In the USA activists are taken as political prisoners and killed. There are so many causes which people are fighting for; global warming, alternative energy, human rights, ending wars, protecting water sources, there are endless causes for people to support. Sadly for each of these causes there are oppositions. These oppositions often come in the form of wealthy corporate shareholders. These sorts of people are not accustomed to being denied their desires, and when their profits threaten the wellbeing of individuals or ecologies, those individuals had better watch out, because these powerful and wealthy individuals can and do break the law with impunity.
A couple of years ago while the largest gathering of indigenous people was happening in Standing Rock North Dakota an agent of the FBI was sent to infiltrate our camps. That individual used the acceptance and trust they had developed in the camps to seduce one of the activists, a young woman named Red Fawn.
Red Fawn was later arrested, allegedly while in possession of a firearm, a firearm owned by the FBI informant. This obvious setup was well documented, and it took dramatic manipulation on behalf of the the judge and prosecutors in order to obfuscate the identity and intent of the federal agent come infiltrator. The fact that native people were able to rally enormous support and organize effective resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline was challenging the federal government and the corporations which pull the levers of power, corporations like Tiger Swan and Energy Transfer Partners. Thus the infiltrator and taking of a political prisoner. Showing those who remained in camp that the agents could manufacture false charges and take the innocent. This tactic is meant to intimidate those who would resist. It is quite effective.In the USA the police murder people of color with impunity. They kill suspects who are unarmed and fleeing, shooting suspects in the back is virtually always considered justified by police accountability groups, even when the victim a mere child.
The horrible disparity in behaviors which are deemed acceptable by law enforcement has steadily degraded the public’s opinion of law enforcement. The completely racist nature of the law enforcement agencies in the USA have become so pronounced that nationwide we have seen people marching in the name of a cause known as Black Lives Matter.In the time since the murder of Michael Brown the Black Lives Matter movement has grown in strength and intensity. Very famous people like Collin Kaepernick have pushed the issue into the mainstream forcing the spin masters to do their dirty work of shaping the conversation around the issue of police murder of unarmed black people. The mainstream media has stoked the flames of hatred with their biased reporting on the issue, muddying the water of racism with a variety of patriotism, misdirection and flat out lies. Because the public is largely misinformed the issue is easily manipulated, racists are emboldened and law enforcement are exonerated. This landscape of racism and media bias led to the lynching of an activist’s son. Danye Jones. Sadly the police are investigating this death as a suicide.
Intimidation of activists is one of the most effective tactics used to keep the people of the USA in cubicles. We fear having our children killed, or being singled out and framed by agent provocateur. We fear the media will misrepresent our motives or betray the facts of our direct actions.
We know only too well the fact that media, government and industry act in concert to affect public opinion and bias potential juries. We know only too well that the advertisers use their budget to influence the content presented in print or on the TV screen.Among the tools used to intimidate activists the media is especially useful. The media shows images from the side of law enforcement, reinforcing the perspective that activism is criminal in nature. When in fact activism is constitutionally protected, assuming that you are asserting your rights as a part of your activism.
Legislation is also used as a form of intimidation. Legislators take payoffs from lobbyists, selling their vote in essence. Industry creates policy which will protect their investments and legislators enact those policies in law. Often times the laws created by industry would be considered unethical or even unconstitutional if they were ever challenged in court. However, the industry’s lawyers have budgets which can exhaust the budget of major cities or states, forcing property owners to submit to unjust laws for lack of capital to invest in lawyers and lawsuits. Wealthy industries have used their power and influence to bankrupt individuals who fight back against their immoral and ecologically ruinous projects.
Until our political system changes in a dramatic way, we are practically guaranteed to see a rise in intimidation and murder of activists. Until our media structures change we will continue to see misinformation used as a form of intimidation and character assassination.
Until our court systems change the ruling class will continue to violate the sacred trust which has been the guiding light of liberty, that truth and justice shall prevail. Until we take personal accountability for the condition of our democracy the condition of our society will continue to degrade for the masses, while the extreme minority will continue to reap their ill gotten gains.Thanks for reading this far!
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