Myths About Domestic Spying

• Domestic Spying is harmless if you are not a terrorist. Innocent people have nothing to worry about
  
• Domestic spying started as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks
  
• Domestic Spying has made America safe
  
• The FBI is the only agency spying in America
• They don't torture Americans
• Torture is used to get information

Members of Congress, journalists, lawyers and government officials give the impression that domestic surveillance is harmless and limited to investigating terrorism, but the truth is that federal, state and local governments are working in cooperation with corporations and private associations to investigate and disrupt Americans opposed to the policies of the Bush administration and their corporate friends. They are spying on grandparents, students and other regular Americans just like you and me. This spying didn't start after 9/11 nor did it begin with George W. Bush. And this spying isn't limited to the government. A host of corporations and associations also infiltrate, wiretap and conduct covert actions against legal non-violent community organizations. The government's domestic surveillance has as much to do with silencing opposition to Bush's corporate agenda, as it has to do with fighting terrorism.

Currently, millions of tax dollars are being spent to monitor groups of Americans that oppose the policies of the Bush administration and their corporate sponsors. Non-profits, peace activists, and pacifists have been targeted, including Food Not Bombs.

As recently as August 2009 Food Not Bombs volunteer Brendan Maslauskas Dunn discovered that John Jacob was John J Towery II, an Army Informant and Infiltrator . He brought his son out to Food Not Bombs and other community events and gatherings. Infiltration of domestic political groups by the military is illegal. Examples of surveillance and disruption of Food Not Bombs

In 1981, Food Not Bombs organized a peace march to Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Draper Laboratory was in the process of designing systems for nuclear missiles. The march was sponsored by Food Not Bombs and the Cambridge City Council. Food Not Bombs first realized that Food Not Bombs was under government surveillance when the secretary of the City Council told the volunteers that a man from the CIA had stopped by and was looking for them just prior the protest.

Eight years later In 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Communism, the United States military held classes at the Presidio of San Francisco on domestic terrorism using Food Not Bombs as their case study, classifying our organization as one of "America's Most Hardcore Terrorist Groups."

One of the most widely reported examples of the government spying on Food Not Bombs came to light on December 13, 2005, when MSNBC reported that the Pentagon had spied on 1,500 peace protests in the United States from November through May of 2004. Food Not Bombs organize and participated in one of these protests.

The Department of Defense database, published by MSNBC, states that from November 19, 2004 to November 21, 2004 the Pentagon monitored the "Planned Demonstration at Fort Huachuca AZ Sierra Vista." They also listed it as a "Threat" and that it is "Open/Unresolved" and "Credible." One man who attended our November 19, 2004 meeting at a cafe in downtown Tucson seemed suspicious. When we arrived at the protest three men stood at the door of the Food Not Bombs bus and took photos of each person who exited.

It goes on to say "Details: as previously noted in serial 4, Colorado has several active Food Not Bombs (FNB) groups in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Durango." (We are interested to see what serial 4 has to say about Food Not Bombs).

The memo continues, "On August 1, 2003, eight individuals were arrested at the so-called Denver FNB house at 1435 Lipan Street. The Charges included obstruction police/fire, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and assault. These arrests were noted in this investigation due to (i) the close association between FNB and Anarchist Black Cross movement and (ii) the close proximity of the FNB house to 923 Lipan Street, the location of the Anarchist Black Cross Denver."

The FBI's interest in the lawful actions of Colorado's non-violent activists has had a chilling effect on movement. Due to this FBI investigation, many Denver activists became fearful, even to the point where it prevented them from exercising their Constitutionally protected right of free expression.

In the November 14, 2005 edition of Newsweek, Michael Isikoff wrote about the case of Food Not Bombs volunteer Josh Connole, "a 27-year-old ex-commune member who had been arrested - and later released - on suspicions he was one of the eco-terrorists who had fire bombed SUV dealerships in the summer of 2003." Mr. Isikoff reported, "The FBI collected detailed data on political activities and Web postings of suspected members of a tiny environmentalist commune in southern California two years ago as part of a high-profile counter terrorism probe, bureau records show."

The article states "Agents placed the commune under surveillance and developed a political profile of the residents, discovering the owner of the house and his father 'have posted statements on web sites opposing the use of fossil fuels,"9 one doc reads. Another says the owner had ties to a local chapter of Food Not Bombs, an 'anarcho-vegan food distribution group.'"

Shortly after Michael Isikoff's article, there were numerous other media reports about domestic surveillance on people who volunteered with Food Not Bombs. Karen Abbott of the Rocky Mountain News reported on December 8, 2005 that "The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado said it will release documents today that show FBI agents improperly spied on peaceful protesters in Colorado Springs in the name of combating terrorism." In the article, Mark Silverstein, ACLU legal director in Colorado stated, 'These documents are further confirmation of our contention that the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is wasting resources and threatening First Amendment rights by equating non-violent protest with what it calls domestic terrorism'.

Ten days later on December 18, 2005 two former Food Not Bombs volunteers were arrested in Arizona. Sarah Harvey was captured in Flagstaff, and Catalyst Bookstore co-founder Bill Rodgers was arrested in Prescott, Arizona on terrorism charges. A week later Rodgers was found dead in a Coconino County jail cell. They were arrested after being named by paid informants.

The Seattle Times reported on about Sarah's arrest on December 19, 2005, "An informant may also have led to the arrest in Arizona of Sarah Harvey, also known as Kendall Tankersley, who is accused of participating in a 1998 fire at U.S. Forest Industries in Medford, Oregon. The daughter of two attorneys, Harvey was homeless for a period in Eugene, and between 1997 and 1999 worked at Food Not Bombs, an agency that distributes food to the homeless, said Patricia Siering, a professor at Humboldt State University in California who met her years later."

Also all three California offices of the ACLU announced on December 21, 2005 that they had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center on behalf of a number of non-violent community groups - including Food Not Bombs.

My case proves evidence that the government's warrantless spying didn't start started after 9/11 attacks. I first learned that the police were wiretapping my phone without a warrant in a memo dated 1989. An internal police memo by Richard Holder claims, "During my investigation, I was able to obtain the private phone number of "Food Not Bombs" organizer, Keith McHenry, who unknowingly was a great asset to this investigation." How I was "a great asset" to their investigation was and still is unclear to me. The memo reviews a phone conversation between Food Not Bombs co-founders C.T. Lawrence Butler and Keith McHnery. They were both excited because for the first time in Food Not Bombs history, Food Not Bombs would be sharing food at protests in three cities on the same day.

Officer Holder got Mr. McHenry's home phone number from an informant who overheard him giving it to Starhawk after a meeting in Berkeley, California. Food Not Bombs never planned "to blockade all the entrances to the Presidio" and they didn't plan "to hold a meeting in the Page Street Public Library at 19:30 hours on 10/04/88 to discuss demonstration strategy and strategy for the upcoming permit hearing on October 20, 1988," as the memo claimed. In fact, the volunteers were simply invited to speak at the regular monthly meeting of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council - where they planned to talk about organizing neighborhood support at a public hearing about sharing food and literature at the entrance to Golden Gate Park. Why they needed to send an undercover cop to this meeting is unclear.

The local police captain attended the meeting every month and his report was generally on the agenda of the City Council meeting. (The entire memo can be found below). During almost ten years of civil and criminal cases about the events in this memo no warrant was ever provided. A videotape of the protests clearly shows a San Francisco Police officer dressed similarly to myself throwing a barricade at a line of riot police. It goes on to show the undercover cop pointing out people he felt should be arrested to uniformed officers The activists appeared upset with the undercover officer for pointing out the "leaders" to be arrested.

At the end of the tape, you can see six riot police throwing Keith McHenry to the ground and lifting him by his arms and legs. This act of violence literally ripped his tendons and ligaments, leaving him to this day in constant agony. In a trial about this event, the police expert referred to this act of police violence as a "cross chest takedown." For Mr. McHenry, it was the beginning of a series of similar police assaults that have contributed to his living in daily chronic severe pain that requires extensive medical assistance.

THE TEXT OF A SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT WIRETAP MEMO

Memorandum
San Francisco Police Department
To: Deputy Chief Frank Reed
Patrol Bureau
From: Acting Captain Richard Holder
Commanding Officer, Park Station
Date: Tuesday, 09/27/88
Subj:"Food Not Bombs"
ISSUE: Activity update.

Discussion:

A. As per your request, I have conducted an investigation regarding the planned activity of the "Food Not Bombs" organization on October 15, 1988 at the Presidio. During my investigation, I was able to obtain the private phone number of "Food Not Bombs" organizer, Keith McHenry, who unknowingly was a great asset to this investigation.

B. "Food Not Bombs" current, and planned activity.

1. As part of a nationwide anti-war protest scheduled for October 15, 1988, "Food Not Bombs", plans to blockade all the entrances to the Presidio to support similar activity at the Pentagon and other military organizations. The goal is to shut down the Presidio all day by blocking and feeding demonstrators at the gates to the post. "Food Not Bombs" anticipates that this demonstration will draw more participants, 3000, than the last major demonstration at the Presidio on 03/26/88.

2. "Food Not Bombs" plans to hold a meeting in the Page Street Public Library at 1930 hours on 10/04/88 to discuss demonstration strategy and strategy for the upcoming permit hearing on October 20, 1988.
Deputy Chief Frank Reed
Patrol Bureau

Page 2
Subject: "Food Not Bombs"

3. In an effort to boost its strength "Food Not Bombs" has join forces with the Circle "A" Cluster group, the "Nuremberg Action" group, and the Walnut Creek Peace Center.

4. The founder of "Food Not Bombs", Lawrence Butler a.k.a. "CT" has flown in from the east coast to assist in the planning.

Concluson:

The currant activity of "Food Not Bombs" indicates that the group plans yet another confrontation with the police. The three groups now in alliance with "Food Not Bombs" are all involved in the Concord Naval Weapons Depot demonstrations, are all advocates of civil disobedience tactics, and non-cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

Recommodation:

A. That liaison be developed between the San Francisco Police Department Intelligence Unit, and Sgt. Ovid Holmes of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department Intelligence Unit. Sgt. Ovid has worked the three anti-war groups now in alliance with "Food Not Bombs".

B. That the Intelligence Unit monitor the October 4th meeting scheduled by "Food Not Bombs". attachments:

• "Food Not Bombs" history
• "Food Not Bombs" future actions
• Anti-war group phone listings
• "Food Not Bombs" menu
• Blockade bulletin
• "Food Not Bombs" information bulletin 002447

This isn't the only liaison that was developed in order to spy on San Francisco Food Not Bombs. Dan Evans of The San Francisco Examiner wrote an article printed on April 1, 2002 on "on the hidden workings of the Anti-Defamation League and how three Bay Area activists were able to uncover a spy operation that reached into the San Francisco Police Department." Mr. Evens goes on to say that "The files included Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, addresses, phone numbers and group memberships. Some of the information was sold to foreign governments, including Israeli and South African intelligence groups." The list of files included two entries about Food Not Bombs and myself under the heading "Pinko." San Francisco Police officer Tom Gerard worked in the departments intelligence division and provided information to Roy Bullock of the ADL. During the investigation into allegations of this spy operation the police entered Tom Gerard's locker at his office and discovered photos and documents showing that Gerard had worked for the CIA in El Salvador. Some of the photos show Tom Gerard standing next to a line of men sitting on chairs with black bags over their heads. I received over 700 pages of this investigation, which included these pictures and documents. Evans goes on, "By his own admission, Bullock had been working off the books as a fact-finder for the ADL since the mid-1960's. He would infiltrate not only openly anti-Semitic groups, but also pro-Palestinian and anti-apartheid organizations, usually under false pretenses. Bullock, who is not Jewish, would then pass that information along to the ADL."

The article goes on, "He received information about his targets from former San Francisco Police Inspector Tom Gerard, who fled to the Philippines after being indicted in 1994 for illegal use of a police computer. Gerard's current whereabouts are unknown." Evans' story continues, "On April 8, 1993, armed with this information, police in San Francisco and Los Angeles searched the ADL offices in those two cities. In San Francisco, roughly 10 banker's boxes of information -- 75 percent of which officers said was illegally obtained -- were seized."

"A majority of data in those boxes confirmed police suspicions that it had come from Bullock's computer. On that computer was information on 9,876 people, including 1,394 driver's licenses. The files were divided into five categories: "Pinko," "Right," " Arabs," "Skins," and "ANC," the last standing for African National Congress."

On Tuesday, May 2. 2006 Food Not Bombs activists Laurie Churchill and Keith McHenry were taken off American Airlines flight 47 from Heathrow, England to Chicago-O "Hare. Two Homeland Security personel meet them at the gate, took them to a back area of the airport and surched their belonings and questioned both of them for an hour. They asked questions about their involvment with what they called " the violent group Food Not Bombs"

In the spring of 2007 the New York chapter of the ACLU was given a number of files about the New York City Police Departments efforst to spy on people who might be attending protests at the Republican National Convention. Richmond, Virginia Food Not Bombs announced their interest in organizing an International Food Not Bombs gathering in New York during the convention. The New York chapter was excited to host the event. Documents published in the New York Times on May 17, 2007 indicate one reason the Food Not Bombs movement had problems pulling off the event. The text of an August 25, 2004 New York City Police Department memo indicates that the FBI infiltrated the Richmond, Virginia and New York chapters of Food Not Bombs.

It bacame clear in 2008 that a woman Anna or Sarah who had been disruptive was working for the FBI. A news report in Elle Magazine showed she was paid $65,000 to join Food Not Bombs and worked to frame two of our volunteers. She played a role in the failure of the New York Food Not Bombs Gathering and at the Philidelphia Gathering she disrupted our final planning meeting which melted down when she complained that older white men should not be allowed to speak because older white men have always had too much power and that the women attending the gathering still needed to deal with the issue they had with their fathers. Eric McDavid was framed and is in prison for a crime that the FBI and Anna had planned. While Anna is not the only one paid by the FBI to disrupt our work and her story is well documented in Elle. I had a very bad feeling about Anna when I first met her. Now I know why. (The only thing is the article fails to note is that the group Anna was disrupting was Food Not Bombs.) The article is linked here. The Believers Elle Magazine

These are the informants we know of at this time. 1. Andrew Clark Darst, 2. Marilyn Hedstrom, pseudonym Norma Jean Johnson 3. Rachel Nieting, pseudonyms Amanda Clara and Amanda Amey, 4. Chris Dugger, 5. Andrew Darst (real name, aka Andy/Panda/Pandy, online names Warchyld, Killswitch), 6. Jacob Ferguson, 7. Brandon Darby, 8. Stanislas Jack Meyerhoff, 9.Anna Davies or Anna Davidson, also known as Grai Damiani or Sarah 10. Manolo Siez.

The Denver Post and Minneapolis Star Tribune both reported that local police in Denver and Minneapolis held press confrences nearly eight months before the national conventions claiming Food Not Bombs had organized protests against the 2004 conventions and where planning to collect feces before the 2008 conventions to use against the police and delegates. A number of agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security raided our office in Berkeley, Calaifornia in Ausust 2008 taking 13 computers. In Denver, Colorado a group of very buff undercover police officers dressed in black with black head scarfs pushed to the front of a march at the Democratic National Convention and provoked the police into using pepper spray and other chemicals against the protesters. One of the twelve plainclothes officers had a small back pack of stones and threw several rocks at windows on the downtown mall. Riot police arrested nearly 100 protesters after the officer threw the rocks. I watched the twelve plain clothes offcers get into three white vans parked with other police cars at Civic Center Park. The vans were driven by Denver Police officers. The one major arrest at the convention in Denver was Pioneer Valley Food Not Bombs volunteer Zachary Patrick Grey who was charged with serious crimes including the planned use of human feces against the police. Things became more difficult in Minnesota with the preemptive FBI raids of three Food Not Bombs cook houses. Eight people were arrested and charged with "Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism." According several news reports including "Anarchist" looked like someonet's mom in Minnesota authorities told reporters that U.S. intelligence units had infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee and Food Not Bombs for almost a year "to see how they (the protesters) think." Police infiltrators have failed in their attempts to encourage violence by protesters at the either the Democratic or Republican National Conventions. The F.B.I. have been agressive in trying to frame activists using illegal and unethical acts as infiltration. Infiltrators have become roommates and invested a great deal of time participating with community. Mean while it is possible that the F.B.I. could make better use of its time investigating people that might really be terrorists. The articles about Marilyn Hedstrom aka Norma Jean infiltrating Food Not Bombs.

"The sheriff's investigation cost about $300,000, Fletcher said. He's asking the city of St. Paul to reimburse his office from $50 million in federal funds for convention security.
Hedstrom, a narcotics officer, was partnered with Rachel Nieting, a guard in the county jail. Nieting, in her 20s, posed as Amanda, Hedstrom's niece. A third operative, Chris Dugger, was a confidential paid informant who has since become a jail guard and has taken tests to become a deputy.
Agent was like a mom "

The report Cops Infiltrate GOP Convention Protest Group - Then Bust Them for Conspiracy Austin, Texas activist Brandon Darby claims he transmited and recorded conversation for the F.B.I. in Austin and Minnisota. Brandon Darby, the "Unnamed" Informant/ Provocateur in the "Texas 2". The New York Times also reported on Darby in Activist Unmasks Himself as Federal Informant in G.O.P. Convention Case. In the past five years nearly 15 Food Not Bombs volunteers have been sentenced to long prison terms as a result of the FBI campaign to disrupt our movement. To undermine the governments efforts to breed fear and mistrust there is a renewed interest in affinity groups that make decisions using processes like consenus. Activists are also organizing nonviolence trainings before actions and studing past nonviolent campaigns.

Food Not Bombs is requesting help in ending this nation wide campaign. We are asking the National Lawyers Guild, American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty Internatiol and elected officials to join us in our effort to protect our rights.

Much of the illegal efforts to stop Food Not Bombs do not have a paper trail there is enough information available to prove that government and private covert surveillance and disruption are a reality. While this article focuses on Food Not Bombs many groups including Earth First!, the Ragging Grannies, American Service Committee and other community organizations can share their own stories of covert disruption by government and corporations.

These are only a few examples of covert surveillance of Food Not Bombs. Because this is America's dirty little secret, reporters, government officials and the general American public often discounted any mention of surveillance and disruption of community groups. The most damaging examples remain secret because they are so vicious and disturbing that few Americans would believe them even though lawyers working for Food Not Bombs have thousands of documents, photos and audiotapes that verify these accounts. Most regrettable is the fact that many of the worse violations against Food Not Bombs do not have a paper trail and can only be supported by testimony from reluctant participants. For example several employees with Chevron Oil, Wackenhut Security and other large corporations have shared a number of frightening stories about their companies efforts against Food Not Bombs but it's been impossible to obtain any corroborating documentation. Another major operation was conducted by Interpol in 1995 where their top agent from Spain joined the "UnFree Trade Tour" as an anti-globalization activist. He emailed a smear campaign to an agent in New York who posted it to hundreds of activists. Each evening on the 60 day tour something odd would happen. One night a 11:30 PM an insurance agent came to measure the ceilings of the apartment where Food Not Bombs lived. There were midnight UPS deliveries to unknown people and Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry was taken into a back room at the Canadian Border where he would be shown a large stack of police files and questioned for an hour. Mr. McHenry was questioned by a group of Spanish activists at the Peoples Global Agenda Conference Europe when they saw the Interpol Agents photo in a scrap book at his table. They told Keith McHenry a number of detailed accounts of the agents efforts to harm the movement in Spain. Two of the three Americans involved in the tour have disappeared.

At the same time that Food Not Bombs is targeted as a terrorist group, governments in the United States are also working to stop us from sharing meals with the hungry and organize for peace by using state Health Department to investigate the groups distribution of food after an anonymous callers file complaints. In each case the callers turned out to have connections to the military or military contractors.

The Obama administration continues to use the tragic events of 9/11 as an excuse to step up surveillance and intimidation of innocent Americans, and the government will continue to use these tactics as long as the people let them.

In the fall of 2009 the Food Not Bombs global coordination office in Taos New Mexico was sabotaged. After several weeks of editing an email announcing the 30th Anniversary Food Not Bombs tour the woman responsible for emailing it to a student list of several thousand people forgot to send it out to the list on august 15th as planned. Packages of books were incorrectly addressed and Keith arrived at speaking events discovering that he was not scheduled to speak even though is assistant insisted she had spoken with the organizers. The assistant was not able to collect past due honorariums from the spring tour so she paid herself from money that was promised to a Princeton Student who had paid for the presentation out of his own pocket. He asked Princeton to sue Food Not Bombs for the money. On discovering that the assistant had failed to email out the tour announcement Keith sent it out his self that same day on September 6th. Nearly 50 students responded that week but when they started to seek a venue and honorarium they discovered it was too late. Many wrote back saying that if we had contacted them in August they could have hosted the tour. Keith went on tour to locations he was told had confirmed his presentation and soon found out know one knew he was scheduled to speak so he tried to organize what he could himself. That November and December while Keith was on what was left of the 30th Anniversary Tour a group of people hostile to the efforts of Food Not Bombs took over the office. Several people reported being assaulted by members of the Taos Peace House. Local Taos Food Not Bombs volunteers were told Food Not Bombs had been kicked out of their own office and were not allowed to prepare meals in the space. Rocky Mountain Youth collected money to help Food Not Bombs provide meals during the holiday but were told Food Not Bombs didn't exist any more. A person claiming to be an emergency room nurse called about a man who arrived with injuries he sustained at the Taos Peace House. Food Not Bombs supporters emailed concerned about the violence they had witnessed at the office. Worried that these claims of violence would be used against Food Not Bombs the Taos Peace House website was updated and people were asked to stop visiting the office until the crisis was resolved. On December 6, 2009 many new people came to the Taos Peace House meeting claiming there had never been any violence at the office. They next morning the office care taker beat up a guest who had come to eat because a friend of the hungry man had taken a red hat off the hat rack an put it on her head with out permission a week before. The violence was savage and confirmed that Keith should have been worried. Food Not Bombs stopped paying the rent on the space and closed the office. The assistant cost Food Not Bombs the failure of the 30th Anniversary Tour and thousands of dollars needed to fund all the 30th Anniversary projects. Some office equipment was stolen, the phone message sabotaged and violent threats were made against Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry. Several other animal rights, peace and environmental groups in the United States were also attacked in much the same way that winter. The Taos community has been very supportive and so this new wave of attacks has not slowed down the work of Food Not Bombs.

It is still not clear why people sabotaged the Taos Peace House and the global coordination office of Food Not Bombs. It could be that the people who tried to shut down the project had personal problems that they are expressing through a nearly year long smear campaign and disruption. Legal experts have suggested that these unfortunate people might be unknowingly influenced by the FBI or other intelligence agencies. While it could be nothing more then jealousy or an independent effort to use the reputation of Food Not Bombs for personal profit there could be more to the story. It is possible that documents and other information will be discovered showing more clearly the connection of the intelligence community and the destruction of the Taos Peace House and effort to disrupt the work of Food Not Bombs. At the same time the RNC 8 is about to go to trial and Obama has announced Foreign Intelligence and Counterintelligence Operation Records Defense Security Service. Please return to see what additional information is discovered about the people behind this attempt to disrupt Food Not Bombs.

Food Not Bombs received a letter in June 2010 that is almost identical to a letter received in 2000 censuring Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry. You can read the June 18th and 22nd 2010 letters sent certified from the people that sabotaged the Taos Peace House and global coordination office of Food Not Bombs.