919 and January 1920 under the leadership of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Though more than 500 foreign citizens were deported, including a number of prominent leftist leaders, Palmer's efforts were largely frustrated by officials at the US Department of Labor who had responsibility for deportations and who objected to Palmer's methods and disrespect for the legal process. The Palmer Raids occurred in the larger context of the Red Scare, the term given to American fear of and reaction against political radicals in the years immediately following World War I.

(much more at the link)

[Go2Peace]

19. Don't worry. This is just the first step. This law is designed so that they can make almost anyone

look like a terrorist sympathizer.

As the Carter center said, almost any humanitarian group will be at odds with it.

So NEXT step will be to amplify some little charge and trump it up in the media. Then we will have our little blind authoritarians here on this site who will declare they were right and can go back to sleep.

We all know how this works by now don't we? It's masterfull. I see this as a possible first strike in a long dark period in our history. Just judging from the number of "liberals" who are completely clueless.

[pinboy3niner]

20. They took an MLK photo??? WTF? Is that now deemed seditious?

What's next-photos of JFK and RFK?

[laughingliberal]

44. Interesting, yes? A photo of MLK is evidence of material support for terrorists. We are through the

...looking glass, now.

[RandomThoughts]

21. Have they considered watching Burger King advertisements.

Just saw the pink lady in this commercial, if that is who they looking for :)

She is even watering the grass :)

LOL

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9510262

[maryf]

22. k&r from my email:

This is a listing of actions on Monday and Tuesday, Sept 28 and 29.

It is in response to the Minneapolis Antiwar Committee's Call for Emergency Actions to Support Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists & Stop FBI Raids and Harassment at Federal Buildings and FBI Offices.

It is 13 cities so far.

We plan to post a major National email on Sunday morning to all of our IAC email lists.

It would list all the cities that we know of so far and include the email from Minneapolis calling for coordinated actions.

If you are posting this to other lists let’s be sure to include the demands and the cities where emergency actions are planned.

**Stop the repression against anti-war and international solidarity activists.

**Immediately return all confiscated materials: computers, cell phones, papers, documents, etc.

**End the grand jury proceedings against anti-war activists.



We need to reach far beyond ourselves and awaken the whole movement to this enormous threat.

How much support there is and whether we can turn this attack back will impact all of our plans in the coming period.

The subpoenas to appear before the Grand Jury start on Oct 5, then Oct 12, 19.


Let’s include as many cities as we possibly can.

Please let me know if you know of ANY other actions.

Many Thanks,

Sara’

Minneapolis MN, Monday: 4:30, FBI Office Monday, 111 Washington Ave. S.

Chicago, IL, Monday: 4:30 FBI Building, 2111 W. Roosevelt Rd.

NYC, Tues. 4:30 to 6pm Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza,

Newark, NJ Tues 5 to 6pm Federal Building Broad Street

Washington DC, Tues 4:30 – 5:30 FBI Building 935 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

Detroit MI Tuesday 4:30 McNamara Federal Building

Buffalo, NY 4:30 at FBI Building - Corner of So. Elmwood Ave. & Niagara St.

Durham NC on Monday, 12 noon Federal Building, 323 E Chapel Hill St

Raleigh NC. Tuesday 9 am. Federal Building, 310 New Bern Ave

Asheville, NC Tuesday

Atlanta, GA, Tues Noon, FBI Building

Gainesville, FL on Monday, 4:30 PM at FBI Building

Salt Lake City, Utah, 9 AM on Monday at Federal Building


From: "Steff Yorek" <[e-mail]>
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:25:46 PM
Subject: Emergency Actions to Support Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists: Stop FBI Raids and Harassment

Emergency Actions to Support Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists



Stop FBI Raids and Harassment



A call for action at Federal Buildings and FBI Offices.



We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists. The FBI raided seven houses and an office in Chicago and Minneapolis on Friday, September 24, 2010. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to eleven activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. The FBI also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.



This suppression of civil rights is aimed at those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The FBI has indicated that the grand jury is investigating the activists for possible material support of terrorism charges.

The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including: the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists came together with many others to organize the 2008 anti-war marches on the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.


We ask people of conscience to join us in fighting this political repression, as we continue working to build the movements against US war and occupation.



Take Action:


Call the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at 202-353-1555 or write an email to: [e-mail].



Demand:



**Stop the repression against anti-war and international solidarity activists.



**Immediately return all confiscated materials: computers, cell phones, papers, documents, etc.



**End the grand jury proceedings against anti-war activists.





Plan and Support national days of protest at FBI offices or Federal Buildings, September 27 and 28th.



A demonstration has been called at the Minneapolis FBI Office Monday, 4:30, September 27th(111 Washington Ave. S.).



In Solidarity, the Anti-War Committee – www.antiwarcommittee.org

[TBF]

24. Recommended. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

26. Pastor Niemoller...words to remember...How sad they come to mind under this administration..

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

[mistertrickster]

27. Meanwhile, anti-abortion terrorists continue to kill abortion providers with impunity . . .

See George Tiller shot in church by a right-wing assassin supported by a host of right-wing groups.

FBI raids?

Nah . . .

[Scruffy1]

41. Not to mention all of the war criminals and torturers selling books

[indepat]

29. Payback to the professional left? Should anyone one in DU-land have any doubts where the politics

of this administration lay, just take a good look at what Holder's DOJ does/has done in the aggregate. It doesn't require a picture be drawn to bring this in focus, for it's all laid out there with the bark on for all to see. ;)

[laughingliberal]

45. +1000 nt

[Puregonzo1188]

30. Well, the FBI did spy on MLK--it only makes sense they'd take the photo

as evidence. You know, using the logic of some DUers, I'm sure if the FBI spied on MLK he most have up to no good. Probably aiding Hamas. I even heard he was a communist!

[Scruffy1]

43. Of course they were very helpful to him in Memphis

They even got him another hotel-with a balcony even.

[laughingliberal]

46. Yes, they were very helpful to all of us in Memphis in those days.

Total focus on our activities while attempts on our lives and firebombing of our cars by the racist right were ignored.

[flyarm]

36. when do the renditions of these peace activists begin?

Because Obama has maintained them to this day!

This is disgusting,,in every freaking way and anyone who says differently ..is a fascist in every way! And certainly not a Democrat I will ever recognise.

[laughingliberal]

47. We don't really know that some haven't already occurred. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

37. Dear FBI: If you're really looking for "terrorists" try checking the Pentagon and CIA headquarters.

I'm sure you'll find enough hard evidence there to keep the DOJ on overtime for the next 20 years.

[Rex]

39. Okay so Cheney is holdup in the JD and still runs things.

We FINALLY found Dick Cheney...would someone please tell him he lost and to move on and leave our law enforcement alone. Thanks.

[L0oniX]

48. OOOOOH ...the dangerous MLK photo ...oh noes ...PIGS!

What fools we are to let these bastards use our constitution for toilet paper.