By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News (Colorado)
The American Civil Liberties Union contends that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is compiling its own “spy files” on peaceful protesters.
The ACLU charges that Denver police assigned to the unit are violating a 2003 agreement in which Denver promised to stop keeping files of surveillance information on individuals and groups who engage in peaceful political demonstrations.
Mark Silverstein, the ACLU’s legal director, and activists will present evidence of the violations at a news conference this morning.
The settlement agreement applies to no other government agency, and the question of whether Denver police officers who serve on the terrorism task force are bound by its rules remains unresolved.
During his election campaign, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and other candidates said that Denver rules against political monitoring would apply to all officers whether they are on the task force or not, Silverstein has said.
The ACLU sued the city in federal court in 2002 over the police surveillance files on political activists and organizations. The lawsuit contended that Denver police watched thousands of activities and protesters despite the fact that they never were implicated in criminal activity.
The files labeled as “criminal extremist” such organizations as the American Friends Service Committee.