It turns out that Cell 411 Inc., the makers behind the emergency response app Cell 411 are concerned that demonstrators at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland may be assaulted and abused by police during the convention. To the dismay of many Cleveland political activists, the Cleveland Police have taken measures to handle a massive number of arrests daily. The City has plans to process up to 1,000 arrests per day, which raised eyebrows from community activists.

Cleveland also paid ahead of time $250,000 to reserve 200 extra jail rooms in the Cuyahoga County jail, according to the Republican National Committee budget.

When asked about the preparations, Calvin Williams, the Cleveland police chief said, “We don’t want anybody to trample on anybody else’s rights,” but did not clarify if he will make use of the preparations to arrest and incarcerate such a large number of people.

Virgil Vaduva, founder of Cell 411 also expressed concern at the news of police expanding their footprint: “America has a rich history of political dissent, and the heavy police presence, surveillance cameras and free speech exclusion areas are not indicators that this tradition of freedom of speech will be respected.”

Vaduva also explained how his company is planning on protecting activists during the RNC demonstrators saying, “We have created an official RNC public cell in Cleveland that anyone can join so that activists in the area can issue real-time alerts should they experience abuse at the hands of police.  We have also upgraded our server capacity for live video streaming, so activists using Cell 411 can stream live video to the entire RNC cell to ensure police accountability and prevent police from erasing any evidence of abuse and wrongdoing.”

Cell 411 is a mobile app which was created to allow individuals to respond and issue emergencies to trusted friends, neighbors and family members without using 911 or involving police, making it an ideal app for activists, neighborhood watchers and others willing to participate in helping their communities stay safe without calling police.

The company also said that they are sponsoring the official video feeds from several independent journalist outfits like The Activist Post and Cop Block.  Live video streams from journalists will be made available around the clock via the Cell 411 RNC cell and also social media video feeds like Facebook Live and YouTube.

Note: this article will be updated with additional information as it becomes available during the next several days. To join the RNC cell, download Cell 411, tap on Explore Public Cells and search for “RNC” to join the official cell. You will receive real time alerts and video feeds.

“Your pretty empire took so long to build, now, with a snap of history’s fingers, down it goes.” – V for Vendetta

Empires and tyrants have fallen down over much less than technical challenges, and this is what the creators of Cell 411 are trying to do, challenge the status quo and take the power out of the hands of government employees and put it back in the hands of people.

This activist-oriented and emergency tracking app has now been released for free to anyone and everyone willing to take action and participate in events like Cop Blocking, recording police activities or just simply help out people in need without assistance from government employees.

Up until now the app cost 99 cents however the creators and developers of the app decided to make it free on a permanent basis in order to encourage adoption but also put police on notice about the fact that new disruptive technologies are now available to everyone who owns a smart phone and is willing to keep them accountable. Turns out that November 5th is a great day to make the app free! (Note: the iOS version of the app is still pending review in the Apple store and will be free immediately upon approval)

The app has a plethora of features and enabled users to notify friends, family and other contacts of emergencies in real time, with exact GPS coordinates and turn-by-turn directions to their location. Users can stream live video of encounters and also send other types of alerts to contacts.  Users can create neighborhood watch groups and use the app to police their own neighborhood, or family groups to alert each other of car troubles for example.

Better yet, the app has a “Dispatch Mode” which allows for the dispatching of alerts from other locations, which allows for a fully decentralized method of managing emergencies without using government resources. A “Patrol Mode” option also allows users in need of help to engage others in the same geographic area without previously knowing or meeting these individuals or establishing prior relationships.

It is important to note that the app has only been out for a little over 4 months and has received attention from international newspapers and activist organizations.

Cell 411 already has very good reviews in both Apple and Google app stores.

Visit getcell411.com to download it.

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said today the so-called “Ferguson effect” may be real, becoming the second top federal law enforcement official in as many weeks to suggest growing police “trepidation” could be behind a recent spike of violence in some American cities.

DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said he’s been told by police chiefs across the country that — with cops now under intense scrutiny and videos of their interactions often posted online — officers are concerned “rightly or wrongly that [they] become the next viral video.”

Speaking to a group of reporters today in Washington, Rosenberg was echoing comments made last week by FBI Director James Comey, who told a gathering of international police chiefs in Chicago that “some part of what’s going on is likely a chill wind that’s blown through law enforcement over the last year.”

The White House, particularly President Obama, has seemed reluctant to go that far. But today, Rosenberg repeatedly called Comey’s remarks “spot on.”

“I rely on the chiefs and the sheriffs who are saying that they have seen or heard behavioral changes among the men and women of their forces,” Rosenberg told reporters. “The manifestation of it may be a reluctance to engage” with suspected criminals.

Police and other law enforcement officials have increasingly been under the national microscope — and in some cases the targets of potential threats — ever since a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown last year. The controversial slaying prompted protests across the country.

In speaking of the “Ferguson effect” today, Rosenberg emphasized “a lot” of what he’s hearing “is anecdotal right now.” And, in further echoing Comey’s recent remarks, Rosenberg said there needs to be a national dialogue about what’s truly behind the spike in violence in some U.S. cities.

Rosenberg said gang-based competition in drug markets and the widespread availability of guns are also playing a part in it.

“There are some places where homicides are up and shootings are down. And then there are other places where both are up, and other places where both are down,” Rosenberg said. “We’re not entirely sure what’s going on, and we ought to talk about it and try to figure it out.”

Comey met with President Obama in the Oval Office on Thursday to discuss the matter. Rosenberg was a top aide to Comey at the FBI before joining DEA in May.

by Ian Freeman, for FreeKeene.com

Ten days ago, Free Keene blogger and Cop Block founder Ademo Freeman was arrested in Kansas on a warrant for chalking in front of the Noblesville, Indiana police department. In the latest salvo in the War on Chalk, Noblesville PD had issued warrants for both Ademo and Brian Sumner, who have been on the Cop Block MAC Tour (Mobile Accountability for Cops) for weeks. Now, Ademo and Brian are pausing the MAC tour and last night turned themselves in at Noblesville PD to clear up the warrants. Here’s their full explanation as to why they turned themselves in and do not wish to be bailed out.

Last night, accompanied by Cop Blockers from Ohio and Indiana, they arrived at Noblesville PD and began chalking police accountability messages with the same liquid chalk product they’d used several weeks ago that resulted in misdemeanor “criminal mischief” charges for them both.

After twenty minutes of chalking, no police had come out to stop them, so they called 911 to alert the police that wanted men were outside their building. Here’s the video of the arrests, recorded by Indiana Cop Blocker Miah Dalek Akston:

They intend to sit in the clink until they are released. How long will Noblesville hold them for this dastardly crime before they face trial? Will the charges be dropped before then? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to Free Keene and Cop Block for the latest.

Meanwhile, Ademo suggests you contact James Baldwin, the Judge in their case or (if you really want to let them know you disapprove) visit the Noblesville Police Department and exercise your first amendment right with some chalk. You never know, you might even be lucky enough to join the guys in jail.

James Baldwin: (317) 776-8595
Hamilton County Jail: (317) 776-9800

To deposit money into Ademo and Brian’s account to use while in the cage, you can go to https://pay.gettingout.com and enter Hamilton County Jail, Indiana.

Update: A tentative trial date was set for December 8, 2015. Until then, both Ademo and Brian will continue to stay locked in a cage waiting for “justice” to prevail.

-By Jordan Freshour

A Cop Blocker in Kettering warns drivers of an OVI checkpoint

“Southwestern Ohio is the center for civil disobedience activism in the world right now.” – Mark Edge, Free Talk Live, April 1st, 2015.

Wait, what? Not New Hampshire with the Free State Project? Not in the Middle East, where protests and civil war are still erupting years after the Arab Spring? Not in DC, a Mecca for civil demonstrations and home to hundreds of national and global non-profit headquarters? Not in places like Los Angeles or Texas, where a new era of technological innovation is bursting forth?

While it’s difficult to accurately compare the efficacy of various methods used by groups to promote social change, Mark Edge did not speak out of context in lauding this specific region of the United States. In the radio segment mentioned above, he was interviewing Virgil Văduva about his own acts of civil disobedience. In particular, Văduva’s intentional violation of an anti-panhandling ordinance in the nearby city of Xenia. When asked if he agreed with Mark’s assessment, he said:

“I do agree. I have friends who live in California who complain that they are the lone activist in their large town and are unable to grow the liberty community. In essence they are alone in the middle of a crowd. I’m not sure what is causing this phenomenon here in SW Ohio, but I remember just a few years ago being the only Cop Blocker within 100 mile radius. Since then the number of activists and libertarians has exploded. While I would love to take credit for some of the growth, the reality is that there have been quite a few events in the area that served as catalysts for the message of freedom. Ohio Open Carry, the shooting of John Crawford and Tamir Rice have been huge factors in bringing new activists on board, and the recent shooting at the University of Cincinnati was another reminder of a growing police brutality problem. The police alone are responsible for the growth in the numbers of local activists. In essence they are the largest creators responsible for building our community.”

Văduva isn’t the only Ohio activist who believes the police have directly contributed to the local growth in activism. Micah David of Yellow Springs, Ohio – writer, editor, and designer for Counter Current News – shares similar thoughts:

“Yes, I think Ohio is ground zero in terms of police abuse, brutality and racism. A lot of times people will assume coastal cities, or a large midwestern city like Chicago would be the focal point of such police abuses. But Ohio has a unique history with regards to racism and injustice, as law enforcement and government reacted in very deliberate ways to the influx of freed-men and women who came across the Kentucky border. As such, many so-called minority communities know Ohio to be little more than an extension of the south, with some of the most segregated communities in the nation. On top of that, the middle-American nature of Ohio suburbs has lent to a particular flavor of Ohio activism, and reaction by law enforcement and the government, even going back to the Kent State Massacre during the Vietnam War.

So in a sense, activists come after the situation that is created sociologically in Ohio – they are borne from it. And at the same time, the law enforcement response to activism in Ohio is borne out of the sociological “Northern South” vibe that is Ohio. It is that vibe, or climate that leads to incidences such as the shooting of John Crawford, Tamir Rice and Sam Dubose, or even earlier, Timothy Thomas.”

To get closer to the target of racial police abuse, I spoke with Talis Gage (also from Yellow Springs), an activist and organizer with Black Lives Matter Miami Valley and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. He said everything “jumped off” after the murder of John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio. Talis echoed Micah’s assessment when answering if police targeting has been a catalyst for uniting the black community:

“In Yellow Springs it definitely has, because there really isn’t a black community here. So we are now all working together collectively in different ways – on the radio, on HRC [Human Relations Commission], and I was running for village council. I would say [the shooting] made different organizations more active and much more aggressive in the black communities. The Ohio Student Association was very active in getting the Beavercreek police to release the tapes from the Wal-Mart shooting. They were also outside of the Beavercreek police station for days protesting. We tag teamed with them to shut down Wal-Mart, and then the Beavercreek Mall.”

Outcry over the murder of Crawford isn’t the only response from leaders in the nearby black community. Talis went on to explain how BLM Miami Valley has quickly become a group which works with others to feed the poor and homeless, provide clothes to those in need, clean up the neighborhood, educate their neighbors, and host potlucks for the public.  “Everyone is doing all they can within their organization to wake up the black community to stand strong as the Kings and Queens they originally were,” said Talis.

“Waking up” individuals to the reality of the classist warfare waged by the government is a major challenge for activists of all stripes. Constant mobile connectivity to one another has been the single greatest tool for the nonconformist in infiltrating the minds of others with new ideas. Heather Lucas – an Awakened Cincinnatian, and council member for Unite Ohio – has worked with more than a dozen Ohio groups, linking them to each other. The Militia, Ohio Patriot Bikers, libertarian chapters, Pin Ups for Patriots, NORML, 3% Militia, and Columbus Anonymous are but a few allies. She credited social media for the success of networking and growth among like-minded people, saying:

“Activism in my opinion has become much easier for everyone due to social media. I think for one the instant access to stories, info, and causes have caused “normal” people to have to look at things they wouldn’t have normally. So they join a group, or start their own.”

Having instant access to information is vital to spreading the word about events and ideas, but social giants such as Facebook are only one element in the Buckeye dissenter’s tool kit. The effectiveness of Heather’s endeavors to unite various Ohio efforts increases with the availability of new technology designed to facilitate counter culture. Apps such as Bambuser, Wickr, and Cell 411 can be found on the smartphones of revolutionaries statewide, the latter having been developed by Văduva specifically for the use of activism. Virgil (a cryptology professional) believes advances of this kind are precisely the silver bullet for government tyranny:

“As a crypto-anarchist, it’s evident to me that technology is making the ideas of liberty virtually impregnable to government tyrants, and that’s an empowering realization. This is why I am focusing on building even more tools to empower people to subvert the state, whether it’s through adopting currencies like Bitcoin, embracing free markets, or subverting State surveillance. We are barely toddlers in this world and we are just now learning how to use technology to be truly free.”

It should be noted these kinds of technology are available across the world, but southwest Ohio has a unique environment. It is a place where innovators are focusing their implements on freedom, and the principles of the people living there are predisposed to take advantage of inventions which empower the individual. Where similar movements in other areas fragment due to infighting between egos, those in Ohio have learned how to use ego to their advantage. Justin King, journalist, and editor for The Fifth Column opines:

“Ohio’s activists seem to have adopted an informal cellular structure. There are hundreds of small groups that are self contained. Each of these groups does a great job of making the other groups aware of their actions. This means everybody supports each other. The small group sizes allow more people to have egos. If there is one large group there are only so many top positions. People of influence end up arguing. Small groups allow people of influence to abstain from an event they don’t agree with without destroying the overall movement. It cuts down on infighting because the “cells” are free to do as they choose. Nobody is jockeying for position.”

Justin has a fitting resume for a gonzo journalist, having been a military contractor, bodyguard, a “smuggler,” a federal inmate, and so on. He offers a unique set of skills for other activists. “I’ve been waterboarded, I’ve conducted counter-surveillance for activists, I’ve investigated dirty politicians for groups, and basically anything that requires a bit of playing dirty. I [..] bring tactical experience to the movement.” Justin knows to maximize his own impact, strategically aligning with specific people and events is important. “…it boils down to choosing your battles carefully,” he said. “Let’s say somebody is done wrong by a police department, but they have a massive criminal record. Ideologically it’s still an offense, tactically don’t waste the resources on a person that isn’t relatable to the rest of America.”

That last statement might be controversial in other circles of activism. But it’s not in Ohio. When activists there see a cause they like, they support it. When activists disagree about a cause, they don’t support it. And when activists think there is a better way of doing something, instead of criticizing others, they form the solutions themselves. Such is the story of Awakened Cincinnatians. Richard Brewster, an AC member, touched on this when I inquired to how the group had formed:

“Actually I started it. I loved the idea of Anonymous: How everyone can be one. I went to a few Occupy Cincinnati events and saw how they couldn’t get along – the left stayed to the left, the right stayed to the right. There was really nothing for us Awakened People, who don’t fall for the left/right nonsense. After arguing and being kicked out of the local Occupy [Cincinnati], and all the Patriot groups, I decided we needed our own. I made the group on Facebook. […] Once numbers were decent we [began holding meetings]. Ever since we have kept the ball rolling picking up new people with every event we do.”

Events arranged and promoted by the Awakened Cincinnatians have taken the Queen City by storm, attracting mainstream media attention, and the support of the most widely-known organization to focus on police accountability: Cop Block. At a recent September 19th protest – organized by AC to call attention to the murder of Sam DuBose – several Cop Block journalists were in attendance, including Ademo Freeman, CB’s co-founder. As one of the most influential anarcho-activists in the country, I was curious to his take on the Ohio brand of activism. When asked what surprised him the most from his time spent there, Ademo articulated the volume of hard-working individuals:

“Whether it be CopBlocking a checkpoint, running websites, creating videos or smartphone apps, someone in Ohio is doing it. I would say that they’ve all energized, inspired and provided hope to me in some form. From their energy, tactics and the diversity of such, it has been most beneficial to myself – and hopefully to those who view our/their work/efforts.”

Freeman is no stranger to the work being done in Ohio. Upon leaving New Hampshire a year ago to spread the message of police accountability nationwide, he made a temporary base in Cleveland in preparation for the rest of his journey. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with and meet many, some I knew before arriving – like Valerie and DEO; while others like Virgil, Micah and some of the CB offshoots (Dayton CB, Greater Cleveland folks and so on) I’ve gotten to know while CopBlocking,” he said. During his time visiting the state, new chapters were formed in Dayton and Beavercreek. Other chapters, such as Ohio Valley, Columbus, and Zanesville were strengthened by his collaboration with Columbus activist, Valerie Petrichor, whom with I also spoke.

Valerie has been involved with Cop Block since it’s inception, forming multiple chapters in and near her suburban Columbus home. Working for police accountability before Cop Block had evened formed, her efforts are reflected (in part) by a hometown which suffers far less police misconduct than cities of comparable size. I asked her a similar question as I did the others, “Is there anything you believe makes Ohioans more receptive to the message of freedom?”

“Individual thought. People who think on any level other than unique individual thought will typically not understand the need for freedom or accountability. The exception being those who believe they are part of some “movement”. Finding like-minded individuals who want to work toward shared goals is great – necessary, even. However, believing in a “movement” is just a way to continue groupthink passively and avoid truly unique thought. In Ohio we have what is probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, [group of] activists in the US.”

Being one of the few women planted in the trenches of the fight against police brutality, I wondered if Valerie thought her femininity was a trait she considered a strength. Oddly enough, she didn’t. “It’s just a circumstance,” She said, playing down the question. “If anything, it makes what I do easier than it would be for a man. People tend to respect me and my gender is probably part of the reason. I think being female causes me to be perceived as less of a threat.” 

Though it may be true the police underestimate the strength of a principled woman, fellow Ohio activists do not. Individuals such as Heather and Valerie are not only freedom fighters in the public arena, but also in the home raising the next generation of world-changers. In wrapping up my case for Ohio being ground zero for activists, I wished to unearth that lesser-seen side of activism. Knowing where to look, I asked Jamie Văduva (married to Virgil), if she would round out my story. She obliged.

Jamie is a member of Libertarians of Southwest Ohio, artist, caretaker of her family’s farm, mother of four, and a homeschooler. Though not as visible as other activists, her efforts to promote freedom are the most selfless of type. As principled and hard-working as any liberty-minded person, she labors to raise her children as lovers of freedom and humanity, while spreading a message of love and kindness to those around. She offered the story of Christopher McCandless as one inspiring tale which shaped her values as teacher, Mom, and wife:

“I just started reading books about survival and people living simpler lives: Christopher McCandless, Henry David Thoreau, Everett Ruess and many others. Extreme stories that challenged my thinking. We gave away most of our furniture, and sold our new cars and 5-year-old house to get an old house in the country. All because God and family were what mattered. Not things, not money and mortgages, but our time together. And to be able to experience having animals and grow food, have bees, et cetera – that lifestyle goes with living a liberty or Voluntaryist life very much.”

Referencing Thoreau’s message of simplicity, only what’s truly important matters in her home. She proudly sees herself as an activist for “the little things in every day life.”  She added, “[Our kids] get to see first hand voluntary interactions between friends and acquaintances. Helping others and they help us…we have each other’s backs or do things to help because we care. Each person has something different to offer.”

Activists are stereotyped in many ways, often in a cold manner. However, those in southwest Ohio come off as the most devoted  – and caring – humans I have encountered. This may be the secret to the robust and diverse community of liberty-lovers in the Buckeye State. In closing, Jamie speaks directly to what I believe is the essence of these people:

 “I can only be myself which is someone who is drawn toward the positive. I don’t pretend everything is perfect. But my place here is to keep reminding everyone to have good hearts, and to try to bring out the softer side in people. To make them smile, and see it’s all about being free and happy with the people you love and care about. Live…just be yourself and do the things you love. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. And remember to be a nice person. Sometimes something as simple as a smile can change someone’s world and you don’t even realize it.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

A new and upcoming app created by a small startup is appealing to activists and ‘Cop Blockers’ who may be in situations which are dangerous or in situations where interaction with police officers can turn dangerous or tense.

Cell 411, the app which will be released in the next several days is, according to the developers, a decentralized emergency alerting and response platform, which allows users to instantly notify a trusted group of friends, family or others of any situation or emergency they may encounter.

In addition to medical alerts, car problems, fire or danger, the app offers a default “I am Copblocking” alert which would notify a user’s friends of the activity in real time and provide coordinates and turn by turn directions to the location of the police interaction.  This would allow users to request help in case of ongoing police action, abuse of human rights or other potentially dangerous circumstances.

One excellent example of the use for the app is when citizens organize themselves in neighborhood watch group, making the use of Cell 411 virtually a requirement.  The app would enable neighbors to notify each other in mass or individually of criminal activity, medical emergencies, fires or police activity.

The developers of the application are not hiding the fact that this app is directly aimed at protecting citizens from police abuse and enabling users to obtain backup from friends, family and other activists in case of emergency.

Future version of the app will also include live video streaming, audio streaming, multiple language support and other “secret sauce” features that have not yet been revealed to the public.

For more information about Cell 411 and download links, you can visit safearx.com

Earlier this spring, three cop blockers from Dayton, Ohio decided to take the trip up I-75 to warn drivers of an OVI checkpoint in Allen County, which was conducted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I was one of them and got to partake in some novel treatment by the police.

After finding an area to hold signs, only a half hour had passed before an OSHP vehicle raced towards us cop blockers, who had our cell phones recording. The cruiser stopped, and it’s windows rolled down to reveal two law enforcement officers holding in their hands a shocking sight, almost unbelievable…

…A large cheese and pepperoni pizza.  Watch below:

Yes, two cops decided to buy three anarchists a piping hot pizza (and even three sodas). Us cop blockers were shocked, yet happily accepted considering that no man has ever turned down a free pie. The police were thanked, and before they left reminded us by saying “See? Not all cops are bad.”

Was it BS? Possibly. Could they be saving face? Likely. Is it appreciated? Certainly.

Contrast this with the despicable actions of the Lima Police Department (in Allen County), which not only beats unarmed 19 year-olds unconscious, but also censors those who condemn it.

In honor of the Allen County Patrol, I’ve composed a list of 5 ways any police department can better treat activists and/or cop blockers:

5. Give Us Free Food

Free pizza is awesome, but if you REALLY care about getting along, I will be the first to request a monthly food stipend, not unlike an EBT card. Considering that I don’t have a job and live in my parent’s basement, it’ll be a big help. $200 should do it. Reasonable, I think.

4. Stop Pretending You’re Not a Cop

Whether you are off duty, or trolling the internet, you are not a master of disguise. Try removing your Oakleys or changing your Facebook privacy settings once in a while. Spotting a police officer acting like a citizen is as easy as finding a transvestite in a biker bar. Only the transvestite isn’t going to beat me senseless if I give him a weird look.

3. Read a Book

The most tedious part of cop blocking is constantly having to educate every rank of LEO, and even judges on matters ranging from freedom to grammar. It really gets old explaining complicated subjects like when not to shoot someone, the fact that I own my body, or basic sentence structure. We understand that in some cases you may not be allowed to be intelligent, but that’s hardly an excuse. Wikipedia, guys. Srsly.

2. Enunciate Clearly

The odds are the shit YOU say will be used against you in court, and we make sure of it because our cameras are always rolling. However, often cops appear to have speech impediments. Sometimes you only imagine the orders you are giving, while expecting us to comply like mind-readers. If each of you could slow down and fully-form your thoughts before speaking plainly, transcribing your coercion will be much easier when we are making our videos late at night in between fapping sessions.

1. Quit

This one is serious. There isn’t a better life choice you could make than to stop being a police officer. Give up the extra rights, and give back to your community by not locking them in cages for nonviolent crimes. This way you will never be put in the position to ruin another man or woman’s life again. A good second choice is standing up for solid principles instead of the bureaucracy within your own department. If this the first time you’ve considered this, please see some helpful resources here. Either way, we will welcome you with open arms, and the world will be a better place for it.

-Written by Jordan Freshour

When communities attempt to police the police, they often get, well… policed.

In several states, organized groups that use police scanners and knowledge of checkpoints to collectively monitor police activities by legally and peacefully filming cops on duty have said they’ve experienced retaliation, including unjustified detainment and arrests as well as police intimidation.

The groups operate under many decentralized organizations, most notably CopWatch and Cop Block, and have proliferated across the United States in the last decade – and especially in the aftermath of the events that continue to unfold in Ferguson, Missouri, after officer Darren Wilson fatally shot unarmed, black teenager Michael Brown.

Many such groups have begun proactively patrolling their communities with cameras at various times during the week, rather than reactively turning on their cameras when police enter into their neighborhoods or when they happen to be around police activity.

Across the nation, local police departments are responding to organized cop watching patrols by targeting perceived leaders, making arrests, threatening arrests, yanking cameras out of hands and even labeling particular groups “domestic extremist” organizations and part of the sovereign citizens movement – the activities of which the FBI classifies as domestic terrorism.

Courts across the nation at all levels have upheld the right to film police activity. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and photographer’s assocications have taken many similar incidents to court, consistently winning cases over the years. The Supreme Court has ruled police can’t search an individual’s cellphone data without a warrant. Police also can’t legally delete an individual’s photos or video images under any circumstances.

“Yet, a continuing stream of these incidents (often driven by police who have been fed ‘nonsense‘ about links between photography and terrorism) makes it clear that the problem is not going away,” writes Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project.

Sources who have participated in various organized cop watching groups in cities such as New York; Chicago; Cleveland; Las Vegas; Oakland; Arlington, Texas; Austin and lastly Ferguson, Missouri, told Truthout they have experienced a range of police intimidation tactics, some of which have been caught on film. Cop watchers told Truthout they have been arrested in several states, including Texas, New York, Ohio and California in retaliation for their filming activity.

More recently, in September, three cop watchers were arrested while monitoring police activity during a traffic stop in Arlington, Texas. A group of about 20 people, a few of them associated with the Tarrant County Peaceful Streets Project, gathered at the intersection of South Cooper Street and Lynda Lane during a Saturday night on September 6 to film police as they conducted a traffic stop. A video of what happened next was posted at YouTube.

Arlington police charged Janie Lucero, her husband, Kory Watkins, and Joseph Tye with interference of public duties. Lucero and Watkins were charged with obstructing a highway while Tye was arrested on charges of refusing to identify himself.

Arlington police have defended the arrests of the three cop watchers, but the watchers say they weren’t interfering with police work, and were told to move 150 feet away from the officers – around the corner of a building where they couldn’t film the officers.

“When we first started [cop watching, the police] seemed kind of bothered a little bit,” Watkins told Truthout. “There was a change somewhere where [the police] started becoming a little bit more offended, and we started having more cop watchers so I guess they felt like they needed to start bringing more officers to traffic stops.”

On the night of Watkin’s arrest, his group had previously monitored two other traffic stops without any confrontation with Arlington police officers before the incident that led to the arrests.

Sometimes, though, retaliation against cop watching groups goes far beyond arresting cop watchers on patrol.

Cops Label Cop Watch Groups Domestic Terrorists

On New Year’s Day in 2012, Antonio Buehler, a West Point graduate and former military officer, witnessed two Austin police officers assaulting a woman. He pulled out his phone.

As he began photographing the officers and asking questions about their activities, the cops assaulted and arrested him. He was charged with spitting in a cop’s face – a felony crime.

However, two witness videos of the incident surfaced and neither of them showed that Buehler spit in Officer Patrick Oborski’s face. A grand jury was finally convened in March 2013 and concluded there was not enough evidence to indict Buehler on any of the crimes he was charged with.

A few months after the New Year’s Day incident, Buehler and other Austin-based activists started the Peaceful Streets Project (PSP), an all-volunteer organization dedicated to stopping police abuse. The group has held “Know Your Rights” trainings and a Police Accountability Summit. The group also regularly organizes cop watch patrols in Austin.

Since the PSP was launched, the movement has grown, with local chapters popping up in other cities and states across the United States, including Texas’ Tarrant County chapter, which the three cop watchers arrested in Arlington were affiliated with.

But as the Peaceful Streets movement spread, police retaliation against the groups, and particularly Buehler himself, also escalated.

“[The Austin Police Department (APD)] sees us as a threat primarily because we shine a spotlight on their crimes,” Buehler said.

The group recently obtained documents from the APD through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that reveal Austin police colluded to arrest Buehler and other cop watchers affiliated with the Peaceful Streets Project. Since the New Year’s Day incident, Buehler has been arrested three more times by APD officers. At least four other members of PSP have been arrested on charges of interference or failing to identify themselves during their cop watching activities.

The emails indicate APD officers monitored Buehler’s social media posts and attempted to justify arresting him for another felony crime of online impersonation over an obviously satirical post he made on Facebook, as well as reveal that some APD officers coordinated efforts to stop PSP members’ legal and peaceful activities, even suggesting reaching out to the District Attorney’s office to see if anything could be done to incarcerate members of the group.

Another internal email from APD senior officer Justin Berry identifies PSP as a “domestic extremist” organization. Berry writes that he believes police accountability groups including PSP, CopWatch and Cop Block are part of a “national domestic extremism trend.” He believes he found “mirror warning signs” in “FBI intel.” Berry makes a strange attempt to lump police accountability activists and the hacker-collective Anonymous in with sovereign citizens groups as a collective revolutionary movement.

“Sovereign citizens” groups generally believe federal, state and local governments are illegitimate and operate illegally. Some self-described sovereign citizens create fake license plates, identification and forms of currency to circumvent official government institutions. The FBI classifies the activities of sovereign citizens groups as domestic terrorism, considering the groups a growing “domestic threat” to law enforcement.

Buehler told Truthout the APD is working with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fusion center to attempt to identify PSP as a sovereign citizens group to associate its members with domestic terrorism with state and federal authorities. DHS fusion centers are designed to gather, analyze and promote the sharing of intelligence information between federal and state agencies.

“They have spent a fair amount of resources tracking us, spying on us and infiltrating our group, and we are just peaceful activists who are demanding accountability for the police,” Buehler told Truthout. “They have absolutely no evidence that we’ve engaged in any criminal activity or that we’ve tried to engage in criminal activity.”

APD officials did not respond to a request for comment.

“They’ve pushed us; they’ve assaulted us for filming them; they’ve used their horses against us and tried to run us into walls; they’ve driven their cars up on us; they illegally detained us and searched us; they get in our face and they yell at us; they threaten to use violent force against us,” Buehler said. “But we didn’t realize until these emails just how deep this intimidation, how deep these efforts were to harm us for trying to hold them accountable.”

Buehler also said the group has additional internal emails which have not been released yet that reveal the APD attempted to take another charge to the District Attorney against him for felony child endangerment over the activities of a teenaged member of PSP.

He said he and other members of PSP were interested in pursuing a joint civil action against the APD over their attempts to frame and arrest them for their First Amendment activities.

This is not the first time a municipal police department has labeled a local cop watching group as an extremist organization.

In 2002, internal files from the Denver Police Department’s (DPD) Intelligence Unit were leaked to the ACLU, revealing the unit had been spying on several activist groups in the city, and keeping extensive records about members of the activist groups. Many of these groups were branded as “criminal extremist” organizations in what later became a full-scale controversy widely known as the Denver police’s “spy files.” Some of the groups falsely branded as “criminal extremist” groups included three police accountability organizations: Denver CopWatch, End the Politics of Cruelty and Justice for Mena.

Again, from October 2003 through the Republican National Convention (RNC) in August 2004, intelligence digests produced by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on dozens of activist groups, including several police accountability organizations, were made public under a federal court order. The NYPD labeledparticipants of the “Operation CopWatch” effort as criminal extremists.

Those who participated in “Operation CopWatch” during the RNC hoped to identify undercover cops who might attempt to provoke violence during demonstrations and document police violence or misconduct against protesters.

Communities Benefiting From Cop Watch Patrols Resist Police Retaliation Against Watchers

In some major urban areas, rates of police harassment of individuals drop considerably after cop watchers take to the streets – and communities band together to defend cop watch patrols that experience police retaliation, say veteran cop watchers.

Veteran police accountability activist José Martín has trained and organized with several organizations that participate in cop watch activities. Martín has been detained and arrested several times while cop watching with organized patrols in New York and Chicago.

His arrests in New York are part of a widely documented problem in the city. In fact, retaliation in New York against cop watchers has been so widespread that the NYPDhad to send out an official memo to remind officers that it is perfectly legal for civilians to film cops on duty.

Martín described an experience in Chicago in which he felt police unjustly retaliated against him after a local CopWatch group formed and began regularly patrolling Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. After the group became well-known by the Pilsen community, residents gathered around an officer who had detained Martín after a patrol one night in 2009, calling for his release. The officer let him go shortly after.

“When cop watchers are retaliated against, if the community is organized, if there is a strong relationship between cop watch patrols and the community, but most importantly, if the cop watchers are people of the community, that community has the power to push back against retaliation and prevent its escalation,” Martín said. “Retaliation doesn’t work if you stand together.”

Another veteran cop watcher, Jacob Crawford, co-founder of Oakland’s We Copwatch, is helping the community of Ferguson, Missouri, organize cop watch patrols and prepare the community for the potential of police retaliation. His group raised $6,000 to pass out 110 cameras to organizers and residents in Ferguson, and train them to monitor police activity in the aftermath of the upheavals that rocked the city after Wilson killed Brown.

“I do expect retaliation, I do expect that these things won’t be easy, but these folks are in it,” Crawford told Truthout. “This is something that makes more sense to them than not standing up for themselves.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A Saratoga Springs police officer may lose his job for pepper spraying a man who flipped him off.

Officer Nathan Baker was on duty when Adam Rupeka, a member of police accountability group Cop Block, gave Officer Baker the middle finger. The officer responded by pulling over Rupeka’s vehicle.

Rupeka began filming the encounter before Baker approached his vehicle. The officer asked Rupeka for his license and registration, and Rupeka agreed to provide that information if he was told what crime he was suspected of committing.

Instead of articulating a crime, Officer Baker assaulted Rupeka by spraying him in the face with pepper spray and twisting his arm behind the vehicle’s driver-side door, forcing him out of the vehicle. Baker then kidnapped Rupeka under color of law.

At the time of writing, it does not appear Officer Baker is being charged with any crime, but he is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing in which the Saratoga Springs Chief of Police is expected to terminate Baker’s employment. Rupeka has filed a civil lawsuit against the officer as well.

A video of the encounter is available below:

An encounter that started with a Meridian police officer talking to a man about lingering in a crosswalk has become a test of what is protected free speech — and what constitutes a threat against a police officer. At stake is a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Matthew Townsend was charged with felony witness intimidation after he “tagged” police — and family members of an officer — on a Facebook post in which he complained bitterly that his January arrest was unjust and should be dismissed. He’s accused of resisting and obstructing officers, a misdemeanor.

Townsend is a restaurant cook who ran unsuccessfully for Meridian City Council in 2013 and for Ada County coroner in 2014. He’s a gun rights activist who promotes public awareness of open carry laws. He’s also involved in Cop Watch, part of the police accountability movement, and frequently records police stops.

In his March 18 Facebook post, Townsend said that if the misdemeanor charge wasn’t dropped, he planned to begin a nonviolent “shame campaign” against the officer who arrested him, staging protests in the officer’s neighborhood, causing “upsets” at homeowners association meetings, sending mailers and more.

“I know where you all live – this is notification of knowledge and future protests, not a threat,” Townsend wrote.

At the close of the Facebook post, the 29-year-old said the state has a few options in dealing with him. He suggested that he could engage in “non-violent” retaliation and asked: “Do you want to be the focus of my rage?” He said another option was for the police to kill him and then deal with those who love him.

Facebook tagging is a way to share a posted message to specific people and make it more likely they will see it. Townsend tagged the Meridian Police Department, family members of Cpl. Richard Brockbank, Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd, local media and numerous others.

Ada County prosecutors say Townsend’s social media message crossed the line. The amended criminal complaint says Townsend communicated “a promise and/or threat” to a police officer, his friends and family and outlined consequences if his criminal charge wasn’t dismissed.

FREE TO CRITICIZE POLICE

Aaron Tribble, Townsend’s attorney, said the only thing that his client was threatening to do was protest.

“You have a right to complain about public officials when you think they’re doing something wrong or corrupt,” Tribble said. The First Amendment, he said, allows the public to criticize public officials.

“He didn’t make any kind of physical threat,” Tribble said. “He didn’t say, ‘I’m going to hurt you, I’m going to hurt your family.’ … If you wanted to threaten someone physically, why would you go around tagging news stations?”

According to court records, Brockbank, the officer who arrested Townsend in January, testified about the Facebook post at the preliminary hearing April 15.

“We all want to be safe and secure in our homes. Someone telling me that they know where I live in an adversarial manner like this, I view that as a threatening statement,” he said. He noted that he was aware of an officer in Idaho Falls whose house had been burned by an angry suspect.

Meridian Police Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea manages the department’s Facebook page and was the first in the department to see Townsend’s post. He said in court that his biggest concern was that Brockbank’s family was tagged on the post.

At Townsend’s pretrial conference March 19 on the misdemeanor charge, prosecutors apprised Fourth District Judge James Cawthon on Townsend’s Facebook post. Cawthon ordered Townsend to untag Brockbank’s family members from the post. It appears from the post’s edit history that Townsend did so, and also deleted some of the original post.

A warrant for Townsend’s arrest was issued March 20, and he was taken into custody just before 9 p.m. that night, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked into the Ada County Jail, but within a few hours posted $25,000 bond.

Townsend was in Ada County Court last week for a preliminary hearing. He is set to enter a plea May 15; a trial date has not been set.

ORIGINAL CHARGE

The misdemeanor arrest that riled up Townsend occurred around 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 on East Franklin Road and North Main Street in Meridian, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Officer Brockbank said he observed Townsend – dressed in a black robe, holding a sign and plastic pick ax – enter the crosswalk at the corner when the crossing light was flashing, the affidavit says. Brockbank said the crosswalk light turned solid, indicating “don’t walk,” when Townsend stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to face traffic and raise the sign and pick ax.

Tribble said Townsend was dressed as the grim reaper and carrying a plastic sickle. Townsend has said that he was protesting taxes that day.

Brockbank said in the affidavit that Townsend paused about five seconds before continuing in the crosswalk. Brockbank said he pulled over to talk to Townsend about crosswalk laws.

“I approached the male and he immediately began to tell me he had not broken the law,” the affidavit says. “I explained to the male that he had broken the law by stopping in traffic and preventing eastbound traffic from going.”

Brockbank said Townsend pointed the plastic pick ax at him while they were talking and refused to put it down. The officer said he took the plastic ax and cuffed Townsend only after he refused to provide identification and walked away, ignoring several requests to stop.

Townsend was booked into the Ada County Jail on a charge of resisting and obstructing officers. That’s a misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A trial date was set for June, then vacated. A pretrial conference on that charge has been set for July 8.

‘LIBERTY ACTIVIST’

Townsend works at a Boise restaurant, according to his application to have a public defender appointed for him. He obtained a public defender, then opted to have Tribble represent him.

A “Free Matthew Townsend” Facebook page has been created to raise awareness about the charges against him. His advocates have picketed on his behalf, and some appear in an online video. The Free Matthew Townsend Facebook page, which calls the Meridian man a “liberty activist who was targeted by police for official retaliation,” has more than 500 “likes.”

Like-minded individuals around the country are paying attention. A representative with the online website copblock.org, which describes itself as a “diverse group of individuals united by their shared goal of police accountability,” asked to record video of one of Townsend’s hearings. That request was denied. Fourth District Judge Theresa Gardunia said the court must be sensitive to victims, and that the group requesting to record is a non-traditional media outlet that concentrates on efforts that are “activist in nature.”

“The court is a legal sanctuary where disputes are resolved in a civilized, respectful and dignified manner while governed by the rule of law,” Gardunia’s ruling said. “Preservation of this process is too important to jeopardize the outcome of any proceeding in an effort to satisfy one group, entity or individual’s appetite for Internet fodder.”