Scene from anti-war protest at the 2008 Republican National Convention
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, September 24, 2010
The homes of five Twin Cities activists, including three prominent leaders of the Twin Cities antiwar movement, were raided Friday by the FBI in what an agency spokesman described as an “investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism.”
The office of an antiwar organization also was reportedly raided. An FBI spokesman Steve Warfield confirmed that warrants were issued on six Minneapolis addresses this morning.
Among the homes raided were the apartments of Jessica Sundin, who was a principal leader of the mass antiwar march of 10,000 on the opening day of the Republican National Convention two years ago, and Mick Kelly, who was prominent in that protest and among those who announced plans to march on the Democratic National Convention in Minneapolis, if the city is selected to host it in 2012. Neither has been arrested. Kelly said in an interview this morning he had “absolutely not” been involved in illegal activities.
A raid was also conducted on the home of Meredith Aby, another local antiwar leader who was frequently the spokeswoman for the march on the GOP convention. A fourth raid took place at the home of Tracy Molm, a leading activist in Students for a Democratic Society, an organization at the University of Minnesota, and a fifth warrant was executed on the upper duplex residence of Anh Pham, an antiwar activist.
Supporters of the protest leaders had gathered on the sidewalks outside some of the residences where the raids occurred.
The offices of the Anti-War Committee, a local organization that has sponsored many of the peace protests in the Twin Cities over the last decade, was also raided by the FBI, activists and attorneys said.
Ted Dooley, an attorney, said he had reviewed the search warrant issued in the raid on Kelly’s apartment. “It’s a probe into the political beliefs of American citizens and to any organization anywhere that opposes the American imperial design,” he said.
Steve Warfield, an FBI agent, declined to respond to Dooley’s comment. He said in a statement, “We are doing six federal search warrants in Minneapolis that are related to an ongoing Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism. We are doing two search warrants in Chicago as well.”
He said the raids were conducted at about 7 a.m., but he declined to say who or what addresses were being raided or any additional details.
According to one defense attorney, subpoenas were being issued for a federal grand jury in Chicago. It was not clear who is being subpoenaed.
The raid on Kelly’s apartment was on the 1800 block of Riverside Av. The raid on Sundin’s apartment was on the 2900 block of Park Av. Aby’s home is on the 3000 block of 14th Av. S.
Dooley said the search warrants cited a federal law making it a violation to provide, attempt to provide or conspire to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. In the search warrant on Kelly’s apartment, Dooley said, “It appears they are looking into any connections, travel, etc., to Palestine and Colombia, also around the United States,” he said. He said that in Kelly’s case, the warrant mentions a political organization called Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Dooley said, “They are looking at any connection between him and ‘FTO’s,’ foreign terrorist organizations, including but not limited to FARC, PFLP and Hezbollah,” and any support, contact or association with those groups. FARC is a revolutionary peasant organization in Columbia, and PFLP is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Hezoballah is a political and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon.
Dooley said the search warrant mentions documents, files, books, photographs, videos, souvenirs, war relics, notebooks, address books diaries journals, maps or any other evidence in electronic for that shows Kelly’s connections to those groups, and whether he supported or recruited people or talked to them. It also mentions potential co-conspirators, Dooley said.
Kelly said the FBI kicked down his door Friday morning.
Updated Info–At Least Four Minneapolis Houses Raided, Activists Subpoenaed in National FBI “Terror” Expedition Against Antiwar Activists
UPDATE 4pm: The office of the Anti-War Committee was also reportedly raided earlier today. See also: Search warrant for Mick Kelly’s residence and subpoena to Chicago grand jury (via TheUptake.org)
The social justice community in Minneapolis continued to respond Friday afternoon to the raids of several of its members homes, which started before 7am this morning.
Since then, a dozen activists have been served with grand jury subpoenas, including many in Minneapolis, according to Fight Back News. It is believed the federal grand jury is centered in Chicago, and is investigating alleged ties to “foreign terrorist organizations”–a charge which activists have immediately dismissed as illegitimate and unjustified.
The Star Tribune reported earlier today that according to an FBI spokesperson, a total of six homes were raided in Minneapolis and two in Chicago. This statement is unconfirmed by activists, who have identified at least four of the homes in Minneapolis–one above Hard Times Cafe in Cedar-Riverside, one north of Powderhorn Park, one on Park Avenue near Lake Street and one in Stevens Square. Antiwar leaders have said that other members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization were targeted with raids, surveillance and subpoenas in Michigan, North Carolina and potentially California.
Grand juries are a mechanism historically used to repress and gather information on unpopular social movements; no attorney or judge is present in a grand jury interrogation. Activists who defy grand juries risking imprisonment on civil or criminal contempt.
Outside the raid above Hard Times Cafe, one person at the cafe as the raid began said that he saw about a dozen FBI agents, some with large guns, outside. Conflicting reports from the other raids indicate that agents attempted to keep their presence low-key, without large marked vehicles or heavily armed SWAT teams–although Jess Sundin told the AP that a SWAT team entered her house first, then left to be replaced by other agents. But outside Hard Times Cafe, a number of the unmarked vehicles included at least one with an “official business” sign from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) in addition to the FBI.
The mood outside the cafe and apartment was one of defiance, with activists and supporters vowing solidarity in the face of repression. Early in the afternoon, agents began to remove boxes with unknown contents from the apartment, and eventually departed. The search warrant for 1823 Riverside called for search and seizure of such a laundry list of items, including electronic equipment, documents, financial records, literature, and more, that “it might have well just said ‘everything’,” someone remarked after seeing a copy.
The Uptake, in addition to almost every local corporate news outlet, was present at two of the raids in the morning and posted a short video report on their site. (Photo credit above)
No immediate information was available Friday afternoon about the raids in Chicago. The FBI spokesman, however, said that like in the Minneapolis raids, there were no arrests. He added to the AP in Chicago that there was no “imminent threat to the community” – raising the question of how anyone could be suspected of terrorist ties without an imminent danger.
The answer, of course, lies in the increasing trend of the state in using “terrorism” charges to justify repression against activists, lately in Minnesota through the Green Scare, the RNC 8, and as many have predicted might happen, now against antiwar activists as well.
Activists Denounce FBI Raids on Anti-war and Solidarity Activists Homes
Subpoenas, Searches, and FBI visits carried out in cities across the country
By Staff of Fight Back News | September 24, 2010
We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists in several states across the country. The FBI began turning over six houses in Chicago and Minneapolis this morning, Friday, September 24, 2010, at 8:00 am central time. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to about a dozen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. They also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.
“The government hopes to use a grand jury to frame up activists. The goal of these raids is to harass and try to intimidate the movement against U.S. wars and occupations, and those who oppose U.S. support for repressive regimes,” said Colombia solidarity activist Tom Burke, one of those handed a subpoena by the FBI. “They are designed to suppress dissent and free speech, to divide the peace movement, and to pave the way for more U.S. military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America.”
This suppression of democratic rights is aimed towards those who dedicate much of their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The activists are involved with well-known anti-war groups including many of the leaders of the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. The FBI agents emphasized that the grand jury was going to investigate the activists for possible terrorism charges. This is a U.S. government attempt to silence those who support resistance to oppression in the Middle East and Latin America.
The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including: the Palestine Solidarity Group, Students for a Democratic Society, the Twin-Cities Anti-War Committee, the Colombia Action Network, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera (a Colombian Political Prisoner).
Steff Yorek, a long-time antiwar activist and one of the activists whose homes was searched, called the raids “An outrageous fishing expedition.”
We urge all progressive activists to show solidarity with those individuals targeted by the U.S. Government. Activists have the right not to speak with the FBI and are encouraged to politely refuse, just say “No”.
Please contact info@colombiasolidarity.org or info@fightbacknews.org if you would like to provide support to the targeted activists.
Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle 