Here are my observations. Bear in mind that they were made for an anarchist audience.
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Some thoughts on the released RNC police files
First of all, my appreciation goes out to all of the legal workers and activists who got this information released. It is very useful and illuminating.
I've gone through most of the docs and thought I'd share some observations.
* The docs indicate that the NYPD was engaged in a considerable amount of racist profiling during the month of the RNC events. The documents are filled with reports of "Middle Eastern" and "Arab" men being pulled over, detained and questioned for doing tourist stuff like taking pictures of buildings and structures and New York.
* The docs show that the activists who organized the 2004 RNC protests were incredibly organized. This is a real testimony to the unrealized potential of our movements.
* These files have to be just a small part of the actual NYPD files on activists, activist groups, and protests. Most of these documents are summaries of upcoming protest events. They are more or less the police equivalent of the various activist calendars that were published and distributed before the protests. These docs have some specific information about individual protesters and activist groups, but the police HAVE to have more information that they haven't divulged. The redacted stuff indicates that there is much more.
* The NYPD relied heavily on anouncements and postings to the NYC Indymedia website.
* The NYPD was obsessed with anarchists. In a way, it is flattering that they take us more seriously than other protest groups, but much of this attention can be attributed to the police mentality: they focus on the people most likely to break the law.
* These documents contain a very good, concise description of the black bloc tactic. This information could be adapted for flyers and online tutorials. The docs also contain useful information on other tactics. They also suggest that using the black bloc tactic should be considered carefully. The police are aware that we sometimes use the bloc as a diversionary tactic.
* The NYPD has a very simplistic understanding of anarchists and what our overall goals are. They focus on groups that sound like they will engage in illegal activities and they understand that anarchists engage in "direct action" (sic) in the streets, but they don't show any deeper understanding of the movement or our politics.
* This shallowness is illustrated in their focus on three main anarchist "leaders": Starhawk, Lisa Fithian, and Jaggi Singh. These three are leaders, of course, but the police focus on them seems to indicate that police still think of the anarchist movement in hierarchical terms. The police seem to have a formula to identify anarchist "leaders": Fame + Arrest Record = Anarchist Leader. Of course, Starhawk and Lisa are also being singled out because they overtly train people in how to break the law.
There is one interesting line that wasn't redacted which speculates that Fithian would avoid "mischief" because of concerns over her high profile.
* It is good to see evidence that activists are making proactive efforts to study police tactics and organization at protests. This was mentioned several times in these documents.
* It's pretty clear, both cited and by reading between the lines, that the FBI was seriously infiltrating and gathering information on the U.S. anarchist movement in 2004. The FBI visited anarchists in the Midwest about a month before the RNC protests. The released documents note that the FBI gathered information at an anarchist conference in Ohio. They also talk about the Crimethinc convergence in Des Moines, Iowa. We know that at least one of the FBI informants who attended that conference was the infamous "Anna."
It's interesting that the NYPD got information about activists in Richmond, VA who attended the RNC protests. It looks like the FBI passed along names, itineraries, and numbers to the NYPD. Two activists are even named. I would guess that the FBI was monitoring the Richmond anarchists and probably many others.
I should note that the Secret Service, JTTF and other federal agencies were probably monitoring anarchists around the country. The page goes on to identify NYC Indymedia as an "anarchist media group."
* One page is rather amusing, given the recent discussion about anarchists and Indymedia. The heading reads: "Anarchist News Media Credentials used to gain entry to restricted areas."
Chuck