Police compiling dossiers on protesters?

We have a garden-variety urban murder shut down half the metropolitan area at rush hour in a way that Occupy Boston couldn't dream of.

Oh, but Anarchists are a real threat because they read books and drink free trade vegan coffee at the Lucy Parsons Center, and gangbangers just go gangbang in their gangbang zones and don't bother nobody in any important area of the city.

Priorities, BPD? Priorities?

[img]http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/285713...

"Absent an articulable, reasonable suspicion of actual, or attempted planning, organizing, financing or commission of criminal activity the BRIC does not gather or retain information on first amendment protected groups and events."

"The BRIC does not maintain continued surveillance or documentation on peace protest groups."

Bullllllllshiiiiit:

"Videos taped at public demonstrations and “intelligence reports” written by officers assigned to the BRIC show pervasive monitoring of peaceful demonstrations. Nine out of the 13 reports obtained by the ACLU and NLG discuss only political activity, never mentioning criminal or even potentially criminal acts; two reference non-violent civil disobedience. Nonetheless, all of the reports include the category “Criminal Act” and use labels such as “Extremist,” “Civil Disturbance” or “HomSec-Domestic.”"

BPD “intelligence reports” show tracking and monitoring of political groups having no involvement in violence or nexus to criminal activity.
• Officers monitored “an anti-war group made up of older veterans.” 3/11/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• “Detective Creed and Trooper Favale went to the Boston Common to monitor the anti-war
demonstration.” 3/20/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• Another report states that “Detectives Creed and Kelley of the BRIC monitored a[n] anti-war
demonstration” at the Park Street MBTA station. Nothing criminal occurred, and officers
acknowledged that the demonstration was “generally peaceful.” 3/26/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• Agents monitored preparations for an annual anti-war rally on the Boston Common, noting that
“in the past, this event has drawn up to several thousand participants who are generally
peaceful.” 10/01/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• “Sgt. Det. Brian McMasters and Det. William Dickinson monitored a protest organized by
[redacted] . . . .” 5/18/2009 Intel. Rpt.
The monitoring is long-term.
• Officers were able to say which people “have been showing up recently at anti-war and other far left” events. 3/20/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• Officers could say which demonstrators had attended “all of the recent” demonstrations and which demonstrators had attended only “several” of them. 1/8/2009 Intel. Rpt.
“Intelligence reports” falsely categorize peaceful protests in a “Criminal Act” database with labels such as “Civil Disturbance,” “HomeSec-Domestic” and “Extremists.”
• A Howard Zinn speaking engagement arranged by Councilor Felix Arroyo, Sr., was filed under “Extremists.” 3/28/2007 Intel. Rpt.
• The groups Veterans for Peace, United for Justice with Peace and Stop the Wars Coalition are also categorized as “Extremists.” 3/20/2008 and 3/26/2008 Intel. Rpts.
• Two “intelligence reports” filed under “Groups—Civil Disturbance” make no mention of any such disturbance. In one report, the only documented disruption occurred when protesters caused “some traffic delays and sometimes [blocked] pedestrian passage on the sidewalk.” Officers simply moved protesters along. 5/18/2009 Intel. Rpt.
• None of the reports filed under “HomeSec-Domestic” discuss the possibility of any future safety concerns, security concerns, terrorism (domestic or otherwise), or any other type of threat. 4/02/2007, 1/03/2008, 10/01/2008, 3/18/2010 and 4/13/2010 Intel. Rpts.
BPD officers take video recordings of peaceful events, retaining them for unknown periods of time.
• In response to our requests for video of specified events, the BPD turned over hours of footage, which captures thousands of demonstrators expressing their views in public areas. These tapes are retained even though they do not constitute evidence of any crime. Activists report seeing police officers with hand-held cameras at rallies and events. The BPD also deploys stationary cameras in open areas.

B. The documents reveal that Boston Police officers track and record the internal dynamics and political beliefs of peaceful groups and individuals.
Police surveillance of peaceful demonstrators is not limited to watching them when they participate in peaceful public protests. “Intelligence reports” also reveal investigation of the ideas and communications of peaceful groups.
The “intelligence reports” describe the monitoring of constitutionally-protected speech and ideas having no plausible connection to any crime.
• Officers reported that local activists had tried “to get ‘celebrity guest speakers’” such as Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. 3/28/2007 Intel. Rpt.
• Officers monitored one group’s “infighting” about whether it “should stop its anti-war actions during the election year in an effort not to harm the Democratic Party.” 3/11/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• Officers questioned someone about “the reason for the demonstration” and whether “he was part of [it].” 3/26/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• An intelligence report described one group’s internal debate about whether “to plan for an increase in anti-war actions leading up to the November elections.” 6/10/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• “Activists are hopeful that an Obama victory in November will speed up the withdrawal from Iraq.” 10/1/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• When the Tea Party brought Sarah Palin to town, officers investigated whether “counter- demonstrators” would hold an “impromptu march,” even though prior Palin events had involved “no major incidence of violence.” 4/13/2010 Intel. Rpt.
The tracking of groups and peace activists by police includes monitoring of on-line forums, such as:
• Facebook. 4/13/2010 Intel. Rpt.
• Email distribution lists. 3/20/2008 Intel. Rpt.
• “‘[C]hatter’ on local activist message boards.” 3/27/2007 Intel. Rpt.
Boston Police officers seek informants to spy on the peace activist community.
• The Boston officers have relied on outside intelligence on constitutionally protected activities, such as the “FBI’s source” who said that 10 people from a certain group might try to pass out flyers at the Palin rally. 4/13/2010 Intel. Rpt.
• Officers have also tried to get activists to spy on each other. One report states: “Over the weekend, Lt. McDermott spoke with a source in the activist community who stated that the various anti-war groups are hoping for a large turnout this weekend.” 3/27/2007 Intel. Rpt.
Activists accused of minor infractions are interrogated about their First Amendment activities rather than their infractions.
• Activists arrested at one demonstration were moved for “processing,” which included questioning by surveillance officers about what group “the arrested activists were associated with.” 3/20/2008 Intel. Rpt.
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Policing Dissent: Police Surveillance of Lawful Political Activity in Boston 9
• Activists arrested for trespassing at a consulate were interviewed by three surveillance officers “in the hopes that these activists may reach out to the officers in the future.” 1/08/2009 Intel. Rpt. They were asked about their organizing efforts and for the names of other organizers. When the National Lawyers Guild asked the BPD for records of this interrogation, the BPD responded that there were none. The lawsuit proved that these records existed after all.