EXTREMISTS

In March 2002 documents were leaked to Denver Copwatch in the form of police intelligence files. These files were from a database maintained by the Denver Intelligence Unit that was kept on Denver Copwatch, their membership and activities. The most disturbing element of these files was the classification "Criminal Extremist" placed upon the membership of Copwatch. As time passed 1000's of these "spy files" would surface displaying a history of spying that would encompass almost 3000 organizations and roughly 10,000 people. Many of these documents had information on them that also conveyed an ongoing relationship between the Denver Police and the FBI dating back to the era of counterintelligence programs and carried out until the present.
I am a member of Berkeley Copwatch, an organization that began in 1990 around reoccurring themes of police harassment and misconduct. Copwatch is plain and simple. We observe police stops with members of our community. If the officer's actions are legitimate they are frequently kind and understanding in regards to us observing. If the stop is illegitimate the officers get frustrated, and often let the person go upon our arrival. Our documentation of incidents has assisted in victim's lawsuits, and has been vital in helping educate the community of their rights and empower them to witness, just as we do. I have worked closely with several copwatches including Brooklyn, Cincinnati, Santa Cruz, East Palo Alto and specifically Denver Copwatch. I have compiled footage and interviews from Denver Copwatch since its inception of End The Politics Of Cruelty in 1996. I recently interviewed 31 people from varies organizations and movements who found out that they had spy files with the classification "criminal extremist". I also have been able to get a large quantity of these spy files.
(some of the organizations spied on that I have interviewed)
My documentary shows how intelligence gathering has been misused by since the inception of police in America. I will show how counter intelligence programs were the key methods used to destroy civil rights and peace groups in the 60's and question the intentions of this type of surveillance in today's climate. Extremists also draws the similarities between the criminalization of dissent to the criminalization of poor people and people of color through intelligence gathering. While the "spy file" scandal was a major eyesore for the Denver Police, their own statistics on gangs in Denver was equally embarrassing. According to their own intelligence data almost every black and chicano male from 12 to 30 something was involved in a gang. To add injury to insult the FBI and other federalized police agencies have directly promoted this behavior through increased funding for anti gang programs, as well the increased development of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2002 the national violent criminal gang database that consolidates the most dangerous gangs in the country extended it's classification of violent gang member to mysterious labels such as domestic extremists, animal rights extremists, Asian extremists, European extremists etc. . . In late 2003 the FBI released a bulletin to all police agencies to be particularly vigilante of people video taping police in demonstrations. It suggested officers to identify these types and give the information to the nearest FBI field office.
This documentary will draw the parallels and make the connections on a major problem occurring in Denver that implicates every citizen in America. If the police in Denver are and always have spied on peaceful people with the support of the FBI, who says this hasn't and isn't happening in every city? The Joint Terrorism Task Force (a multi police agency organization designed to address terrorism threats on American soil) has expanded itself in recent years from a dozen offices to 56 and will continue to grow as the FBI deputizes local authorities and gives them powers that supercede regular local police department policies, (like spying on peaceful people)




KEYWORDS (brutality, torture, taser, misconduct, detention, consent, search, violate, camera, baton, hit, puch, kick, mace, pepper spray, military, guns, swat, special forces, handcuff, pain compliance, racial profile, selective enforcement, racist, racism, poverty, assault , battery, arrest, choke, cop, police, officer, crime, prostitution, sting, operation, pig, choppers, detectives, feds, fbi, joint terrorism task force, 50, five-0, fuzz, heat, narc, agent, abuse, violation, policy, procedure, court, po-po, rollers, opd, bpd, berkeley police, oakland police, nypd, copwatch, know your rights, observe, document, caught on video, revolution, change, non violence, direct action, protest, riot, resist,)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• copwatch
• Jacob
• Crawford
• extremist
• fbi
• police
• spying

[goarmymp]

get a buch of old hippies together with nothing better to do and look at what you get.

[Jacobzladder]

yeah they really don't have anything better to do then to create a real police accountability movement dumbass. what would you do if the cops in your city sucked?

[goarmymp]

you people really need to get a job and be productive members of society rather than bothering the police who actually work hard and earn a paycheck for their families.

[Jacobzladder]

you are trained to kill for rich thugs. you ought to be ashamed. but you know that.

[Jay2pay]

Wow Jacob looks like your losing your copwatch battle. Gordonlone and Egardoar311 have a lot of goog points. And for Cops storming peoples houses, come on you are really pushing your liberal agenda. Stop acting on your feelings like liberals do and start using your brain. Looks like you have lost.

[Jacobzladder]

Officer Jay, i'm much more concerned about law enforcement acting on their emotions then liberals or right wingers, that's why i believe police accountability to be so important. if we lose our struggle for police accountability, that everybody's loss, the public, and even you. rub that little brain of yours and think about it.

[Jay2pay]

I agree, I work for a small department in California we have 30 police officer's. The city is has a population of 20,000. And our community really supports us so I am very lucky.

[strglinstudent1ofmny]

Targeting non-criminals who are exercising their rights is not legal clancyg, it's called profiling, and the police are upset because people are actually standing up against the police. Someone needs to make sure the police are acting correctly, they have become far too comfortable with abusing their authority, and if they get angry they cant control it. I for one am tired of the way I have been treated by the police, this country needs a change. Policecannotcontinue to oppress innocentpeople

[truckdawg43]

@IRSFRAUDEXPOSED They are Police Sherif's and they do what we pay them very little to put their lives on the line for you ungrateful asses .They pull me over and I put my hands on the wheel and its yes sir yes mam ,no sir no mam .If they want to search my truck I get out when they tell me and stand right where they tell me .It makes their day better and mine if you dont act like a Dick

[dsteppp]

Who cares. Cops protect ppl, if ur doin good then don't trip. Its safety precautions to protect the ppl. If there's one out of a million, its all good in my eyes.

[AJS0121]

It sounds all good. All the intel collected was in a public place where people DO NOT have a 4th ammendment protected reasonable expectation of privacy.

Meanwhile the cop watch logo (Stop sign shape with stick figure beating). they have a clear agenda and it is not to promote police accountability.

[SylvanaForrester]

I've heard the reasoning many times that "if you're not doing anything wrong, then why would you protest if you're stopped for questioning by an officer or asked to present I.D.?" Not sure why when that same logic is applied to cops (why would cops protest being observed doing their jobs if they are doing nothing wrong?) people are all of a sudden up in arms about it.

[TwisNinja]

that is why we have the right to abolish our government

[ronin4833]

this country is going down the tubes. Government will be in control soon .thanks to the pres.

[jerzey212]

Wow you guys should come to new york and see how long this holds up. By New York i don't mean manhattan, I'm talking about Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn inner city.

[IRSFRAUDEXPOSED]

They are supposed to be peace officers not stazi . how is collecting and reporting on citizens a peace officers job description?

[jbailey618]

I wouldn't even say the "majority" of them are crooked, but one bad apple will spoil the bunch. I commend copwatch, and I hope that their actions help to return our Police officers back to respectful protectors of our laws, and protectors of our citizens, and not tyrants that use intimidation and position for their own power and amusement. It's a difficult dangerous job, and it would be nice to have a reason to respect all Officers of the Law again.

[katinthemeadows]

Cop wannabes, who couldn't make the cut, are the worse.