Feds monitoring Oscar Grant protests since 2009

[Jimmie Higgins]

Feds monitoring Oscar Grant protests since 2009 (http://theblackhour.blogspot.com/2010/12/feds-monitoring-oscar-grant-protests.html)


Not a big shock to those of us involved, but it's nice to get confirmation of something many people felt and suspected but couldn't confirm. An activist in the movement (who's black and has been heavily involved in organizing) told me that police have since pulled up next to him in their car while he walking down the street and said they knew who he was "from TV" and asked if he had any warrants or parole violations. I've actually seen BART police secretly monitoring and filming this particular activist as well as members of the Grant family at a BART station 2 cities away from the Walnut Creek protest they were going to that day.

The article above mostly focuses on repression of anarchists - which no doubt there is and is an ongoing project of the US government (to make political repression part of "the war on terror": treating radical environmentalist sabatours as "terrorists", the FRSO raids, various acts against anarchists) - but really I think "black bloc" is an excuse for dividing the movement and justifying repression of the whole movement regardless of individuals having radical politics or not.

[Jimmie Higgins]

On New Years Day this year (2 year anniversary of Grant's murder) about 40-60 people gathered for a memorial:

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w331/iso_oakland/Oscar%20Grant/New%20Years%20Day%202011/P1010894-1.jpg?t=1294177760http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w331/iso_oakland/Oscar%20Grant/New%20Years%20Day%202011/P1010897.jpg?t=1294177760
I guess the cops were worried about arson^ because...
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w331/iso_oakland/Oscar%20Grant/New%20Years%20Day%202011/P1010890-1.jpg?t=1294177924
...they were out in force. These guys were sent out to look for two droids... I mean they were sent to make sure that the 60 people didn't destroy Oakland with vandalism that could only be stopped with a friggin tank. By the way, the Oakland PD is at this very moment crying about how any cuts to the police budget would result in "Escape from New York" style bedlam and there is no possible way to cut ANYTHING from the police budget (in a city that pays a starting $70K a year for new cops and pays for their training... and has a friggin' TANK!)...
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w331/iso_oakland/Oscar%20Grant/New%20Years%20Day%202011/P1010904-1.jpg?t=1294178215
Really, nothing can be cut from the budget... not the Tank funds... not the discretionary Taco Truck funds?

[Ele'ill]

I don't mean to step on toes with this and I'm speaking from my experience up north of you here, with our similar problems, but I think if the repression is going to take place perhaps some of the tactics need to change so that the most is made with our time and effort.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I don't mean to step on toes with this and I'm speaking from my experience up north of you here, with our similar problems, but I think if the repression is going to take place perhaps some of the tactics need to change so that the most is made with our time and effort.

Yeah it's hard to say how things will develop, but just as I think the radical left realizes that the historical time we are in now will probably mean increased class struggle and the potential for a much wider and deeper working class radicalization than we have seen at least since the 1970s, I think the ruling class, federal government, and local police realize this potential too. With the court-cases against anarchists and radical environmentalists, the FRSO and Arab solidarity group raids, and the kind of repression of the Grant protests, I don't think we are in anything like a period of overt political repression (unless you are an Arab pro-Palestine activist maybe) or a red-scare of any kind, but I think they are trying to set the precedent legally and organizationally in case the ruling class decided it is threatened enough to need to crack down on activist and labor groups.

[Amphictyonis]

Cut Oakland education and shut down public programs while boosting the police budget. Thats what they do/did.

[Amphictyonis]

but I think they are trying to set the precedent legally and organizationally in case the ruling class decided it is threatened enough to need to crack down on activist and labor groups.

Been doing it since 9/11 and the Bush admin- now Obama is taking the baton. The future threat (says the DoD) is not going to be nation states but rouge civilians or 'terrorists' within any given nation state, including our own.

[Rusty Shackleford]

at one event, i noticed at least 3 cameras trained on the counter-protest crowd.

[gorillafuck]

Holy fuck is that a fucking tank?

[Amphictyonis]

Holy fuck is that a fucking tank?
(spoken in right wing southern extremist accent)

God dang Waco Ruby Ridge Branch Dividian Janet Reno!

But seriously, I don't want tanks roaming my city. Makes me want to move to Bosnia.

[the last donut of the night]

Holy fuck is that a fucking tank?

i had the same reaction. funny how the government claims it has no money for education and healthcare but police get funds for fucking tanks???