COME TO A PLANNING MEETING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS TO LEARN

MORE AND TO ORGANIZE FURTHER ACTIONS AGAINST THE ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE

OF THE BPD AND THE BRIC OPERATIONS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1:30-3:30 PM

HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

WASSERSTEIN-CASPERSEN HALL, RM 1010

6 EVERETT ST., OFF MASS. AVE., NORTH OF HARVARD SQ.

There is a long history of the police and FBI targeting peace and social justice groups, unions, and minority communities for surveillance, disruption and even worse. These assaults on our civil rights and liberties have intensified since 9/11 and the unleashing of the so-called ‘War on Terror’.

in spite of their attempts to cover up their unlawful actions, thanks to the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU of Massachusetts, they got caught:

From ACLU/NLG press release: Boston Police officers make video recordings of peaceful demonstrations and track activists as well as the internal workings of political groups--even when there is no indication of criminal activity or a threat to public safety. The documents reveal that officers assigned to the BPD's regional domestic spying center, the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), file so-called "intelligence reports" mischaracterizing peaceful groups such as Veterans for Peace, United for Justice with Peace and CodePink as "extremists," and peaceful protests as domestic "homeland security" threats and civil disturbances. These searchable records are retained for years, in violation of federal regulations, and were turned over to the ACLU and NLG only after they sued for access on behalf of local peace groups and activists.

The activist community is justifiably outraged and many wish to take more action. We know that the files that were released are just the tip of the iceberg and involve many more organizations and constituencies than involved in the recent lawsuit.

This is not a public meeting for wide publicity – it is an organizational meeting to discuss our options and to plan additional action.

Lawyers and representatives of the NLG and the ACLU will be there to put the current findings in context and discuss what further legal actions, if any, can be taken. Other suggestions that have been made for actions include: legislative action, petition campaign, demonstrations, letter writing, educational forums. We can decide to do any or all of these and set the goals for what we want to achieve.

For more information and to watch a video: www.aclum.org http://www.nlgmass.org

In the meantime, you are encouraged to send letters to the news media and to Mayor Menino and Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Mayor Menino

One City Hall Square, Suite 500

Boston, MA 02201-2013

Commissioner Ed Davis

One Schroeder Plaza

Boston, MA 02120