DENNISON WILLIAMS was in bed when the agents banged on his front door shouting, “FBI!” Next he heard a boom and saw the light of a flash grenade.
“I’m upstairs and unarmed!” he shouted. Agents carrying assault rifles handcuffed him while over a dozen officers from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) searched his house, seizing his phone, computer, and black clothes. As they left, Williams was issued a subpoena to appear in front of a grand jury in Seattle on Thursday, August 2.
Williams’ house on NE 8th and Buffalo was one of three searched in Portland last Wednesday, July 25, as part of a coordinated JTTF raid targeting lefty political activists in Washington and Oregon. Officers issued grand jury subpoenas to at least five people that morning in Portland, Seattle, and Olympia.
The FBI is mum about what alleged crimes prompted the bi-state searches and subpoenas; the search warrants are sealed, and this week’s grand jury hearing itself isn’t public. But Williams provided the Mercury with a redacted copy of the search warrant for his home, which shows the agents were looking for numerous items (including “anti-government or anarchist literature,” black clothing, and flags) that could be related to the federal crimes of destruction of government property and interstate travel with intent to riot.
Williams isn’t certain what the grand jury is investigating, specifically, but thinks he’s being called in to provide information against other activists.
“It’s related to political opposition, it’s related to political dissent,” says Williams. “They’re trying to create a wedge within people who are resisters. They’re specifically pursuing anarchists.”
The subpoenas and searches are likely related to an ongoing Seattle police investigation of this year’s May Day protests. While the protests included thousands of peaceful people, several individuals did smash windows at Nike, American Apparel, and the city’s federal courthouse. Seattle police have been trying for months to identify and prosecute suspects for that window smashing.
On July 10, Seattle police staged a raid very similar to Portland’s at an Occupy collective house in South Seattle, deploying a SWAT team that charged into the home, taking political pamphlets and black clothes. Seattle police say that raid was specifically gathering evidence about the “May Day Mayhem” protest and noted on their website at the time, “There may be more search warrants in the future.”
In some ways, the recent raids aren’t surprising. The investigation fits into the recent history of the feds prioritizing the pursuit of left wing activist groups. Starting in the late ’90s, the FBI has investigated environmentally driven property destruction as “eco-terrorism,” including the 1998 arson of a Vail, Colorado, resort for which four people associated with the Oregon-based Earth Liberation Front (ELF) were indicted. The following year’s counter terrorism report calls the arson of a Seattle Gap store “terrorism,” blaming the damage on “anarchists.” Weeks after the Gap-burning, the World Trade Organization protests stormed Seattle, and anarchists, along with “eco-terrorists,” replaced right-wing militiamen as the new domestic boogey men.
ELF is now mostly gone, thanks to several highly publicized trials that legally branded the group as terrorists. But this year, the FBI has pursued several big left-wing cases in the Midwest. Following the recent May Day protests, officers of JTTF arrested five self-proclaimed anarchists in Ohio plotting to blow up a bridge. As with Portland’s “Christmas Tree Bomber,” Mohamed Mohamud, the bureau provided faux bombs to the accused. On May 19, police working closely with the FBI arrested three anarchists in Chicago planning to blow up President Obama’s reelection headquarters.
Mayor Sam Adams’ office notes that JTTF officers involved in Portland’s raid were not working within Portland’s JTTF program, but came from some other jurisdiction. The program that mandates collaboration between the city’s police bureau and the FBI has been controversial this past year as city council weighed whether or not to join the task force. After working out an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union, city council unanimously agreed to rejoin the group in April 2011.
Whether the charges brought forward in the grand jury hearing in Seattle this week will be labeled terrorism or merely federally prosecutable window smashing remains to be seen.
In the meantime, the accused and their supporters are keeping their lips as tight as the FBI’s.
“I’m not going to cooperate with the grand jury,” says Williams. “They’re a method of intimidating people.”
I thought the ELF was mostly gone because people realized they were idiots.
Just shared on facebook and am encouraging others to do the same.
“Mayor Sam Adams’ office notes that JTTF officers involved in Portland’s raid were not working within Portland’s JTTF program, but came from some other jurisdiction.”
So is Adams saying that NO Portland officers were involved in any of these gestapo raids that took place last week in Portland? That JTTF authorities were/are NOT connected to Portland’s own JTTF program? If this is in fact so, then WHAT jurisdiction were the [raiding] officers from – besides FBI/federal?
how does anyone know exactly what is going on?
Goons with guns invade your house, take your stuff, you have no phone or computer, then tell you to meet up with them later. And it’s a secret meeting, that they can’t even acknowledge to the media is taking place.
Really though. that’s actually happening.
nobody should go to this. The grand jury is bullshit. Look at the huge stack of cards against them, the “defendants”, it’s a joke! Nobody knows what is being investigated, and the history of COINTELetc.etc. demonstrates Big Brother is out to destroy these kinds of people on whatever evidence they can find or fabricate — a fishing expedition. their hope is that if someone talks long enough they’ll find a crime to charge them with.
which brings me to my next thought … there are actually TWO police states: The one we know about, and the one we don’t know about. (and probably the other one we don’t know we don’t know about.) happy tinfoil thursday mofoz.
@Damosa – In case it wasn’t clear, I should clarify that Portland police officers were somewhat involved in the searches. Several officers blocked off traffic in the streets. But the FBI agents involved were from a non-Portland jurisdiction. Wish we could report more about what jurisdiction they are a part of, but we don’t know.
To me personally; the FBI seems to act like the real terrorists; they try to instill fear in people that are unhappy with the current establishment. Threaten them with grand juries; on charges that are secret; this unlimited power that the FBI/JTTF have is being exploited to the fullest; when unregulated bullies with weapons have unlimited power; they have absolutely been corrupted. They can’t be trusted; check your homes for bugs; if you ever get raided by the FBI/JTTF.
Fucking fascists!
^Everything you said and more!
And S. Mirk, thanks for clarifying.
Bike Smut had the good fortune to be back to back with this documentary about the ELF at a film festival in Lausanne, Switzerland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2uAKxbDoDA
It was balanced and informed and evoked ideas about the future of terrorism. Which to me seems more about keeping the money flowing and less about keeping citizens safe.
The Grand Jury is there for the protection of the accused and needs to hear of this abuse by Federal Agents.