The L.A. Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) stands in full solidarity with the brave participants of Occupy Los Angeles and supports the immediate release of all protesters.

As of this writing, close to 300 people have been held on up to $5000 bail for simply practicing their first amendment rights of assembly and freedom of speech. This is unacceptable. All protestors should be freed.

The grand majority of people involved in the Occupy protests have been peaceful. If any violence was used, it was on the part of the government and their police force. This is simply a form of political repression against the Occupiers who were speaking out against the economic and political inequality in society.

This political repression is not new. Many of the 24 activists defended by the CSFR had their houses raided and were put under investigation by the FBI. Their only fault was, just like the Occupy protestors, in shedding light on the unfair practices of the corporation-serving U.S. government and its illegal foreign wars.

This persecution of political dissent must stop. It is a violation of basic First Amendment rights. This effort to quell the discontent and collective grievances of the people is another way to tacitly support the privileged 1% that the Occupy movement has spoken out against.

Many of the participants in the Occupy movement have been supporters of the CSFR. They are fighters for justice and share common cause in protesting the corporate plutocracy which now seeks to silence more dissent against the policies that oppress working class people everywhere. We can only support these people in their struggle. We are the 99%.

Free all the Occupy protesters!

Freedom of speech is a right!

Dissent is not a crime!

#LosAngelesCA #OccupyWallStreet #occupyLa

Los Angeles, CA – More than 1000 police raided the Occupy LA encampment here, Nov. 30, at about 12:30 a.m. The massive camp, comprised of more than 400 tents, was constructed on the grounds surrounding L.A. City Hall. The Los Angeles Police Department raid came at the camp from all sides, with some cops emerging from within the city hall.

Over 200 peaceful Occupy LA participants were arrested and bail was set at $5000 per person. Some protesters were pushed to the ground and roughed up. The whole camp was destroyed and personal property such as tents, food and clothing were trashed. There are reports that the coordinated raid may have been planned with the use of undercover agents.

Occupy LA has the support of the majority of the Los Angeles community. Occupy LA will continue the fight and has actions planned for this week.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gloated at a Nov. 30 press conference on the police raid.

Many community groups have condemned this attack. The Community Service Organization (CSO) issued a statement, saying, “We condemn the LAPD and Mayor-supported raid and arrests on the Occupy LA camp at L.A. City Hall. We denounce this blatant violation of our right of freedom of speech and assembly. This is another example of the ongoing police/ICE repression poor working class people and activists face daily. We stand in solidarity with those arrested and invite all to protest this police/ICE attack on December 10 [at a] march and rally at the LA Federal Detention Center and the LA Sheriffs Central Jail. Assemble at 9 am at La Placita on Olvera Street, across from the Union Station.”

#LosAngelesCA #OccupyWallStreet #occupyLa

Los Angeles, CA – Mayor Villaraigosa set a 12:01 a.m. Monday deadline for occupiers to end the massive 400 tent encampment that is surrounding City Hall. Participants in the occupation vow to remain and more have joined the occupation, this evening, Nov. 27.

Veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes stated, “It good that so many people are here, standing up against inequity and oppression.” Montes urges everyone to join the effort to defend Occupy LA.

#LosAngelesCA #OccupyWallStreet #occupyLa #MayorVillaraigosa

Los Angeles, CA – Activists gathered outside the Los Angeles courthouse Monday morning, chanting “FBI don’t scare me, we’ve got solidarity,” as they rallied in support of veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes. Over 40 supporters packed the courtroom as Montes’ case began the ‘discovery’ phase. “We are demanding the communications, documents, and information that shows the collaboration of the FBI and LA County Sheriffs,” said Montes outside the hearing.

During this phase of the legal proceedings Jorge Gonzalez, Montes’ attorney, is working to establish that the FBI was behind every step of the attack on Montes.

The LA Sheriff’s department has confirmed that the May 17 raid on Montes’ home was initiated by the FBI. After Montes was arrested, he was questioned by plainclothes FBI agents – not about prior arrests or gun purchases (the stated pretext for the raid), but about his political activism and his relationship with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Montes maintains that he was targeted for his opposition to U.S. military aggression and his activism in solidarity with the people of Colombia and Palestine.

“I just can’t believe that the FBI think they can get away with crap like this,” said Joshua Taylor, a participant in Occupy LA. “These charges are clearly bogus, they’re an attack on the movement as a whole.” Taylor has been at Occupy LA for 22 days now, and says he came out to support Montes because “it could be any of us, we have to stand together.”

The discovery phase of Montes’ case will continue on December 14, at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Temple Street, Department 123 on the 13th floor.

Speaking in front of the courthouse, Mick Kelly, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, stated, “What is happening inside this courthouse is wrong. The U.S. government wants to put Carlos Montes in jail for his anti-war and international solidarity activism. We cannot allow this to happen.”

Montes is part of a larger group of 24 activists around the country who have been hit by FBI repression and a federal grand jury investigation looking into “material support for terrorism.” Many of those activists, including Montes, were involved in organizing the massive protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

#LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #CarlosMontes #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #occupyLa