New York Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies

[TacticalPeek]

December 22, 2005
New York Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies
By JIM DWYER

Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.

In glimpses and in glaring detail, the videotape images reveal the robust presence of disguised officers or others working with them at seven public gatherings since August 2004.

The officers hoist protest signs. They hold flowers with mourners. They ride in bicycle events. At the vigil for the cyclist, an officer in biking gear wore a button that said, "I am a shameless agitator." She also carried a camera and videotaped the roughly 15 people present.

Beyond collecting information, some of the undercover officers or their associates are seen on the tape having influence on events. At a demonstration last year during the Republican National Convention, the sham arrest of a man secretly working with the police led to a bruising confrontation between officers in riot gear and bystanders.

more
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/nyregion/22police.html?ei=5094&en=c298d636b33c8c10&hp=&ex=1135227600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print



http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/cointel.htm

:grr:

[Cha]

1. WOW! At first I thought they

were in agreement and they wanted to protest and now I find out they are infiltrating for what END?

Don't we have a right to freakin' PROTEST?

[saigon68]

16. Not the HEROS OF 9/11

They love freedom </sarcasm>

[Bozita]

2. "I am a shameless agitator." -- They certainly are.

Something catch fire? Rock thrown through a store window?

The more cameras at any demonstration, the better.

The cops do NOT like cameras.

[Fovea]

3. My one question

did they bring their own beer, joints, signage?
If they gonna come spy, they gotta bring the beer.

[TacticalPeek]

4. Always have two or more fibbie spies at your meetings,

or they'll smoke all your dope.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. They are called "agents provocateur" and have been around

forever. During the Viet-Nam war protests, they would wait until the march was about 3/4 done, then throw a bottle or something at the pigs. The pigs would then use that as an excuse to start teargassing us and beating us with batons. Worked then, works now. Problem is that you can't ever prove it was them. Also, the FBI would take pictures of us from the windows of San Francisco high rises to track our unpatriotic dissent. Oh, well, I don't give a fuck if they know who I am. I still consider it my duty as a patriot to dissent.

[yorkiemommie1]

6. deja vu

reliving the VN era.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Really sad, isn't it? We're not really free to protest, are we?

You would have thought it would be possible to evolve by now, since the last unbelievably bad goddawful Republican President.

Face it, Republicans don't learn from their mistakes. They just get more determined to copy them, and WIN the next time. If they can finally control the country, repress all opposition, they'll be satisfied.

[donheld]

8. Misleading headline

:grr:

[thebigidea]

9. the ones with the Lee Press-On Sideburns, I guess

I love seeing old photos of fake police hippies in protests. Absolutely hysterical.

Not quite so funny when its happening now, though.

[Lars39]

12. lol

"Lee Press-On Sideburns" :D

[IndianaGreen]

10. These are the same abuses that took place under Nixon and J.Edgar Hoover

If we don't start impeaching Bush & Co, and bring people like Bloomberg to account, we would effectively forfeit this country to tyranny.

[milkyway]

11. Fuck you, Bloomberg! How come only supposed left-wing groups are

singled out for this kind of crap. How about spying on pro-war groups, anti-abortionists, the JDL, NRA meetings (attended by armed nuts who have vowed to break the law before giving up their guns). I'm fucking tired of Bloomberg acting as if the city needs to be protected from anti-war demonstrators. I was at the RNC protest with my wife and kids, and the only people I saw acting dangerously were the rightwing assholes screaming at us from the sidewalk.

[Cha]

20. That's one reason I didn't

want that little monster at the helm of New York City again but there he is in all his "anti-protesters" glory.

[No Exit]

13. Agents provocateur

Although this is a pretty pathetic excuse of a story about just how far established authority will go to protect itself...

I hope after reading this, no one will doubt that the government, be it state, federal, or even municipal, will indeed make use of agents provocateur from time to time.

So the next time the subject of possible agents provocateur comes up in a discussion of something more serious, such as 9/11 or Oklahoma City or other deadly plots... I hope people will realize that this is NOT "tinfoil hat" territory. Agents provocateur have been used down through history--it's a fact, that's all.

[f-bush]

14. THIS IS SICKENING

This is totally out of line. I can't understand why there is a huge massive taking to the streets over the spying that is going on. We need to take on this Nazi like government of ours.

BTW I wouldn't be surprised if everybody who lurks and who posts on this site is being snooped on also.

It will take courage and action to stop this shit!

[DinahMoeHum]

15. This is called "standing on a brick to kick a duck in the ass"

Pathetic.

:evilfrown:

[gristy]

17. wow

But, but, but... "We only spy on suspected terrorists"....

[henslee]

18. I know NY cop mentality... First, they have this "don't break our balls

attitude". Second, I could just how these guys just got into the whole cloak n'dagger of the mission.

[psychopomp]

19. In the 90's they played "army"now the cops play "spy"

:eyes:

[gratuitous]

21. Ah, the bad old days of COINTELPRO

It's like they never left us.

[sabra]

22. NYT: Police Infiltrate Protests, Videotapes Show (** image download **)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/nyregion/22police.html?incamp=article_popular_5&pagewanted=print

Police Infiltrate Protests, Videotapes Show

Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.

In glimpses and in glaring detail, the videotape images reveal the robust presence of disguised officers or others working with them at seven public gatherings since August 2004.

The officers hoist protest signs. They hold flowers with mourners. They ride in bicycle events. At the vigil for the cyclist, an officer in biking gear wore a button that said, "I am a shameless agitator." She also carried a camera and videotaped the roughly 15 people present.

Beyond collecting information, some of the undercover officers or their associates are seen on the tape having influence on events. At a demonstration last year during the Republican National Convention, the sham arrest of a man secretly working with the police led to a bruising confrontation between officers in riot gear and bystanders.

Until Sept. 11, the secret monitoring of events where people expressed their opinions was among the most tightly limited of police powers.

[lovuian]

23. I'm not surprised at this ... They are terrified of Peace groups

its fascinating...

[sabra]

24. what has happened to this country?

:-(

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

26. and they say the Germans didn't realize what the Nazis were doing

:scared:

[Tom Joad]

25. "They also influence events. " That is very bad.

Not surprising, but very bad. Police provocation is something we have to be very concerned about.

Of course, anti-war folks are perfectly capable of making our own mistakes. However, when there is someone there that is paid to help us screw up it makes things much worse.

Here is another story about police spying... in Fresno California, long a bastion of revolutionary action.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/spy-o23.shtml

[newswolf56]

27. Anyone still in doubt about Republican contempt for the Constitution

need only read this, from the linked report:

In New York, the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg persuaded a federal judge in 2003 to enlarge the Police Department's authority to conduct investigations of political, social and religious groups.

Considering the fact Bloomberg is considered one of the most "liberal" Republicans in the United States, the message is that ALL Republicans are fascists at heart. Which is precisely the reality behind Al Gore's recent warning that American liberty has never been in greater jeopardy.