"If an Agent Knocks"

[H2O Man]

“Federal law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have a dark history of targeting radical and progressive movements. Some of the dirty tricks they use against these movements include: infiltration of organizations to discredit and disrupt their operations; campaigns of misinformation and false stories in the media; forging correspondence; and the use of grand jury subpoenas to intimidate activists. Today's activist must know and understand the threat posed by federal law enforcement agents and their tactics as well as several key security practices that offer the best protection.”
--Center for Constitutional Rights; If an Agent Knocks.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) was founded in 1966, by a group of attorneys who represented people involved in promoting the civil rights movement in the southern United States. It is dedicated to using the laws of our land as a positive force to bring about progressive social change. The CCR focuses on protecting and advancing those rights defined and guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The CCR also is involved in public education. In 1989, it published the first edition of “If an Agent Knocks,” a booklet that advises grass roots activists on their best protections if targeted and approached by federal and/or other police agencies. In 2009, the CCR released another updated edition of IAAK. I strongly recommend it to members of this internet forum.

While some basic truths still hold true since 1966 (and 1989), others have changed. The most obvious example would be that the internet allows for a level of communications that activists could only have dreamed of enjoying in decades past. Likewise, the same internet allows for a new level of surveillance, infiltration, and disruption than in those past decades.

IAAK includes sections on visits and searches; infiltration and human surveillance; electronic surveillance (telephone, internet, and electronic security); grand juries; and special considerations for non-citizens. More, the booklet provides information that explains that activists today are not simply of interest to federal, state and local police agencies, but also from corporate-owned and private intelligence agencies employed by corporations. This, of course, is simply evidence that what goes around comes around, as many federal agencies were formed in the WW2 era from private, corporate services. An example of this is the CIA, which began as a collection of intelligence operatives employed by the oil industries.

One of the most basic messages that IAAK states repeatedly is that the US Constitution provides you with the right not to talk to police, without having an attorney present to advise you. There is a reason for this: to protect you. Those involved in surveillance, etc, will as a rule lie to you – for they are allowed and indeed encouraged and trained to lie to you – and say that the best thing that you can do to protect yourself is to speak openly with investigators. Often, they will try to trick you with statements such as, “Well, if you really have nothing to hide ….” And, other times, they will take that lie even further, and pretend that their experience has been that those who actually exercise their Constitutional rights are more “at risk” than those who do not.

Besides having decades of experience as a social activist, I also have the advantage of having been raised in an extended family that includes state and federal law enforcement agents. I can say, without any chance of being wrong, that the CCR is correct in their advice, and is looking out for law-abiding citizens' rights to protections provided by the US Constitution. And anyone who tells you otherwise is either an idiot, a purposeful liar, or a combination of the two. But, they are not your friend, and they sure as heck aren't interested in promoting either your welfare, or the Constitution.

As I've mentioned before, friends Rob Warden and Steven Drizin, of the Northeastern University's School of Law and the Center on Wrongful Convictions, published a book titled “True Stories of False Confessions” earlier this year. It documents a number of shocking cases where innocent individuals, believing that it was in their best interests to talk openly with investigators, ended up convicted of crimes that they did not commit. I strongly recommend this book.

For those interested in a copy of IAAK, and/or other CCR information, here is contact information:

http://ccrjustice.org/ifanagentknocks

[e-mail]

Center for Constitutional Rights
666 Broadway; 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012

212-614-6464

[nashville_brook]

1. kickee.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. K&R...

during the Bush years, I became an NSA target (My anti-virus software actually detected that my browser went straight to NSA.gov each time I signed onto the web.) They also shuffled my email in an obvious attempt to intimidate me. I can't prove one words of this post today. Go figure.

[H2O Man]

21. In the mid-1990s,

Onondaga Chief Waterman and I got copies of the intelligence files that a private organization was keeping on the two of us, and others involved in Native American support work. Neither of us had ever advocated any form of violence, or breaking of laws. Quite the opposite: we were using the legal system, as well as Amendment 1, to advance our cause.

I was a bit surprised, at first, to read my file. Those doing the research and surveillance had far more data on my violent, outlaw elder brother, than information about me. However, they attributed all the stuff on him to me. At first, I wondered if they had made an honest error, as although we are separated by seven years in age, and light years in moral code, things such as parts of his legal history were applied to me. Perhaps it was sloppy work on their part. Or maybe it was an attempt to create an inaccurate, ugly history.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

62. at the time, I was working on this online video:

and goning to these type websites:

[bridgit]

3. A pot is turned, it's flower facing the Eastern Star

http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/Bridgit

[jrtayloriv]

4. Glad to see it updated, but it's definitely lacking ...

I am really glad to see that this has been updated to cover modern developments -- I felt that it was actually dangerous to have people read the old one, because I felt that it might give them a false sense of security. I was especially glad to see information related to ability to listen in to nearby conversations with remotely activated cell phone mics. Thanks for the link.

However, I will point out that there are a large number of things that they have left out of here. Their internet section was very much lacking, and didn't mention Hepting vs. AT&T, CALEA, the Total Information Awareness program, or Carnivore, and instead vaguely mentioned that the state of computer surveillance is "unknown". It's most definitely not unknown, just not widely known.

I've done a very large amount of research on this topic, and put much of it onto the Wikipedia article "Surveillance" -- I'd recommend checking it out. I don't normally recommend Wikipedia articles for sources, but I've extensively cited everything in here, and watch this page carefully to make sure no misinformation gets in there. I've added a lot of interesting stuff in there, such as how the Mexican government forced some of its workers to have RFID chips implanted, or about geo-location from cell-phones ... I've also added some good resources at the bottom for further reading.

I also don't like the fact that this guide suggests that the FBI/NSA/etc actually obey "laws" when performing domestic surveillance ... COINTELPRO anyone? I think it would have been more appropriate to talk about their technical capabilities and just assume they are using them -- regardless of what the laws say -- just like they have always done in the past.

Anyway, thanks again for the link

[librechik]

7. Welcome to DU, jr!

thx for the post

[jrtayloriv]

11. No problem -- Thanks for the welcome!

[DemReadingDU]

19. Thank you for the Surveillance link, n/t

[H2O Man]

22. There is a lot

of information gathered that, while it should not be allowed into a court format, is sure as heck in people's files. I think that the CCR is aware of that, and I will suggest to Matthew and Co. that it should be included in future publications.

[Goldstein1984]

40. Nice addition to the post. Thanks! Welcome

Kinda new here myself.

[Gregorian]

5. I had never heard of the CCR until now.

Thank you so much for spreading your wealth of information.

The good fight is twice as difficult. We are challenged with both the task of enduring them, and retaining our self identity and dignity. It's war, but it cannot be fought with force, or we risk becoming like them.

I'm grateful to gain from your experiences, and those of the good people on this forum.

May you have a beautiful new year.


And now it's back out to the tractor for me...

[librechik]

6. Thanks for the post--my dad was a police officer for 35 years--and yes, they lie

they lie to you personally during the encounter, they lie in the written report, and they lie on the stand in front of the judge. Even the very nice ones you would trust your life to. This is a hard fact to swallow, because even as children we are taught the policeman is our friend, and in general this is good teaching for children. However, as adults we must know better to protect ourselves and our own children.

Know your constitution and take H20 Man's advice seriously. Of course there are times when a simple "He went thataway!" or "I was in church all evening" could ease community relations and speed the officer away from your door for good. However, you must be aware of the risk you are taking when you do speak to the officer.

That is for the officer knocking at your door, looking for you. Does he have a warrant? Find that out right away, they must tell you. If there is no warrant, then you have no obligation to speak to the officer; you can ask them to leave and they should. If there is a warrant tell them you are using your constitutional right to say nothing until a lawyer is present and then don't say anything.

Traffic stops are a little different. I think it's best to keep your words to "Yes, officer." Accept the ticket without explanation or argument. Thank the officer for his service as he lets you drive away. Save your case for the judge if you wish to argue. It's too dangerous to stand around in traffic trying to make a point. A good friend of mine, a traffic officer, lost a leg while issuing a ticket on a busy freeway. Say enough to make it easy for the officer to let you go quickly and safely. "Thank you sir" really works, and keeps your right to challenge the ticket intact (read the small print)

Border patrol "checks" or "drunk driver checks" are another matter entirely. These are serious violations of your civil rights on their face. Fortunately I haven't had to go through one of these in this country, although I did in Guatemala many years ago and believe me I cowered and paid them the "fee." My opinion is that you should use the opportunity as a demonstration of your civil right to refuse their requests (they want your ID, they might want you to pull over and get out of the car, all illegal!)Oftentimes these things are training events for the less experienced cops anyway. I'm not sure I would have the courage to do what this video demonstrates

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=133_1210305250

Heh--wouldn't hurt to have a video camera with you at all times either!

Here is a link for brave souls who have the presence of mind to

[PJPhreak]

38. They lie to you personally during the encounter, they lie in the written report,

And they lie on the stand in front of the judge"

This has been my personal experience when dealing with LEO's.

There is a thread here on DU that I read yesterday trying to explain why one should cooperate with LEO's when they ask...As a "Radical Gang Member" (Deadhead/Rainbow Family) I didn't respond...Tho it has been the ONLY thread I have Unreced,ever!

And Yes,If you ever have been to a Deadshow or a Rainbow Gathering then some of these Law Enforcement Agencies may very well have a file on you. Especially a Rainbow Gathering

Under a lot of state and a few federal laws Deadheads/Rainbow Family Members are considered a "Gang" like the Bloods or Crips...and a lot of people think of us as just "Paranoid Hippies"

[G_j]

8. K&R

[mmonk]

9. Thanks for promoting the CCR. Thanks for calling attention to the book

by Rob Warden and Steven Drizin. This post is a very good public service announcement. Recommended.

[H2O Man]

23. Any friends of Rubin

are friends of mine. (And I'm only saying that slightly tongue-in-cheek, considering some of the discussions on DU about friends and enemies.)

[Cerridwen]

10. A couple of links to video that help explain the "don't talk to the cops!"

information. This was a lecture given at, Liberty U, ewwww, to law students. Yeah, I used the term law students from that university, loosely. Anyway, good information regardless of the venue.

Hey, H2O Man! How are you feeling these days? Healing well? Being a PITA patient?

Here's the video in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc it's just under 49 minutes

Here it is broken into 2 parts of about 20 something minutes each.

Part 1: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-40976025148858... This is the attorney explaining why.

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE This is a cop explaining how he's tricked suspects into confessing and how he's tricked the innocent and twisted their words.

Go watch. Learn. Educate yourself. Please.

[DemReadingDU]

20. Thank you for these helpful videos, n/t

[Cerridwen]

25. You're welcome.

I'm torn between they taught me a lot the first time I viewed them and they scared the crap out of me the first time I viewed them.

[EFerrari]

34. Great resource! Thanks!

[bvar22]

12. The "government" engaged in "pre-emptive" attacks and arrests...

...in Minneapolis/St Paul prior to the Republican convention in 2008.

[jrtayloriv]

13. RNC is just another event in a long history of political repression

Repression of political activists which threaten big capital has been going on since the birth of the republic. Two books I'd highly recommend reading are Political Repression in Modern America by Goldstein, Aliens and Dissenters by Preston, and COINTELPRO Papers by Churchill and Vander Wall -- if you want to get an idea of just how extensive political repression has been in the US ... hey I didn't learn that in US History 101!

[Scruffy1]

48. The RNC was a disaster for civil rights

Coming back home to Minneapolis at one AM I stopped to feed a couple of young hitchhikers and got the news that they cops were kicking down doors and doing warrantless searches. Not one of our elected
local officials stood up for the Constitution. They used fear and suppression to keep the size down and the media reporting was a joke. Yes my phone was tapped and weirdly too. Old school stuff so I think it was local. Meanwhile the local DA in St. Paul is determined to convict the RNC eight for thinking about doing something or other. She even hopes to be our governor. She was right next to some of the biggest criminals in human history and didn't give a shit but a window got broken so there is hell to pay. This bitch from hell is named Susan Gaertner. Please throw tomatoes or whatever at this piece of opportunistic trash. If we can put people in jail for thought crimes every husband and wife in the US would be behind bars. Please go to www.RNC8.org and contribute to their defense fund if you can.

[PJPhreak]

39. In New York in 2004 also. nt

[amborin]

14. k&r

[Gold Metal Flake]

15. K&R

[debbierlus]

16. I will remember this advice always

[TexasObserver]

17. And the fascists never stop using government to suppress political opponents.

From military to county sheriffs, they run undercover operations to infiltrate political groups that are merely citizens exercising their rights. Agents provocateur are common among those infiltrators.

[DemReadingDU]

18. Just downloaded "IAAK"

Thank you for this valuable information.

[RedCloud]

24. A basic primer on the FBI and how the G men came after ONLY the Left.

* First, there was infiltration. Agents and informers did not merely spy on political activists. The main purpose was to discredit and disrupt. Their presence served to undermine trust and scare off potential supporters. They also exploited this fear to smear genuine activists as agents.

* Second, there was psychological warfare from the outside. They planted false media stories and published bogus leaflets and other publications in the name of targeted groups. They forged correspondence, sent anonymous letters, and made anonymous telephone calls. They spread misinformation about meetings and events, set up pseudo movement groups run by agents, and manipulated or strong-armed parents, employers, landlords, school officials and others to cause trouble for activists.

* Third, there was harassment through the legal system, used to harass dissidents and make them appear to be criminals. Officers gave perjured testimony and presented fabricated evidence as a pretext for false arrests and wrongful imprisonment. They discriminatorily enforced tax laws and other government regulations and used conspicuous surveillance, "investigative" interviews, and grand jury subpoenas in an effort to intimidate activists and silence their supporters.

* Fourth and finally, there was extralegal force and violence. The FBI and police threatened, instigated and conducted break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings. The object was to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements. In the case of radical Black and Puerto Rican activists (and later Native Americans), these attacks, including political assassinations, were so extensive, vicious, and calculated that they can only be accurately called a form of official "terrorism."

http://www.albionmonitor.com/9905a/jbcointelpro.html

[annabanana]

26. Should YOU have this .pdf on file?... Like Grandma used to say,

It couldn't hurt.

[defendandprotect]

27. Read somewhere recently that police are being told to look with suspicion

upon any driver they stop who refers to their Constitutional rights!!!



Nice reminders -- thank you --

[WileEcoyote]

29. They are getting nasty. And the ACLU is cutting the cops too much slack

ACLU has gone all soft and fuzzy on those infrared scanners cops are using to check your current car insurance and registration matters.

They scan perfectly from a quarter mile even when you are doing 100 mph (which i suppose might be a valid reason to run a check lol).

But law enforcement is doing all this just to pull in more revenues at the expense of those hardest from the recession. Becoming the predator NOT the protector. Thus without probable cause the cops are targeting poorer neighborhoods for registration issues and reaping a windfall in seized vehicles and extorted fines.

Effectively making law enforcement the official collection agency for the auto insurance companies. Fascism really.

[defendandprotect]

55. ACLU . . . I support them --

but every once in a while I'm aware that I don't know enough about their

leadership and what's going on there --

They'd be a prime target to be co-opted by right wing --

[Me.]

28. They Can Lie Their Butts Off

Even to the point of telling you that they have witnesses and forensic evidence. I've always wondered why such trickery was legal.

[JonLP24]

30. You're exactly right

COINTELPRO is what I imagine he was referring to in the first paragraph. That operation was used to discredit left wing political groups and many times turn others against each other. It was a very dirty operation

I learned about COINTELPRO by mistake reading on Assata Shakur. Basically they brought up several charges against her but he was found not guilty in all of them even represented herself in a trial. However it was the 'turnpike' trial that got her. She was wrongful convicted, the is a lot of information to get into but I'll mention a few key details that really struck me. She had no gunshot residue and her fingerprints weren't on any gun. She had her arms up to signal an arrest and the police shot her which the medical expert said the only way she could get shot in the clavicle if her arms were down. Which is key because one of the troopers said she reached into her pocketbook and fired at him which the trooper admitted to lying in the report and to the Grand Jury.

Basically she was a target of COINTELPRO is what I'm saying and in all the other cases she was involved in they used manufactured evidence and so on. Anyways that is very good advice and you said it better than many of us could. K&R

[kdragon1010]

31. some advice I got from LE friends

If cops of any agency are talking to you it means they need you to give them information because they have little to go on.

the acutall quote from my friend in the most general terms was something like this: "really only worry if the cops just arrest you and dont try to get you to talk, it means they already have all the information they need"

[EFerrari]

32. If an agent does knock, remember you're joining a distinguished club and stay calm.

The John Hope Franklin File: FBI Looked At Esteemed Historian For Communist Ties

The celebrated historian John Hope Franklin was scrutinized by the FBI in the 1960s for supposed links to communists, particularly his opposition to the House Committee on Un-American Activities and his vocal support for W.E.B. Du Bois.

"Dr. Franklin is an apologist for the late Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, a prominent crusader for civil rights and a sponsor of communist fronts who joined the Communist Party at the age of 93," wrote an unidentified FBI official in a letter to the White House in July 1965.

Franklin's file, obtained by TPMmuckraker through the Freedom of Information Act, is mainly a collection of background checks conducted when he was up for presidential appointments (though the FBI withheld 18 pages of the 515-page file). The author of the classic From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans, Franklin died in May at 94.

He was appointed by President Kennedy to the Board of Foreign Scholarships in 1962 and his background checks show universally glowing praise from friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/the_j...

[Soylent Brice]

33. K&R and bookmarked.

[zenprole]

35. Read On

Great post H20 Man. I hadn't seen this booklet before. My two go-to's for police activity are "Our Enemies In Blue" by Kristian Williams and "Beat The Heat" by Katya Komisaruk. About the Feds, Wesley Swearingen's memoir "FBI Secrets" shows just how routine such practices were during his career, when there was at least the pretense of oversight.

[bobbolink]

36. I was thinking of this today while watching the Turtle Dance.

The three Koshare were razzing the cops, and one took their handcuffs.

I was thinking that it probably expresses some of their true and historical feelings about the cops, and some of the harassment Indians have received.

Valuable reminders... thanks.

[dbmk]

37. Must see video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

[Goldstein1984]

41. Thanks! Good information

Downloaded the pdf booklet If and Agent Knocks

Rec

Sad that we still are concerned about this post Bush/Cheney. There may be something going on bigger that Obama.

[H2O Man]

52. Right.

I think that President Obama, like Presidents Carter and Kennedy, is finding out that the machine is far larger than they anticipated. Like an icerberg, only a relatively small amount is perceived above the surface.

[Goldstein1984]

53. Maybe also like the Titanic

Huge mass on momentum
Small rudder
Corporate interests overriding command decisions

[Vidar]

42. K&R.

[Land Shark]

43. People falsely confess much more than almost everyone thinks (protect friends, family, etc.)

Or, faced with the threat of a LOOONG sentence for a crime they didn't commit, and faced with some circumstantial evidence that looks bad combined with heavy prosecutor or police pressure, they confess to a lesser crime they didn't commit either (with, say, a 5 year sentence), in order to avoid going to trial and taking a chance on spending the rest of their life, or most of it, in prison.

[EFerrari]

44. .

[ooglymoogly]

45. An agent knocked on my door once

I ate his liver with some fava beans.....fafafafafafa

[COLGATE4]

59. It only counts

if you ate it with a good Chianti

[ooglymoogly]

61. LOL, I forgot that part of the quote. nt

[ooglymoogly]

46. kr nt

[Hekate]

47. Kick. Rec. Bookmark.

Thanks, H20 Man.

Hekate

[JTFrog]

49. K&R

I can't believe some cop came on here yesterday and tried to convince people to give up their 5th amendment and miranda rights. Craziest shit I've seen posted on DU in days.

[H2O Man]

54. I saw that.

It was a "knock, knock" joke, at best.

[greengestalt]

50. Take it a step further

We need to take the "Don't talk to the cops" to the general public.


It's not just "Leftists" they hurt, the cops are now a vicious bandit gang that only exist for "Justice by Points" and are more likely to make the first witness to a crime the 'guilty' party than risk time or being killed by someone who could fight back going after a murderer. But, oh are they brave on road blocks timed to ONLY catch "Working Joes" and hope he's behind on bills and/or too busy to have all his "Papers" in order.


Instead of boring the public on politics, enrage them that the "Fuzz" only care about a "Fine" job of "Justice by Points" and would hide from a 'real' criminal if they had less than a SWAT team to back them up. Make clear the "Don't talk to the cops....EVER" rationale, that if they see someone being axe murdered the police will just as likely try to beat/trick/lie to get them on the road to the gallows to avoid fighting a nutbag that might kill them, but on the other hand the Cops will be all over them to get "Points". Keep it simple: The cops are bad. Paper Pushers and Rich Man's puppets rule the city. The cops only care about "Justice by Points" and you, my man, are "Points". They get maniac murderers, eventually with a lot of backup, but they get their "Points" harassing people who never hurt anybody, 'cause they still usually have some kind of job and rarely fight back.


The general public is now starting to hate the cops. Too many people a few months away from homelessness have been pushed to the brink by our "Fine" law enforcement doing a "Fine" job of "Justice by points". At the same time, I bet almost every person knows or has been robbed, had property vandalized, assaulted, etc. and had the cops take their time, if not openly let the criminal escape.



The "Don't talk to the police-EVER." meme will catch on, esp supplied with legal advice and tons of lawyers ready to do a few "Pro Bono" things as long as they can up it to "Human Rights Lawsuits" now and again.


Seeing a wave of this, the cops will whine and cry. Tell them, through lawyers, through anonymous mailings what to do: "You are our public servants, not the servants of corporate pigs. You protect us and our liberty, not the wealth of a few. Unionize. Go on strike, or use your authority to act. Cast out the 'Paper Pushers'. Why don't you 'arrest' everyone in City Council and the mayor for going 1mph over the speed limit and rough them up? Make it clear you won't be a gang of bandits, you are here to protect the public which should be relieved to see you and trust you fully if they aren't breaking the law. Forget 'points' you will only worry about catching deadly bad guys and if you sit at the donut shop all day, as long as someone isn't running outside with a bloody axe, you are doing a fine job, you are not out to do a 'Fine' job anymore."

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ret5hd]

57. fuckin' spammer

[blondeatlast]

56. My family has had personal experience with LE corruption. My 12 year old son already

knows not to talk--and to let Mom get him a lawyer. I've heard stories about juveniles that scare me to death.

Thanks, H2OMan. I'm printing this out and providing him with it.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

58. Most important question is

how are you feeling these days, H2Oman? I may have missed a "progress posting", but do hope you're well on the road to recovery.

Best to you and your family this holiday season and a healthy, happy new year!

[H2O Man]

60. Thanks for asking.

I'm doing a heck of a lot better than I was. I've returned to my grumpy, talkative self. DUers pay a high price for that, with some of my longer essays on this forum.