As they tell it on their website:
Homeland Security Documents Show Massive Nationwide Monitoring of Occupy Movement
Documents just obtained by the PCJF from its FOIA request show massive nationwide monitoring, surveillance and information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and local authorities in response to Occupy. The PCJF, also on behalf of author/filmmaker Michael Moore and the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Committee, has made a series of FOIA demands regarding law enforcement involvement in the Occupy Crackdown.
"These documents show not only intense government monitoring and coordination in response to the Occupy Movement, but reveal a glimpse into the interior of a vast, tentacled, national intelligence and domestic spying network that the U.S. government operates against its own people," stated Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the PCJF. "These heavily redacted documents don't tell the full story. They are likely only a subset of responsive materials and the PCJF continues to fight for a complete release. They scratch the surface of a mass intelligence network including Fusion Centers, saturated with 'anti-terrorism' funding, that mobilizes thousands of local and federal officers and agents to investigate and monitor the social justice movement," Verheyden-Hilliard stated.
This set of released materials reveals intense involvement by the DHS' National Operations Center (NOC) in these activities. The DHS describes the NOC as, "the primary national-level hub for domestic situational awareness, common operational picture, information fusion, information sharing, communications, and coordination pertaining to the prevention of terrorist attacks and domestic incident management. The NOC is the primary conduit for the White House Situation Room and DHS Leadership for domestic situational awareness and facilitates information sharing and operational coordination with other federal, state, local, tribal, non-governmental operation centers and the private sector."
So far, I have only been able to very quickly peruse the documents. Since Los Angeles was mentioned in a number of the write-ups, I was mainly interested in what the DHS papers had to say about LA. Frankly I was wondering whether my earlier diary 2 of 5 essays: Was DHS behind the eviction of Occupy LA? might require serious revision based on these new revelations. Fortunately, the documents, though in PDF format, are text searchable with the right reader. What I found about Los Angeles wasn't very much and appears below. What I found generally was a lot of bureaucratic repetition which also means a lot of repetition of redaction. Between the redaction and the repetition 300 pages boils down to about 30 with not one original thought to be found in them.
From my quick survey, I would say at least half, or more than half of the documents concerned Occupy Portland and Occupy Oregon. DHS was on them like a cheap suit. The Occupy Portland encampment was, in part, on Federal property, so DHS involvement in tracking them and with their eviction was a rather unique situation. I also think those on the left that talk about the DHS involvement in the eviction of Occupy Portland, or show pictures of a DHS vehicle at the Portland eviction to imply a larger co-ordinationed role by DHS in the widespread occupy evictions without mentioning that fact are being disingenuous.
Most of the other stuff concerned the Occupy port actions that took place in December. Much of that had to do with Occupy Oakland and its port action. They were turned on by the threat that the port could be shut down. Referring to the links below, I found material on Occupy Oakland on ~ p. 80-101 of part 1 and p. 33-36 of part 2. I'm sure there are other references I missed. Port of Long Beach comes up on p. 66 of part 2.
While some will try to spin this material to 'prove' "the Occupy Movement continues to be monitored and curtailed in a nationwide, federally-orchestrated campaign, spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security" as stated in this article, I think they will find scant evidence for it here. Most of the targets of these DHS papers come with a pretty clear DHS interest, such as occupations on federal property or actions directed against the ports. Nothing here to contradict their claim that decisions on how to handle the local occupations were left to the local authorities, nothing to cause me to change my assessment that DHS had nothing to do with the eviction of Occupy LA, but then, those are exactly the kind of documents they would release! Are there others?
Here are links to the DHS documents:
Part 1 of 3 (PDF)
Part 2 of 3 (PDF)
Part 3 of 3 (PDF)
These are the mentions of Occupy Los Angeles that I could find, once complete repetitions have been eliminated, this is a very complete list. All have to do with the port action and none were before the eviction. It should have been a given that in planning the port action we were bringing DHS into the picture:
Pacific Area:· District 11
Approximately 1000 protestors rallied at the Port of Oakland this are "'"""'""'"'" two marches this evening.
There are currently 158 law enforcement personnel staged at the Port facility to maintain security posture in anticipation for the arrival of the port protest movement.
* Port of Long Beach: Approximately 400 protestors rallied at the Port of Long Beach this morning. There were no port closures or work disruptions as a result of the protest. There were over 429 law enforcement personnel on·scene to f
the have di.spersed from the Port of long Beach
• Port Hueneme: Approximately 69 protestors rallied at the main gate of Port Hueneme this morning. The crowd has since dwindled to 20 people.
*Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (San Diego): Approximately Se protestors rallied at Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal this morning. There were five arrests reported for protestors sitting in the street. The San Diego movement is planning on camping out at the Cesar Chavez Park for the evening.
2011 9:10PM
(b) (?)(C)
NOC # 1211-11 Potential Port Shutdown Threat- West Coast, US and Canada
Fusion
See information below reference potential Port shutdown threat in several US cities and Canada. The cities mentioned below may already be aware of the potential protests; however, please pass information to the appropriate Fusion Centers. Nothing further is required.
The National Operations Center has received information of potential protest by the Occupy Movement who are threatening to shutdown the below major west coast ports in US and Canada on Dec. 12. The "Occupy Movement" of Oakland, Calif., has called for a "West Coast Port Shutdown" action for Dec.12 at ports along the west coast of the US and Canada. Organizers plan to protest at ports and cause closures similaf to the port closure in Oakland on Nov. 2. See affected cities and links below.
The locations possibly affected are:
•
Vancouver, B.C.
California - Los Angeles
California San Diego
Washington - Seattle
California - Oakland
Oregon - Portland
Texas - Houston
West Coast Port Shutdown website: http:l/westcogstportshutgQwn.org
Occupy Oakland website: www.occupyoakland,org
(b) (6), (b) (7)(C)
Senior Watch Officer
DHS
National Operations Center
On Monday, December 12, 2011 a West Coast wide OWS protest has been scheduled as part of its attempt to shutdown West Coast seaports. These demonstrations are planned in the following locations:
• Anchorage, Alaska
• Los Angeles. California
• San Diego. California
• Oakland. California
• Portland, Oregon
• Houston. Texas
• Seattle. Washington
• Tacoma. Washington
In preparation for these protests. the Field Offices of Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego. San Francisco and Seattle are actively engaged with local law enforcement and trade partners to establish contingency plans in the event these protests impact any CBP location.
Los An!ieles Field Office:
• CBP Los Angeles is participating with coordination/communication meetings with local law enforcement and public safety partners to discuss the potential "OWS" activity. Partners include the Los Angeles PD, Los Angeles Port Police, Long Beach PD. USCG, TSA FAMS, Union Pacific Police, and LA Fire Department.
• The LAILB OWS protest plans are to assemble at Harry Bridges Park in Long Beach located near the Queen Mary and cmise ship processing terminal and then to march to the nearest terminal with the intent of shutting down terminal operations.
• A LE Command Post will be activated at the Long Beach Coordination Center. The initiation date and time has not yet been determined. CBP Los Angeles will have a (b)(7)(E) in the Command Post.
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