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Beau Hodai, author of a detailed report on the use of the expanded police networks intended to fight terrorists instead used to monitor and infiltrate peaceful protest groups, from Occupy to opponents of ALEC and the Keystone XL pipeline. Gary Chew reviews the new spy thriller, The East.Hodai used public records to explore the relationship between local law enforcement, the new regional and federal layers of Homeland Security’s fusion centers and the FBI’s JTTF–Joint Terrorism Task Force. With the powers enabled by the Patriot Act and other laws, intelligence collected by government agencies is then shared with the corporations who are often the targets of the protest actions, sometimes through off-duty cops who moonlight in corporate security.
We open with discussion of Steve Horn’s recent report on a Nebraska fusion center that is monitoring groups likely to protest the Keystone XL pipeline, based on a presumption of potential criminal acts by people who are using their first amendment rights. We note in this case the report of coordination with TransCanada, which is building a database of names and photos of likely protesters. The term “eco-terrorist” is being used, which could lead to extreme prison sentences. Hodai introduces us to the term “doxed, and explains the ways information is exchanged.
We talk about the recent disclosures about the NSA and domestic surveillance, and parallels to the tools and tactics of the local/regional wings , and PBC raises some lingering questions about the investigation of the Boston bombing.
Hodai gives a detailed account of the work of a Phoenix police officer who infiltrated Occupy and a group that was planning a protest for an ALEC conference. He used the name Saul DeLara, and the activists describe their reaction to “the creepy guy” who was very nosy when ALEC was being discussed.
At about 1:06, Gary Chew drops in to share his review of the new film, The East, a spy flick.