Stop surveillance of Black Lives Matter activists
(click here to sign petition)
Sunday, August 9th marked one year since Michael Brown’s unjust death and the ensuing protests in Ferguson.
On top of the numerous unnecessary fatalities that have occurred at the hands of police this past year, it turns out that the Department of Homeland Security has been conducting surveillance on #BlackLivesMatter activists1.
By trolling Facebook, Twitter, and Vine, the federal government has mapped and collected info on #BlackLivesMatter protests and activists around the country.
We know that DHS shares what it gathers with local and federal law enforcement for targeting police stops and investigations. This can result in private information about specific individuals being funneled into the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting system, which provides reports to the FBI.
This must stop. Tell DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Loretta Lynch that activists have a right to speak, organize, and protest.
Today, at a time when the public is outraged and sickened that Black men and women are killed by police in too many incidents, the tracking of #BlackLivesMatter activists is just unacceptable.
Source:
1 Joseph, George, “Exclusive: Feds Regularly Monitored Black Lives Matter Since Ferguson,” The Intercept, 24 July
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