[lbo-talk] FBI Harassment

JBrown72073 at cs.com JBrown72073 at cs.com
Thu Mar 3 12:14:58 PST 2005



>Unless they have a warrant or subpoena, you are under no obligation to
>answer any questions nor permit agents in your home. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND
>that you do not answer any questions from the FBI. They may-- as they did
>when they questioned my partner-- assure you that they are "not out to
>get you."

On the other hand, in my one experience with the FBI (late-'90s), if you refuse to answer their questions they may say that you must have something to hide and now they really suspect you're up to something. The agent went from good cop to bad cop in about 5 seconds.


>However, anything you tell them can be used against you or other
>activists in the future. Silence-- which is your right-- is your best
>policy. If the FBI comes with a warrant or subpoena, we strongly recommend
>you contact a lawyer immediately. We will be consulting with civil
>rights/civil liberties attorneys in the near future for more details.

And they can lie to you, legally, but you can't legally lie to them. Of course, you have a protected right to remain silent that goes right up to the point a judge orders you to talk, and then you still have a natural right to remain silent, at risk of jail, of course.

Also, brief any roomates to not let them inside, walk outside and close the door behind you. Make sure any warrants are really signed by a judge and actually have your address on them. Clerical errors, which may buy you time, are epidemic. I just got a notice to appear for an arrest in January and my address on it is wrong.

Jenny Brown



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