FBI spying for police 'occupation' of US cities: Analyst
The FBI is spying on communities across the United States to assist the “police occupation” of cities in America, says a political commentator.
“The FBI doesn’t spy on the police to build a case to stop their racist repression. They spy on the communities involved to assist in the police occupation,” said Joe Iosbaker, an anti-war leader from the United National Antiwar Committee.
He was commenting on new revelations about a "secret air force" deployed by the FBI that spied on civil rights activists in the violence-hit city of Baltimore during the riots in April and May.
“Are they studying crime or are they gathering data on protected activity? I think it’s important to demand answers from the FBI. But it’s equally important to take a principled stand and to base that stand on an objective read on the role of the FBI,” Iosbaker told Press TV.
“From all evidence, the Justice Department is not involved in defending our right to protest. They repress dissent. The DOJ role in the crisis of police crimes could not be clearer if you look at the cases of Ferguson and now Baltimore,” he added.
Starting with Ferguson, Iosbaker said that when a grand jury failed to indict the officer who shot and killed unarmed African-American Micheal Brown, the Justice Department took over the case.
“[Then] US Attorney General Eric Holder then announced that there was no basis to bring charges against the cop, Darren Wilson, who repeatedly shot Mike Brown, who had committed no crime, who had no weapon and had his hands in the air,” he added.
Brown’s death on August 9 sparked massive protests in not only Missouri, but across the US and further fueled racial tensions as Ferguson's local government and police forces are mostly white, while about two-thirds of the residents are black.
“The Ferguson police are violent racists. They murder an innocent man. The prosecutor won’t indict. The federal government won’t compel the courts to act. So the people protest and they use whatever means they have to try to find justice,” Iosbaker contended.
The cycle somewhat repeated itself last month when “another innocent black man, Freddie Gray, was murdered by the police in Baltimore," he said.
The majority-black city of Baltimore was the site of daily demonstrations since the death of Gray, who died of a severe neck injury on April 19, a week after he was arrested by Baltimore police.
The protests, which at times turned violent, were seen as symptomatic of broader challenges in the United States, where African Americans and other minorities are frequently subject to police brutality and racial profiling.
HDS/HRJ
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