ACLU Releases Government Photos (spying on vegans in Atlanta)

[struggle4progress]

Web Editor: Michael King
Reported By: Jon Shirek
Web Editor: Tracey Christensen
Last Modified: 1/25/2006 9:41:15 PM

The ACLU of Georgia released copies of government files on Wednesday that illustrate the extent to which the FBI, the DeKalb County Division of Homeland Security and other government agencies have gone to compile information on Georgians suspected of being threats simply for expressing controversial opinions ...

For example, more than two dozen government surveillance photographs show 22-year-old Caitlin Childs of Atlanta, a strict vegetarian, and other vegans picketing against meat eating, in December 2003. They staged their protest outside a HoneyBaked Ham store on Buford Highway in DeKalb County.

An undercover DeKalb County Homeland Security detective was assigned to conduct surveillance of the protest and the protestors, and take the photographs. The detective arrested Childs and another protester after he saw Childs approach him and write down, on a piece of paper, the license plate number of his unmarked government car.

"They told me if I didn't give over the piece of paper I would go to jail and I refused and I went to jail, and the piece of paper was taken away from me at the jail and the officer who transferred me said that was why I was arrested," Childs said on Wednesday ...

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75151

:scared: Look out! They're vegans! :scared:

[stepnw1f]

1. Jesus... Studying Vegans

This is diliberately oppressive if true.

[waiting for hope]

2. At least no animals

where hurt during this interview....

Where does it stop? Who's next? It's getting out of control.

[Burried News]

3. Real Murrkins eat pork - evrywon knows its whuts fer dinner.

[Mountainman]

4. I wonder if they will try to have spies at the next national AANR nudist

convention this year? After all nudists are just as much a threat to national security as vegans. Of course they won't be able to wear their plain clothes.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

86. They will be there taking pictures, I'm sure. (nt)

nt

[MrMonk]

5. If they don't like it, they can just go back to Vega!

[Hekate]

55. Call the Minute Men -- Time to start building a wall at the US/Vega border

She was arrested for writing down a license plate number?!

Hekate

[Ignis]

71. Trust me, I've tried signaling the Mothership.

No luck so far, but we'll keep trying.

Here's hoping we're not in 'detainment centres' before it comes. :(

[IselaB]

6. It makes you wonder about

all those arrests they're making in California and Washington (or is it Oregon?) of environmental activists. It's scary.

[wordpix2]

26. I thought the same thing--this is how * caught the western environmental

"terra-ists"

[alarcojon]

33. Welcome to DU, IselaB!

:toast:

[leftchick]

63. They are ECO-Terraists !

Keep the lingo straight there comrade!

welcome to DU!

:)

[GHOSTDANCER]

84. Maybe.

The definition of a terrorist act under the so called "Patriot Act" includes anyone interfering with the US economy. inhibiting patrons to shop would classify.

[rodeodance]

7. noted that 'pro=war' groups are NOT under survailance!!

....The government file lists anti-war protesters in Atlanta as threats, the ACLU said. The ACLU of Georgia accuses the Bush administration of labeling those who disagree with its policy as disloyal Americans.

"We believe that spying on American citizens for no good reason is fundamentally un-American, that it's not the place of the goverment or the best use of resources to spy on its own citizens and we want it to stop. We want the spies in our government to pack their bags, close up their notebooks, take their cameras home and not engage in the spying anymore," Gerald Weber of the ACLU of Georgia said during a news conference.

"We have heard of not a single, government surveillance of a pro-war group," Weber said. "And I doubt we will ever hear of a single surveillance of a pro-war group."

The ACLU wants Congress and the courts to order government agencies, including the FBI, to stop unconstitutional surveillance.

[wordpix2]

28. those pro-war groups like BushCo SHOULD be under surveillance

[lovuian]

8. Ok so every protestor has been on surveillance

:crazy: this administration is Paranoid...

[htuttle]

9. What a bunch of piss-pants scaredy cats the bush-feds are!

Afraid, of Vegans? QUAKERS AND VEGANS?!??

[wordpix2]

29. just like Nixon, afraid of Quakers and antiwar protestors

[rodeodance]

10. the $$ for this come from "DeKalb County Homeland Security " !!!

An undercover DeKalb County Homeland Security detective was assigned to conduct surveillance of the protest and the protestors, and take the photographs. The detective arrested Childs and another protester after he saw Childs approach him and write down, on a piece of paper, the license plate number of his unmarked government car.

[rodeodance]

13. the county gets this $ --so they have to show they are spending it wisely.

NOT>

[struggle4progress]

20. They're talkin bad about honey-baked ham! eom

[JudyM]

82. LOL! n/t

[wordpix2]

30. Heritage Foundation is tying itself to DH$ "regional offices"-looks like a

trend

[yorkiemommie1]

11. hey, agent Mike

i'm drinking CARROT soup!!!

:rofl:

[ewoden]

12. A year ago a conservative Christian colleague and I

were discussing the apparent willingness of the FBI to infiltrate mosques for the purpose of gathering intelligence on Muslim groups. He saw no harm in this type of "investigation". I aksked at the time, would you be willing to have that happen in your church? He responded that it wouldn't matter as they are not involved in any nefarious activities. I countered with, watch out, one day the table will turn with a more liberal administration will be taking the helm. Somebody is gonna blow up an abortion clinic and then the FBI is going to be so far up your church's anal pore that you will feel a tickling in your nose.

Some day Miss Childs or one of her friends will be driving that unmarked car and there won't be a FBI, GBI or Dekalb DHS employee safe in Georgia

[fooj]

14. They are spying on Vegans? Holy fricking shit.

Peace.

[wordpix2]

31. don't you know vegans are terrorists now?

[Zambero]

15. To a tomato or cucumber they're terrorists

And only terrorists need fear these illegal wiretaps. Cheney has already assured us of this. So what's the big deal?

[arcane1]

16. is it a dictatorship YET????????

:shrug:

[Psephos]

17. Yeah, but they were torturing carrots by eating them raw! n/t

[LeftyMom]

18. Holy shit, scary scary plant eaters!

:scared:

[struggle4progress]

39. Next they'll be slandering beef! eom

[Lorien]

19. And the point of surveillance on those who are anti-death is..??????

Spying on anti-war pacifists and now Vegans? It's become quite clear that Homeland security has but one mission; keeping big corporate interests humming along. Big Red corporations are profiting like never before with BushCo's wars, Big Red corporations want EVERYONE to eat meat and not think about where it comes from or what they may be pumping into the animals to bring them to market (hint; big pharma will benefit in the long run). No dissent. Consume. Obey. That's the message, and they're going to take your photo and treat you like a terrorism suspect if you dare object.

[IndianaGreen]

21. They spy on LGBT activists and on Quakers

The Bush dictatorship has far exceeded the lawbreaking of the Johnson and Nixon Administrations.

[FVZA_Colonel]

22. You could put two guys in a room,

have them do nothing but THINK about Osama Bin Ladin, and it would be a better use of taxpayer dollars than this.

[Lindsay]

23. The government says they only conduct surveillance

on terrorists. Ergo, these people must be terrorists.

Stop the world - I want to get off.

[Triana]

24. MEANWHILE, Osama is still out there making threats...

...does anyone else see the problem with this?

I didn't realize VEGANS were the ones who flew planes into the twin towers on 9-11, did you?

[wordpix2]

34. since inept BushCo let him go at Tora Bora, or let him go on purpose

[thecai]

25. "That's Fascism!"...

....quote my Navy Veteran husband.

[grahamhgreen]

27. Georgia is stuck in the sixties...

the 1860's.

[wordpix2]

32. so much for BushCo's "we only spy if you're callin' Al-Qaeda"

[hang a left]

35. No kidding...

They expect us to believe it's only been international al queda calls....O...kay.

[darkism]

36. I'm no fan of veganism...

...but this is ridiculous.

[LeftyMom]

37. Thank you for seeing that and pointing it out

I'd be just as pissed if this were Weston A. Price devotees or the last stragglers on the Atkins diet being targeted (even though I'm a vegan and no fan of either group,) because this is about civil liberties and really fucked up priorites, not ideology.

[alittlelark]

38. They are searching for the possible 'Charismatic Leaders'

They will not allow one to surface into the mainstream. Small Planes, 'suicide'.....

[anotherdrew]

44. I think you've nailed the motive right there

you can be sure scans of those pictures are still sitting in a data base somewhere...

[alittlelark]

45. They could end up as Samantha Smith

she no longer EXISTS. Except on the internet.

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

On a return flight from filming a segment for Lime Street in the summer of 1985, Smith's plane missed the runway of the Auburn, Maine airport by 200 yards and crashed, killing all aboard (six passengers and two crew), including Smith and her father. Many speculations regarding the cause of the accident circulated afterwards — some said it was organized by the CIA while others accused the KGB, arguing that Smith's growing popularity could affect some important political or military decisions in either country. An investigation was undertaken in the USA and the official report, which did not support these speculations, was made public. As stated in the report, the accident occurred at about 22:05 EDT, the ground impact point located 1.6 km south-west of Auburn airport, at 44°02?22?N, 70°17?30?W. The report goes on to say, "The relatively steep flight path angle and the attitude (the orientation of the aircraft relative to the horizon, direction of motion etc.) and speed of the airplane at ground impact precluded the occupants from surviving the accident." The main point of the report was that it was a dark and rainy night, the pilots were inexperienced, and an accidental, but not uncommon and not usually critical, ground radar failure occurred. The plane used for the fatal flight was a Bar Harbor Airlines Beechcraft 99.
Samantha Smith was mourned by about 1,000 people at her funeral in Augusta, Maine, including Vladimir Kulagin of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, who read a personal message of condolence from Mikhail Gorbachev. However, no representative of the American government was present. She and her father were buried near Houlton where she was born.


NO representative from the USA for 'America's Youngest Ambassador'

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

46. when the time is right, in the middle of the night, the roundup begins

and we will be cleansed like no country has ever been cleansed before-

at least in their sick scheming minds!!!
--plans are in place-you can bet-

Once the "Event" happens (911 style MIHOP but bigger)-plans kick in like clockwork.

All opposition and potential threats are "eliminated"-
Permanent military state --no more elections- no one to oppose it !!!

sounds insane-like some bizzare movie plot-but this is reality!!

[alittlelark]

48. I and many around me and their friends

will NOT LET IT HAPPEN. We all support the right to bear arms.

[anotherdrew]

49. nice sentiment, but...

are you and your fellow gun owners ready to die like flies like they do in Iraq or Afghanistan? Because if it comes to this, you'd be facing most of the military _and_ private militias on the government's side as well. It's not going to be realistically possible for scattered, disorganized folks with handguns and hunting rifles to do anything significant but die. Sorry to be such a downer.

[Tsiyu]

66. Hmmmmm...that's defeatist

Private militias may support their Hitler Bush, but you would be hard-pressed to get the majority of the military to fire on their own citizens. Sorry.

Some may start out following orders, but the military in America - if it were to come to revolution - would do just as the former military in Iraq are doing: they will turn their guns on their own government.

And handguns and hunting rifles are not the only weapons owned by Democrats these days. If I were this administration, I would think very carefully before turning full force on the people of this nation. ** should be pissing in his pants right now to even contemplate such a move.

Though the current administration is 100% traitorous to the American Constitution, there just aren't enough traitors in the general population or the military population to carry out any large-scale scheme such as what you describe.

And BTW, I will be happy to die to make this country safer. From the conversations I've had with others, that sentiment is shared. Screw up your courage, People!

[stepnw1f]

72. Ummm... Iraq Has Been Doing It Pretty Successfully (nt)

[REDKING]

70. I am very far away and

I can see it coming to you..I fear for your're future and mine....God help us.

[0rganism]

50. Hey, Hitler was a vegetarian, ya know

You've gotta keep an eye on everyone in the United Security States of America.

[Lorien]

69. I don't think that's it. I think it's about protecting corporate profits

through intimidation. As I said earlier:

It's become quite clear that Homeland security has but one mission; keeping big corporate interests humming along. Big Red corporations are profiting like never before with BushCo's wars, Big Red corporations want EVERYONE to eat meat and not think about where it comes from or what they may be pumping into the animals to bring them to market (hint; big pharma will benefit in the long run). No dissent. Consume. Obey. That's the message, and they're going to take your photo and treat you like a terrorism suspect if you dare object.

They may be looking for activist leaders, but why target non-violent Vegans? The only clear purpose I can see here is the squelching of dissent against consumption.

[mrmartinbong]

40. Atlanta Journal Article

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/yesterday/metro_34334a03d529d09a0092.html

Vegans sue Homeland Security
Protesters decry dekalb division's surveillance
Jill Young Miller - Staff
Friday, September 23, 2005

They don't eat ham. And they don't like to be spied on, either.

The story begins outside a HoneyBaked Ham store on Buford Highway just before Christmas 2003.

That day, two vegans --- vegetarians who eat only plants and plant products --- were wrapping up an animal cruelty protest with a handful of other vegans when they noticed a man in a CVS pharmacy parking lot taking pictures of them.

Later, they would learn that the man was an undercover homeland security detective, according to a federal lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia filed Thursday on the vegans' behalf.

The lawsuit, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, charges that the detective, who was working for DeKalb County's Homeland Security Division, and a county police officer subjected Caitlin Childs and Christopher Freeman to false imprisonment, false arrest and harassment and violated their constitutional rights.

This is a very distrubing story, it happened basically in my back yard.

[struggle4progress]

42. Thanx!

[henslee]

41. They hate us for our vegetables.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

73. ...

:spray:

[kurth]

43. Man. Them plant eaters are a dangerous threat to democracy...

and cattle ranchers.

[CoffeeCat]

47. You're either with the broccoli or against the broccoli (nt)

[Hekate]

56. Bush Sr said he didn't like broccoli & his mom couldn't make him eat it...

...him being president and her being dead, I think the point was. At the time it made the nation's broccoli farmers (my county is home to a large share of them) pretty upset.

Perhaps that statement regarding greenery on the plate was the legal precedent the DeKalb fascists had in mind. Brocco-hugging vegans are rumored to be a shifty-eyed lot. It's positively un-American not to eat mass quantities of animal protein at every meal -- everyone knows that.

Hekate

[Hekate]

57. Bush Sr said he didn't like broccoli & his mom couldn't make him eat it...

...him being president and her being dead, I think the point was. At the time it made the nation's broccoli farmers (my county is home to a large share of them) pretty upset.

Perhaps that statement regarding greenery on the plate was the legal precedent the DeKalb fascists had in mind. Brocco-hugging vegans are rumored to be a shifty-eyed lot. It's positively un-American not to eat mass quantities of animal protein at every meal -- everyone knows that.

Hekate

[HuffleClaw]

51. since when is it against the law to write something down ?

"The detective wrote that he ordered Childs to give him the piece of paper on which she had written his license tag number, telling her that he did not want her or anyone else to have the tag number of his undercover vehicle."

[Toucano]

61. Oh, it isn't! It's just intimidation.

I say "just intimidation", but that shouldn't be misconstrued as minimizing the impact of it.

It's absolutely RIDICULOUS!

Childs was practicing reasonable personal safety tactics. If some goof ball in a late model sedan and a cheap suit is taking pictures of you, it's prudent to make a record of it for a WIDE VARIETY OF REASONS.

[stickdog]

52. Half-baked and hamfisted. (nt)

[Zhade]

53. Best. Reply. Ever.

K/R!

[radfringe]

54. Thank pResident bush*

now I'm safe from celery....

[DeepModem Mom]

58. kick

[MagickMuffin]

59. Not only are they vegans

but they're working together with the terrorist HAMas:rofl:

Seriously since when is it a crime to write down a license plate number. Apparently Caitlin's hunch was right on target so to speak, maybe HSD should consider tracking the people who really want to harm us. I don't think just because someone doesn't eat meat they are much of a threat to us.

Meat producers should be considered more of a terrorist threat for how they treat animals, as well as how they market their products:think:

[tanyev]

60. Don't mess with the vegetarians.

They're going to have to run the country after the mad cow epidemic finally hits.

[Tin Man]

62. It's the new and improved AmeriKa, folks!

Into your root cellars, everyone... the vegans are coming, the vegans are coming!!!

[chat_noir]

64. Threat Operations Center

[otohara]

65. My Ex-Best-Vegetarian Friend Voted for Bush

She lives in DeKalb County. We are no longer friends because she voted for Bush. This was a woman who use to donate to Greenpeace, then she met and married a right-winger

[skypilot]

67. This is why I get so pissed off when...

...some moron says, "If you're not part of al Qaeda you don't have to worry about the government spying on you".

Utterly fucking clueless. There was a report on the news a little while back about a group of middle-aged Quaker antiwar activists who were not only spied on but were categorized as a "threat". QUAKERS for God's sake!! About as far from al Qaeda as you can get.

[flvegan]

68. We photograph back at our protests...

I learned 3 years ago at a Fur Free Friday protest outside Nieman's. Govt car pulled into the lot and stopped. 2 folks got out, camera, huge lens and tripod and set up. Didn't even try to hide it. Took multiple angles of all of us, must've taken them 20 minutes.

After that, and especially now, anytime I or any other member of my group goes to a protest, we bring cameras. We even have a cool memory card trick, just in case we get worried that they might confiscate the camera.

Good peace of mind and in case of the need for evidence (in the event some slackjaw drunken knuckledragger tries to assault one of the women across the street because he "likes greyhound racing." Yes, it happened).

[GoddessOfGuinness]

74. How dare they refuse to eat Cheney's beef?!?

They must be terraists!

[napi21]

75. I'm surprised at this. These folks are usually Pubs, and

holy rollers too! The Atlanta Branach of Homeland Security must not have read their email!

[LeftyMom]

78. Huh?

Vegans, you mean? Pubs and holy rollers? I must be reading that wrong. :wtf:

[greiner3]

76. F'ing fascists;

Agent Mike? You suck!

[Tight_rope]

77. Damn....Leave the "HAM"!

[Jacobin]

79. The Vegan Threat

:scared:

So glad our government is protecting us

[BooScout]

80. That explains why....

When I was living in Dekalb county and called the police to report a prowler in my back yard late one night......it took them 30 minutes to show up............they must have been busy trying to catch all the Vegans in my neighborhood.:sarcasm:

[roseBudd]

81. Clicked through to register a page view, we must reward the media

when it reports the news.

[noamnety]

83. Must not have been domestic ham.

I'm sure Scotty will find a way to spin that into the excuse.

[KamaAina]

85. They're spying on *vegans*?!

What're they trying to do, catch 'em sneaking a Chicken McNugget? :eyes:

[noonwitch]

87. How is this a matter for the FBI or local Homeland Security?

Isn't this something for the local PD to handle?

[MilesColtrane]

88. Mixed Homeland Security Medley in Butter Sauce