FBI’s Classic Divide-and-Conquer Tactics Tried Again in NYC

In the past week, individuals in New York City have been visited by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. They say that they are investigating the 2008 bombing of the Times Square military recruitment center, and have been asking about many different individuals.

According to the FBI’s recent June 2013 report, the bomb used in the incident, described at the time as unsophisticated, was made out of an ammunition can commonly used in the fields of Iraq and Afghanistan. The bombing occurred at around 3:30 in the morning. No one was near to get injured and it caused only minor damage to the center. The height, weight, age, sex and race of the suspect are unknown. Let’s keep it this way.

It is possible that this FBI investigation is only peripherally related to the open grand jury investigation that has imprisoned anarchist Jerry Koch. While Jerry has been granted immunity from the bombing incident, he is currently imprisoned at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in order to coerce him to inform on others who are suspected.

The FBI’s current focus on specific people exploits ongoing rifts in activist circles, in an effort to glean information to persecute and imprison individuals. During the recent spate of FBI visits, agents have been suggesting that multiple people have been identified as responsible for the Times Square recruitment center bombing, using methods such as insinuating that those accused are themselves already informants for the state. All of this is an obvious effort to encourage others to inform on each other. Law enforcement agents are legally allowed to lie to accomplish their missions. This is a simple divide-and-conquer tactic exploiting the already fractured anarchist scene. It is understandable that the FBI would choose weak points in our community to try to sever the spirit and resolve of all who might come together to fight against oppression. We hope that each one of us can see the benefit of fighting activist repression in whatever form it takes.

Stay strong, understand your rights, and remember what we have in common. We can galvanize our communities and fight against the wedge tactics of the state. If they had enough evidence to charge anyone then someone would have already been arrested and charged. The FBI needs us to make their case. It’s up to us not to give them what they want.

If faced with questioning by any police or FBI, you do not need to talk to them. You do not need to let them in your home without a valid warrant. They are legally allowed to lie to you. Ask for a business card and call the National Lawyers Guild at 212-679-6018. Below is a link to information about the rights you have when the FBI comes to question you.

http://issuu.com/sparrow/docs/ccr_if_an_agent_knocks

Chicago: Another arrest linked to Tinley Park antifa actions

DABC Note: Other capitalist media outlets are making the connection between Jason Hammond and his brother, imprisoned Anonymous Hacker, Jeremy Hammond. More information on Jeremy and his case can be found here.

From the capitalist press:

A 28-year-old Chicago man has been charged for his role in a bizarre mob attack on a group of alleged white supremacists dining at a Tinley Park family restaurant in May 2012, officials said.

Jason Richard Hammond of the 3300 block of South Morgan Street was charged with armed violence, aggravated battery and mob action on Thursday, Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer said. He is the sixth defendant to be charged in connection with the melee.

On May 19, 2012, a group of 18 masked men charged into the Ashford House in the 7900 block of West 159th Street to confront a group of alleged white supremacists who were said to be at the eatery.

The masked men, all from the Bloomington, Ind., area, are members of the Hoosier Anti-Racist Movement. Hammond belonged to same group, Neubauer said.

Security video shows the men in masks carrying batons and other clublike objects. Within minutes, a melee broke out between the two groups, and several bystanders were injured.

Brothers Dylan, Cody and Jason Sutherlin and two other men, Alex Stuck and John S. Tucker, were arrested by an off-duty police officer shortly after the attack and have since each pleaded guilty to three felony counts of armed violence in connection with the attack. Their sentences range from 3 1/2 to 6 years in prison.

The case is a high priority for the police department, Neubauer said. The attack occurred on a Sunday afternoon and disrupted a graduation party and a bridal shower, he said.

“These people came in masked with weapons and created mayhem in the place,” Chief Steve Neubauer said. “It was surreal.”

“You just can’t have those kinds of things going on, so we have worked on this thing relentlessly,” Neubauer said. He declined to discuss how the police department tracked down Hammond, noting that there are still 12 suspects who have yet to be arrested.

Nick Cardinal, the manager at Ashford House who was also on the scene at the time of the attack, said he was pleased by the latest arrest.

“They’re getting to the bottom of it and we’re happy to see results,” Cardinal said.

Montreal: 447 arrests at anti-capitalist May Day demonstrations

Montreal police arrested 447 people last night during a May Day demonstration in Montreal organized by a group called the Anti-Capitalist Convergence, or CLAC.

Those arrested at the demonstration that coincided with International Workers’ Day were released over the course of the night and handed a $637 fine for unlawful assembly.

The noisy, colourful rally Wednesday was almost festive when it began early on the unseasonably warm evening.

Restaurant patrons watched from outdoor terraces as drummers, musicians and chanting, flag-waving demonstrators gathered in Place Jacques-Cartier.

However, police declared the gathering illegal shortly after it started under the controversial Montreal public order bylaw P-6. The bylaw makes it illegal to participate in an assembly with a face obscured by a scarf, hood or mask, and requires protesters to disclose to police in advance the location and itinerary of their demonstration.

Police said they issued a dispersal order, and also confirmed criminal acts, which consisted mainly of wielding sticks and throwing billiard balls at officers, were performed.

“It was getting dangerous for peace and safety and the public order,” said police Sgt. Jean-Bruno Latour.

Dozens of demonstrators tried to make their way to the march’s destination, a private club known by its street number, 357c.

Witnesses at Quebec’s inquiry into corruption in the construction industry have referred to the club in testimony as a meeting place for entrepreneurs, high-level bureaucrats and politicians to discuss business.

However, the demonstrators never reached the club.

Hundreds of police encircled the protesters at the intersection of de la Commune Street and St-Sulpice Street. They began herding — and in some cases, physically carrying — those detained into awaiting buses.

By 8 p.m., the police had wrapped up their operation.

The CLAC denounced the police intervention, saying they used disproportionate force against protesters.

Latour could not say if anyone would face criminal charges.

NYC ABC Update on Daniel McGowan’s Reimprisonment

NYC ABC:

We got word late yesterday that Daniel McGowan was told he wouldn’t be issued a pass to go to work the next day. According to his keepers at the halfway house, this denial came at the direction of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). When he followed up, Daniel was told that it wasn’t merely a denial of a work pass, but a restriction on all movement. When asked if that meant federal marshals were coming to get him the next day, the halfway house administrators told him they didn’t know.

The state, and its for-profit halfway house minions, were clearly in collusion. This is just another way that opacity is used to mindfuck folks left to twist in the wind, not knowing what the future holds.

From our understanding, the reason for his re-imprisonment is directly related to an article Daniel recently wrote for the Huffington Post. An attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights has been to visit Daniel at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Once we know more, we’ll pas the information on.

For now, take time to send Daniel a card or letter. Let him know that regardless of how the state treats him, we have his back.

Write to Daniel at:Daniel McGowan #63794-053
MDC Brooklyn
Post Office Box 329002
Brooklyn, New York 11232

Daniel McGowan Reportedly Taken Into Custody in Brooklyn, NY

Daniel’s partner Jenny posted this to Facebook this morning:

“daniel was taken into custody this morning and is now at the federal
detention center in brooklyn getting processed. so much for following
the rules, getting a job immediately and doing what you’re told! god
bless america! updates on Support for Daniel McGowan to come.”

Forthcoming updates will be posted as soon as they are available.

Stop the Deportation of Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez!

Please join us as our community seeks to keep Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez with her community and her family. Imelda is a community leader and nurturing mother and she belongs here with her family. Please her daughter Tania’s message below for more details on this case.

In addition to coming on Thursday morning at 7:45am, please consider taking the additional action steps:

1. Sign Imelda’s online petition. Here is the link.

http://action.dreamactivist.org/colorado/imelda/

2. Make a phone call to ICE. Check out the online petition above for more information.

Call ICE Director John Morton (202) 732-3000

Sample Script: “I am calling to urge ICE to stop the deportation of Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez (A# 087-496-884), who was defrauded by a lawyer who is now on the run from the law. While the lawyer gets away with his crime, Imelda is in danger of being separated from her family for simply trying to renew her cosmotology license. Please keep her in the U.S. where she has raised her children since 1999.”

3. Write a support letter for Imelda
Attached is a letter template along with some very basic instructions on how to write an effective support letter. We need these letters by Monday, April 1st at 8:00am. Please send your completed letters to Mu Son at muson@progressivecoalition and call Mu Son with any questions at 720.570.4908.

Message from Imelda’s Daughter Tania
Queridos Amigos,

I am not sure all of you knew this, but mom has been fighting her deportation case for a few years now. It has been stressful, scary and painful, “but we wont back down we wont retreat.” This upcoming Thursday April 4th at 8:30am its my moms “last” court date and I am requesting your help and support. I would like to get a petition started to ask ice to stop my mom’s deportation and grant her prosecutorial discretion.

She is an amazingly strong mujer, a supportive and loving mother, a luchona and hard worker and an important part of this society’s fabric, she is my mom. I want to keep her close, not just at heart and spirit but in the flesh. I need you to help me stop her deportation.

She has a lawyer, but also has a tough case. My mom has a case of neglect and its being considered by ICE as child abuse. One day my mother left my siblings alone to go run an errand, as siblings often do they started bickering. My brother was bothering my little sister and making her angry, she then called the police. My mother arrived a little after the police had gotten there she was charged with neglect. That small incident has haunted us with her case.

I am asking you to help me gather signatures, call ICE and circulate the petition once its set up, and also be present at her court date. Her court is

Thursday April 4th at 8:30am at
621 17th Street
Denver CO 80293

I’m appreciative of all the support we can receive. The will be an online petition going around, but I would also like help setting one up where we can just print it, gather signatures and give it to the lawyer to have in his hands. I am overwhelmed and have not had the head space to get this started due to other things that need to get done for her case. If any one has experience, time and willingness to help me set this up I am forever grateful.

Please help me keep my family together.

In community,

—
Tania Soto Valenzuela

Fugitive Summons Issued for U.S. Black Anarchist, Lorenzo Komboa Ervin

Greetings,

In an attempt to disrupt the anti-police brutality work in Memphis, Tenn., USA. and the city’s March 30 Anti-Klan protest, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s department in Chattanooga, Tenn. (very likely working with other law enforcement agencies in Tennessee), has issued a “fugitive” summons for U.S. black anarchist, Lorenzo Komboa Ervin. He is the author of Anarchism and the Black Revolution and the co-founder of the Black Autonomy Federation, whose chapter in Memphis has organized several protests against police brutality and made the national call for the upcoming Anti-Klan protest.

Background

The summons stems from court costs the county claims that Lorenzo owes in connection with a 12-year-old misdemeanor conviction.  Damon McGee, Mikail Musa Muhammad (Ralph P. Mitchell), and Lorenzo  were convicted in January, 2001, for disrupting a Chattanooga (Tenn.) City Council meeting in 1998 where they went to protest against police brutality. At the time, Chattanooga had the highest number of people killed by police in U.S. cities with populations under 200.000..

Damon has also received a “fugitive” summons. Mikail died in 2006. There is no statute of limitations in the U.S. on the collection of court  fees and fines, and Damon and Lorenzo could be arrested at any time.

The Chattanooga 3, as  they were called, were convicted for violating Tennessee’s “Disrupting Meetings Law,” which makes it illegal for anyone by “physical action or verbal utterance” to  interfere with a lawful meeting. The law should be declared unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly.

 

Toronto G20 State Repression Goes International With the Arrest and Request for Extradition of American Activist

On Thursday, February 14th, at 6 o’clock in the morning, federal marshals arrested an American activist, Joel Bitar, in his New York, NY home on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the US Attorney’s office, acting on a foreign extradition request from Canadian authorities. The complaint against Joel cites 26 counts, almost all relating to property damage that occurred during the G20 summit protests in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in June 2010.

After a temporary delay in court proceedings—due to an outbreak of lice in the federal prison where Joel and many others have the misfortune of being held, the weekend, and a national holiday on Monday—Joel went before Magistrate Judge, Gabriel W. Gorenstein, on Tuesday, February 19th, to determine whether he would be granted bail as he awaits his extradition hearing in the United States. During the proceedings, a general timeline of the actions of the Canadian and US authorities was established.

Joel was arrested in Toronto, along with a little over 1,100 other people, during the G20 protests on June 26 and 27th 2010, in what is thought to be the largest mass arrest in Canada’s history. Joel was processed and released without any charges. In December 2010, lead G20 investigator, Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux, announced to various Canadian news agencies that Canada was seeking the extradition of three Americans for damages amounting to $500,000. Soon after, Joel retained the services of an attorney, Martin Stolar, who contacted Giroux. According to Stolar’s testimony on Tuesday, Giroux confirmed that Joel was a suspect and they were investigating him on charges relating to property destruction. The Assistant U.S. Attorney said that the original complaint against Joel—which details the charges—was prepared in October 2011. Canadian authorities then spent some time going through their image and video database from the G20, as well as obtaining Facebook posts that Joel allegedly made regarding the G20 summit in Canada, and submitted a request for extradition in October 2012 which jumpstarted a winding process involving the US Embassy in Washington DC, the State Department, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. It is worth noting that in this time period beginning in December 2010 up until his arrest in February 2013, Joel traveled overseas several times, and was not arrested, although he was stopped by the Department of Homeland Security and questioned. Joel’s response was that they should speak to his lawyer.

Establishing this timeline of events took up the longest part of the proceedings, and there was much back-and-forth between the Assistant U.S. Attorney—who opposed bail, pressed US legal obligations in respect to treaties with Canada, and claimed that the allegations against Joel, which mostly relate to property damage, are extraditable offenses that endangered Canadian citizens—and Joel’s current attorney, Philip Weinstein—who argued several special circumstances (such as delay, the political nature of the charges, and community ties) that allow for bail in extradition cases. After some consideration, Judge Gorenstein granted bail on the basis of the special circumstance of “delay” (it had been over two years since Det. Sgt. Giroux had spoken with Martin Stolar, and alleged Joel’s involvement) and acknowledged Joel’s low risk of flight. The stipulations of the bail are steep: Joel was granted bail to the tune of $500,000—a little tit-for-tat—as well as house arrest with electronic monitoring. He was released into the custody of his parents on Wednesday, February 20th. His next court date—which is his actual extradition hearing—is currently scheduled for March 20th.

For those who may be unfamiliar, the G20 is a collection of finance ministers and central bank governors from nineteen powerful countries plus the European Union—along with representatives of international financial institutions. At G20 “summits” these figures are joined by top politicians to discuss their ongoing exploitation of the planet, its people and resources. Downtown Toronto was placed under heavy police control during the summit and protesters were arbitrarily arrested and held in a large film-studio, that was converted into a prison, specifically for the purpose of crushing dissent. It is well known that many were brutalized, insulted, or sexually humiliated by Canadian police, outraging large sectors of Canadian society. Protest organizers were attacked by police in their homes, arrested and charged for attending meetings and discussing protest plans.

The extradition of a protester for property damage is almost unprecedented in the histories of both the United States and Canada. Considering that state repression has been ratcheted ever higher in both countries over the past several years, this latest development comes with little surprise. Governments claim that property damage somehow endangers the lives of citizens, all the while their police and military forces brutalize and kill people at home and abroad that they deem undesirable—non-citizens. As long as there are states—and international summits of states—there will be protest and revolt by the non-citizens of the world. We are in solidarity with Joel Bitar—who is a friend, a son, a nephew, a Palestine solidarity activist, a co-worker, a prospective nursing student, and a real person whose life cannot be categorized so easily into the familiar tropes. The US and Canadian governments want to call him a criminal, and eventually, an inmate. We fight this legal process and will support Joel throughout this predicament. Joel’s case may be unique, but state repression is not. We are in solidarity with all comrades who face state repression, especially those in jail from G20 protest charges in Canada and the Pacific Northwest Grand Jury Resisters here in the US.

More updates as necessary.
supportjoel.com

Russia: Violent Squat Eviction in St Petersburg; Three Activists Face 10 Years in Prison

From Anarchist News:

On 4th February, at around 10pm local time, riot police brutally evicted a group of anarchists, community activists and local history enthusiasts who had been occupying a disused railway station, Warsaw station, in St Petersburg, Russia.

Hearing that the site would soon be demolished to make way for a multi-storey housing complex, the activists had turned one of the last warehouses attached to the historic train station into a community centre, hosting concerts, poetry readings and a photo-exhibition of the history of the station.

The neo-renaissance-style building was built in the middle of the nineteenth century, linking St Petersburg directly with Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire. Closed as a station in 2001, it was briefly transformed into a train museum, before falling empty. Developers had submitted plans to develop the area in October, despite the fact that parts of the building are protected by conservation law. Furthermore, the city’s unique status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site means that the construction of buildings in the city centre that are out of keeping with the imperial style should be carefully monitored by the government.

In fact, the difficulties of the on-going preservation of historic buildings in St Petersburg became a focus for civic activism in 2006 when one of the country’s largest oil and gas companies, GazProm, announced plans to build a 395-metre skyscraper opposite the historic Smolny complex, once the first seat of the Bolshevik government. Demonstrations were held, a new grass-roots social movement was founded, ‘Living City’, public figures joined the campaign and, in 2010, the project was moved to a less controversial site. Protecting public space from the encroachment of capital runs deep in the veins of this city.

Warsaw Station lies on the edge of the historic city centre and its status as a site of historical and cultural significance had been labeled ‘disputed’ by the city administration. In 2007, however, this status was changed, enabling developers to submit proposals for the site. Currently the non-governmental organisation, the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture (VOOPiK) is investigating the historical value of the buildings. According to the group, 15 historic buildings have historic or cultural significance. However, many fear that the developers themselves could demolish the buildings before the examination is finished: an unexplained incidence of ‘arson’.

So, in early January, activists occupied the last surviving warehouse of the Warsaw station complex. At first its owner appeared not to mind their presence and did not switch off electricity and other amenities for more than a month. However, on the 4th February things changed: at around 4pm activists found security guards ordered by the warehouse owner were attempting to use a sledgehammer to break down the inner wall of the warehouse. A fight broke out between the activists and the guards who then called the police claiming that the activists had been threatening them. Upon the arrival of the police some activists barricaded themselves in the building while others organized a human chain around the building trying to block police access to the door. The final stand-off between squatters and police and riot police lasted more than 6 hours.

Nineteen activists were arrested, with several hospitalized for concussion. The police also sustained injuries during the eviction, with two needing medical treatment for lost teeth and a fractured skull. Sixteen squatters received fines of around €40, but the remaining three are being charged for violence against police officers, an offence which could see them jailed for up to ten years. In fact the speed with which this has been rushed to the courts speaks for the probability of the maximum sentence.

Solidarity with the arrested squatters! Please publicize their bravery as widely as possible! They urgently need funds for legal assistance: to enquire about making a donation or to help get a fundraising action together please e-mail russiaukasn@riseup.net

Finally, although it is unlikely that the penetration of Warsaw station by private capital will evoke such a huge public outcry as the GazProm project, the battle to save it has certainly put the site on the map. Videos, articles and photo reports of the eviction have flooded Russian media over the past day – both at local and national level – and, although the squat itself might be gone, the snug relationship between city capitalists and local government is once again in the spotlight. The developers will no doubt have a long, hard road in front of them. It is a crime that three individuals may have to pay such a high price for their defence of social justice.

Photo reportage of the eviction: http://lenta.ru/photo/2013/02/05/squat/#0

Squat blog (in Russian): http://spasisohrani.livejournal.com/

video (in Russian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcslamlh4U

source: https://avtonom.org/en/freenews/violent-squat-eviction-st-petersburg-thr…

Lynne Stewart’s Health Deteriorating

Greetings

It is urgent that you listen to the audio email below. It is the latest update from Ralph Poynter, Mya Shone & Ralph Schonmann about LYNNE STEWARTS fate in prison.

Lynne Stewart’s breast cancer is spreading to her lungs and shoulders. She needs immediate treatment NOW. The prison authorities have known
this since September.

WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF LAUNCHING HER APPEAL TO THE SUPREME COURT. DEADLINE FEBRUARY 21,2013.

All we are asking for in support is that you:

Listen to the audio below and update yourself on the facts. Check out the website as well.

Write a letter of support to Lynne Stewart- 53504 – 054, FEDERAL MEDICAL CNTR, CARSWELL, P.O. BOX 27137, FT. WORTH, TEXAS 76127. You don’t have to write the prison authorities because THEY READ EVERYTHING WE SEND AND TELL HER SO.

Send this email out to all your listservs, especially to LAWYERS because we are asking ALL ATTORNEYS SUPPORT HER CERT , (A REQUEST FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO HEAR HER CASE.

When it comes to the oppressed, there is no such thing as law or justice. THEREFORE, the movement determines the argument before the courts. Not this myth of justice before the law. We need attorneys who understand this and understand that LYNNE STEWART was one of the very few attorneys who understood this. She never had her political prisoners surrender their right to self defense or self determination. In her trial when questioned she still defended this human right and her right to give her clients the best defense possible. When she was re sentenced from 28 months to ten years, one of the reasons was that SHE SHOWED NO REMORSE. SHE DOES NOT FEEL REMORSE FOR DEFENDING THE BILL OF RIGHTS, therefore, we should defend her and all POLITICAL PRISONERS.

BETTY DAVIS
NEW ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT

—–Original Message—

But, to listen to the report, go to:

128 kbps version (hi fi):

32 kbps version (lo fi):