As was first reported by Media Mouse back in July, the FBI has been investigating a number of activists regarding protests at the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC).
While the story received little attention in the corporate press when the visits first became known, in the past few days it has received considerable national attention, largely a result of an article in the New York Times detailing some of the surveillance which has promoted stories in many other newspapers. In addition, a group of congressional democrats has written a letter asking for a Justice Department investigation.
However, the extent of FBI activities are much greater than originally believed--a Democracy Now story today revealed that FBI agents have shown up at houses with photographs of residents claiming that the people they are interviewing could be "reasonably expected" to have knowledge of plans to disrupt the RNC. Meanwhile, the NYPD is currently "shadowing" 56 anarchists from around the country whom they believe may commit violence, assigning seven officers to each of the anarchists and while following them around 24 hours a day.
Previous Media Mouse RNC Updates:
