Documents Show NYPD Infiltrated Liberal Groups

Documents show the New York Police Department has infiltrated liberal political groups and kept intelligence files on activists. The NYPD says it's part of its counter-terror efforts, but many activists are concerned about civil liberties.

Published

about 1 year ago

Categories

US

Topics

Free Speech, United States

Places

United States of America, New York City, New York

Tags

nyclu, donna lieberman, infiltration, nafta, liberal, monitoring, activist, republican national convention, rnc, 1st amendment, civil liberty, domestic spying, spying, new york police department, nypd spying, nypd

Transcript

Script[Location - Date:NEW YORK/2004][Source:ASSOCIATED PRESS][VO:][VOICE-OVER](NATS)IT WAS 2004....PROTESTORS FILLED THE STREETS OF MANHATTAN IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.....AND THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS OUT IN FULL FORCE(NATS)AS THE PUBLIC LATER CAME TO KNOW, THE NYPD'S WATCH OVER PROTESTORS EXTENDED BEYOND JUST THE MEN IN UNIFORM....UNDERCOVER POLICE CAREFULLY MONITORED CERTAIN GROUPS....ANTI-WAR ORGANIZATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES, EVEN CHURCH GROUPS....BUT A NEW DOCUMENT UNCOVERED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHOWS THOSE COVERT TACTICS WENT ON FOR YEARS AFTER THE CONVENTION....NYPD OFFICERS SPIED ON LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS....EVEN KEPT FILES ON SPECIFIC PEOPLE BASED ON THEIR POLITICAL LEANINGS(JORDAN FLAHERTY) "You know them spying on me was bizarre. It was strange."JORDAN FLAHERTY'S WAS SINGLED OUT BY THE NYPD AFTER AN UNDERCOVER OFFICER TRAVELED TO NEW ORLEANS TO ATTEND A GATHERING OF PEOPLE OPPOSING THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT...IN THE REPORT THE OFFICER CLAIMED FLAHERTY AS AN ORGANIZER WITH PALESTINIAN SYMPATHIES....FLAHERTY SAYS THE NYPD EXAGGERATED HIS ROLE AND THAT HE WAS SIMPLY THERE TO INTRODUCE A FILM....HE SAYS THE THOUGHT OF THE NYPD HAVING A FILE ON HIM SIMPLY BECAUSE OF HIS POLITICAL BELIEFS IS UNSETTLING(JORDAN FLAHERTY) "Nobody was plotting violence, we were discussing ideas and apparently that's threatening to the New York City police department."(EUGENE PURYEAR) "I think it's unwarranted. That the groups that came together in 2008 that were under surveillance were simply hard working dedicated activists who want to make a difference."EUGENE PURYEAR IS AN ACTIVIST WHO ATTENDED THE NEW ORLEANS SUMMIT.....IT DOESN'T SURPRISE HIM THAT POLICE WERE CLOSELY MONITORING THE EVENT....BUT HE, LIKE FLAHERTY FIND IT UNFORTUNATE THAT MERELY EXPRESSING POLITICAL VIEWS CAN PUT YOU IN THE RADAR OF THE NYPD(EUGENE PURYEAR) "I think it definitely has overstepped its bounds. I think the people have the right to first amendment expression to gather to discuss their political ideas."THE DOCUMENT IS YET ANOTHER SIGN OF HOW THE NYPD HAS BROADENED ITS REACH IN A POST 9/11 WORLD....PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 11TH THE SPYING ON PROTEST GROUPS WAS RESTRICTED....BUT A FEDERAL JUDGE'S RULING RELAXED THOSE RESTRICTIONS...SINCE THEN THE DEPARMENT HAS KEPT TABS ON ENTIRE MUSLIM NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL AS PROTESTORS(DONNA LIEBERMAN) "What keeps coming back is that the NYPD doesn't differentiate between lawful political protest and serious criminal activity, even terrorism."THE NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION IS INVOLVED IN THE ONGOING FEDERAL SUIT OVER HOW THE NYPD TREATED CONVENTION PROTESTORS BACK IN 2004....BUT EVEN WITH THE THREAT OF LITIGATION.....NYCLU HEAD DONNA LIEBERMAN CLAIMS ONLY OVERSIGHT MAY CHANGE THE NYPD'S WAYS....THE NYPD HAS LONG DEFENDED ITS ACTIONS...SAYING OFFICERS ARE ALLOWED TO BE IN PUBLIC AREAS AND EVEN CREATE DOCUMENTS FOR PLANNING...THEY ALSO SAY REGARDLESS OF THE FIRST AMENDMENTS THEY NEED TO BE AWARE OF PROTESTS SHOULD VIOLENCE BREAK OUT....IN BONNY GHOSH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. (****END****) ANCHOR VOICE: BONNY GHOSH-------------------------VIDEO PRODUCER: BONNY GHOSH---------------------------VIDEO SOURCE: AP-----------------------VIDEO APPROVAL: YES----------------------------VIDEO RESTRICTIONS: NONE----------------------------------MARKET EMBARGO (S): NONE--------------------------------SCRIPT/WIRE SOURCE: i0013222^BC-US--NYPD Intelligence,1343<