February 2014
Works In Progress
Page 7
is watching
How the revolving door came unhinged Paul French If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and the owners of the press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves. -Howard Zinn On Jan 1, 2014, public records activist Drew Hendricks, published a chain of e-mails about a coordinated effort between Bank of America, Washington State Patrol, the Olympia Police Department, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Washington State Fusion Center to track and monitor a peaceful protest that occurred on November 5, 2013. The protest was organized by the Olympia chapter of the hacktivist group Anonymous as part of a nation-wide “Million Mask March.” Before the march on the Washington Capitol, the 75-100 participants held teach-ins and rallies to protest “the use and expansion of the FBI, DHS, NSA, and other government agencies for the sole purpose of silencing free speech,” and to raise awareness about “the billionaires who own banks and corporations who corrupt politicians” among other things. Despite acknowledgement by Washington State Patrol (WSP) that the group called for a “peaceful protest” and “no property damage, injuries, or arrests” occurred, WSP employed multiple undercover agents and took 48 minutes of video footage (including close-ups on the faces of the participants). According to an after-action report, WSP spent a total of $28,707 on direct costs and dedicated 602 hours to this three hour protest. State Patrol also hired two Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) units for crowd control, a bus in case of mass arrests, and a fixed-wing Cessna 206 airplane to conduct aerial surveillance of the march. Documents received under the Public Records Act reveal that Kim TriplettKolerich, Bank of America’s senior intelligence analyst for the Western Region
of the US, tipped off Washington State surveillance was out of concern that we are hurtling towards a hegemonic Patrol on September 23, 2013, almost six “outside agitators,” and “non-peaceful dystopia at break-neck speeds, a uniweeks before the protest on November individuals” might join the protest. This fied axis of government and corporate 5, 2013. Triplett-Kolerich, who retired disproportionate overreaction to an power whose interests are inexorably from WSP in 2012 wrote in an email... avowed non-violent protest shares un- intertwined and inextricably linked. The “From time to time I will see items canny similarities to the protocol used implications of this for the future of huthat I believe will be of use to my friends by WSP and other state agencies from manity are grave. As Naomi Wolf states at WSP—especially during session. May 2006-2009 during the port protests in in her Guardian piece, “people’s income streams and financial records—[are] Day I will pick your brain for intel and I Olympia and Tacoma. will give you a lot also - the Public-Private From March 2007 until July 2009, a now firmly in the hands of the banks, Partnership worked great last year… if man named John Towery posing as an which are, in turn, now in the business you find any intel on anarchists or occupy anarchist was later revealed to be a spy of tracking your dissent.” She goes on protesters let me know.” and military intelligence analyst for to highlight the danger of this merging In the same email, Triplett-Kolerich the US Army, working with the Wash- of state power and corporate privilege boasted about Bank of America’s online ington State Fusion Center to collect opining that the “crushing of one’s surveillance unit, “social media trolling intelligence on the anti-war movement personal or business financial freedom can happen to any of us. is not what WSP does How messy, criminalbest. Bank of America izing and prosecuting has a team of 20 people and that’s all they do all This merger of public and private interests is dissent. How simple, by day then pass it to us represented by Fusion Centers which now in- contrast, just to label an entity a ‘terrorist oraround the country!!” On October 30, 2013, corporate military intelligence supplied by spies ganization’ and choke off, disrupt or indict its Triplett-Kolerich referred to online social as well as corporate intelligence from security sources of financing.” As these declassified media as “open-source” analysts who abuse their tremendous power to documents as well as intelligence and mentioned that she was in monitor, target, and neutralize those engaged Edward Snowden’s NSA whistleblowing reveal, contact with the Joint those in power have acTerrorism Task Force in legally-protected first amendment activity. cess to a sprawling sur(JTTF) and the Washingveillance apparatus that ton State Fusion Center (WSFC) about the protest. The JTTF is . Towery and others are currently being eclipses any totalitarian regime in world a collection of local law enforcement sued in federal court by protesters who history. Corporations have the full coagencies, the Federal Bureau of Inves- suffered a targeted pattern of false ar- operation and might of militarized tigation (FBI) and the Department of rests, citations, imprisonment, exces- police forces to protect their interests Homeland Security (DHS). Fusion cen- sive force, and harassment as a result and in turn, they corrupt elections, buy ters, are multi-jurisdictional informa- of intelligence gathered on them by the off politicians, and push for legislation that criminalizes dissent, entrenching tion sharing networks created by DHS to Army. track and monitor terrorist threats and According to an article written for the their power further under the guise of criminal activity. Their website states New York Times in June 2013 about this national security. This merger of public that their aim is “to support the public federal civil suit, Chris Adamson of the and private interests is poignantly repsafety and homeland security missions Pierce County Sheriffs Office and a Di- resented by the establishment of Fusion of federal, state, local, tribal agencies rector of regional intelligence groups Centers which operate ostensibly to disand private sector entities.” On Sep- for the Washington State Fusion Center tribute information on terrorist activity tember 2, 2011, Bank of America intelli- helped coordinate Mr. Towery’s spying between law enforcement agencies, but gence analyst Tripplet-Kolerich became efforts and listed at least four protest- now incorporate military intelligence a Fusion Liaison Officer (FLO) for the ers in a “national domestic terrorist supplied by spies like John Towery as Washington State Fusion Center while database with pictures, and identifying well as corporate intelligence from secuworking for WSP. personal information along with false rity analysts like Kim Tripplet-Kolerich According to an interview conducted claims alleging a propensity for vio- who abuse their tremendous power to by writers at the Stranger Blog in Seattle, lence,” the lawsuit said. Lawrence A. Hil- monitor, target, and neutralize those enWSP claimed that the counter-terrorist des, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the gaged in legally-protected first amenddatabase was controlled by the Wash- ment activity. This corporate-state colington State Patrol. “They have taken lusion is broadly indicative of late stage upon themselves to say, ‘We don’t like capitalism. Seeing its own contradicthis person, therefore he’s a domestic tions play out, and understanding it’s interrorist,’” Mr. Hildes said. “It’s not only evitable failure on the horizon, it seeks total power to arrest the development of illegal—it’s absolutely chilling.” Given this disturbing history of target- alternative ideas, stubbornly refusing to ing those who engage in peaceful activ- let a different future be born. Paul French (known as the hip hop artism and re-branding them terrorists, there is good reason to question this ist, Strife) has brought a civil suit against revolving door relationship between a the Olympia Police Department for a conglomeration of state agencies and frame up and false arrest that happened a senior intelligence analyst at Bank of in 2010. His trial is set for March 11, 2014 at the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma at 9 America. Those who followed the heavily coor- am. For news and updates on the case and dinated crackdown on the Occupy Wall the upcoming trial of the military spy John Street movement, may recall a Guard- Towery in June 2014, please visit the supian expose in December 2012 that dis- port blog, “We Are All Suspects Now” at cussed declassified FBI documents http://strife-101-life.tumblr.com/ [Ed. note: The public records menwhich revealed “federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm tioned in this article that were posted by of Wall Street and Corporate America.” Drew Hendrick can be viewed on Drew’s In this article, Naomi Wolf describes “a scribd site: http://www.scribd.com/anterrifying network of coordinated DHS, drew_hendricks_2.] FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council.” A brochure from the Domestic Security Alliance Council’s website described it as “a strategic partnership between the US private sector and the FBI…preventing, detecting and investigating those matters which affect interstate commerce, while advancing the ability of the US private sector to protect it’s employees, asThanks to MIXX 96 for its sets, and proprietary information.” generous support in providing The publication of e-mails between Bank of America and the Washington much needed space for Works In State Patrol detail how this relation- Progress production meetings. ship goes both ways and highlights how