Five months have passed since the start of the George Floyd rebellion, and hundreds are facing trumped up charges and heavy prison time.
In this context, FBI contact and so-called “door knocks,” when FBI
agents visit people’s home or those of their loved ones, has increased.
IGD: If the FBI comes to your house and knock on your door, what should you do and not do?
Most importantly do NOT let them in and do NOT answer questions or talk to them! There’s a lot of resources out there, some of which get into a lot of detail, so I’ll just cover the basics here.
First, you are not required to answer the door (but if they are serving a warrant and you don’t answer they will kick your door in). If you do answer, it is best to step outside and close your door behind you. However you come face to face with an agent or officer of any sort (at home or work, in your car, in a jail interview room), it is very important that you say, “I am not going to answer questions. I want to speak to a lawyer.” This invokes your legal rights. You don’t need to have a lawyer already to ask to speak to one.
They might threaten you, intimidate you, lie to you, pretend to be your friend or want to help, tell you your friends already snitched, show you incriminating evidence, show you exculpatory evidence, literally anything under the sun that they think might get you to talk. They might even physically abuse you. But it’s very important that the only words that ever leave your lips are: “I am not going to answer questions. I want to speak to a lawyer.” You can’t talk your way out of trouble but you can talk your way into a lot trouble.
If they ask to search or “take a look” in your house, car, trunk, backpack, shed, purse, pocket, wallet, or anything else, say “No, I do not consent to a search.” Repeat as necessary.
If they have a warrant, you can ask to see it and inspect it (like in those ACLU Know Your Rights trainings), but in all likelihood, they probably already have you in handcuffs with a couple guns pointed at you and are yelling commands. So mostly try to just stay cool and get your wits about you and say, “I am not going to answer questions. I want to speak to a lawyer.” If they serve you a subpoena, take it. Listen to whatever they have to say (or don’t! you’re not required to talk OR listen!). Wait for them to leave and then go back inside and lawyer up.
A nearby chapter of the National Lawyers Guild or a local anti-repression group might be able to help you find a lawyer. If that doesn’t exist where you are, you can review local attorney websites to see who seems more social justice oriented, or just start calling around and asking.
I recommend never physically resisting or interfering in any way, because it will likely just make your situation worse. Just say over and over, “I am not going to answer questions. I want to speak to a lawyer. I do not consent to a search.”
Also, don’t keep the visit a secret. I recommend being at least semi-public about it. If people find out you got visited and didn’t tell anyone, they will be suspicious of you. People also need to know so they can prepare and protect themselves. Perhaps there’s information you all can gain from connecting the dots about the FBI’s investigation. Their investigations thrive in secrecy, darkness, and isolation. Our weapons are solidarity, transparency, and support, but we can’t do that if people keep these things to themselves.
IGD: What about on the street?
The first thing you should ask if contacted by any law enforcement on the street is, “Am I free to go?” Sometimes it will be obvious that you are not free to go because they’ve grabbed you or worse. But if there is ever any question, ask “Am I free to go?” Often they will not want to answer. They will say something like “I just was talk to you,” or “I’m just trying find out what’s going on here.” Repeat yourself: “Am I free to go?” Repeat it as many times as you need to. If they every say yes, that you are free to go, JUST LEAVE. Not another word, not another second, just leave!
If they say no, or just refuse to answer but you suspect you will get tackled if you try to leave, then you are detained. Now it’s time to say “I am not going to answer questions. I want to speak to a lawyer.”
If they want to pat you down, or “take a look” in your belongings say,“No, I do not consent to a search.” Say it loud and proud and repeat as often as necessary. But I recommend not physically resisting because it likely won’t make them stop, and will likely make your situation worse
On this day, 6 February 2001, Filipino revolutionary socialist and union activist Felimon “Popoy” Lagman was assassinated in Quezon City by four men.
Lagman had joined the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and fought against the right-wing military dictatorship in the 1970s, during which his wife, Lourdes Garduce-Lagman was killed and his brother, Hermon, was “disappeared”. He later split from the Party, believing that struggles in Metro Manila, the seat of the Philippine government, and in workplaces all over the country were a more effective strategy for workers than guerrilla warfare from the countryside. To this end he co-founded the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) union federation.
The government blamed the CPP for the murder but Lagman’s nephew, Karlo Sevilla, told us: “Our family is more inclined to believe that the assassins, in case they were indeed former comrades, had already abandoned any faction of the revolutionary movement by then and turned hired guns for the government. Unfortunately, until now we have no strong leads on the identities of the suspects, from the masterminds to the hired guns, who remain at large. Needless to say, his assassination remains unsolved and we are still seeking justice – nearing the 20th anniversary of his death.” https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1646268362224974/?type=3
On this day, 7 February 2006, 400,000 people in 187 cities across France took part in the first mobilisation against the government’s CPE law, which would have given employers the right to fire 18-26 year-old workers with neither notice nor reason. However, due to mobilisations - including strikes, riots, occupations, train station and motorway blockades - the government were forced to scrap the new law after just a few months.
Read a short history of the movement here: https://libcom.org/blog/short-history-cpe-protests-francehttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1646942632157547/?type=3
