Minneapolis, MN – On June 2 more than 50 people gathered at the American Indian OIC center for a town hall meeting on civil liberties under the theme of Fight for your Right to Dissent. The event was co-sponsored by the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF).

The event featured three out of town speakers. Mel Underbakke spoke for the NCPCF and Kathleen Manley spoke for Project Salam (Support and Legal Advocacy for Muslims). Veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes, who is facing trial in Los Angeles on June 20, also spoke from Los Angeles via Skype.

Jess Sundin spoke for the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Sundin is one of the Anti-War 23 whose home was raided and was subpoenaed before a grand jury on September 24, 2010, supposedly as part of an investigation of ‘material support for foreign terrorism.’

Colleen Rowley of Women Against Military Madness spoke about her history as an FBI whistleblower and about the massive scope of the U.S. government’s top secret national security apparatus.

Clyde Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement welcomed people to the American Indian OIC and also was a featured speaker on the history of repression against the American Indian Movement and continued repression, such as the 36-year imprisonment of Leonard Peltier.

In speaking about the FBI raid on her home as well as continued FBI visits to anti-war, anti-NATO and other activists, Jess Sundin said, “If an FBI agent knocks on your door, the most important thing you can do is not talk to them. Don’t be polite, don’t try to figure out what they want, just get rid of them. Nothing you can say will save yourself or your friends in court. They can lie about what you tell them, but if you lie to them, that is its own crime. No good can come of talking to them, so just don’t do it.”

In addition to the speakers, the Town Hall also passed several resolutions, including a resolution against indefinite detention of Palestinian prisoners, a resolution calling to free the nine people still imprisoned from May’s anti-NATO protests in Chicago and a resolution defending the civil liberties of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

#MinneapolisMN #ProjectSalam #NationalCoalitionToProtectCivilFreedoms #MinnesotaCommitteeToStopFBIRepression #AntiWar23

The house was packed on Dec. 17 in Cambridge, Mass., as a wide spectrum of organizations and activists came out to a forum on the growing menace of FBI repression. The program was organized by the new Boston chapter of the United National Antiwar Committee, along with 17 Boston-area anti-war and social justice organizations, including the International Action Center.

The program featured Meredith Aby, one of several anti-war and international solidarity activists from the Minneapolis area whose home was raided by the FBI on Sept. 24. Aby was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury that was supposedly investigating “material aid to terrorism” charges. (Details can be found at stopfbi.net.) The program was part of a four-stop New England tour for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, including two forums in Western Massachusetts and one in Connecticut.

Also speaking on Dec. 17 was Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, who has been falsely convicted in a targeted attack by the FBI and a campaign by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to smear and take down progressive African-American elected officials. A petition demanding no jail time for Chuck was circulated and can be signed online at iacboston.org.

Kathy Manley and Lynne Jackson of Project Salam spoke of the hundreds of cases of Muslims who have been victims of “preemptive prosecution,” convicted on secret evidence and secret charges and given long prison sentences. Their prosecution has been based on the FBI conclusion that the individuals had the “mindset” or “ideology” to commit or aid terrorism. Information on these cases can be found at projectsalam.org.

Laila Murad described the case of Tarek Mehanna, a respected leader in the Muslim community in Sudbury, Mass., who, after refusing to talk to the FBI about his friends and neighbors, is being locked down in solitary confinement 23 hours a day. His support committee can be contacted at www.freetarek.com.

Nancy Murray of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts described the refocus of law enforcement away from solving crimes and toward using massive databases to data-mine in order to “predict” who will commit crimes and then arresting them. She also reminded the audience that they should not allow the FBI into their homes without a warrant or speak to them without a lawyer.

#CambridgeMA #FBI #MeredithAby #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #ChuckTurner #ProjectSalam #TarekMehanna