This page archives New York Police Department intelligence documents that pertain to the policing of protest activity before and during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.
Documents Released May 16, 2007: An index of political groups mentioned in the documents is available here (PDF). http://www.nyclu.org/rncdocs/docs/rnc_docs_group_n...
These newly declassified documents are very revealing in regard to the investigative priorities and methods of intelligence organizations concerned with domestic dissent.
The documents reveal that the activities of nearly every anti-war group planning to be at the RNC, prominent celebrities, and even venues, such as St. Mark's Church, were under observation. If you look at the PDF above, you will note that St. Mark's Church is cited eight times in the report. And the information they have gathered, in many cases, appears to be based on direct observation.
In case anyone was wondering, the NYPD operates in direct cooperation with our nation's intelligence community. If they are working together to prevent terrorist attacks from happinging in the city, great! If they are cooperating to spy on peaceful citizens, not so great. And of course, the intelligence wing of the NYPD should not be seen as representing the entire force. Lot of good people on the force. People who also think that spying on dissenters is not acceptable. But these people can't go on the record publicly with these views.
I have now spoken to at least three police officers on the street, who told me, off the record, that they supported anti-war efforts, and in two cases, 9/11 truth. We need to keep in mind that people filling institutional roles may agree with us, as soon as they get home from work. We may feel sad that they are having to keep their mouths shut on the job, but we should not be oblivious to their silent support.