Democracy Is Not A Drug

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns DEA Protest Surveillance, Civil Rights Group Says "Democracy Is Not A Drug" [NEW YORK, NY, 06/03/2020] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned Attorney General William Barr for approving the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) covert surveillance of protesters. The authorization comes amid nationwide protests against police brutality that have been met with unprecedented force and surveillance by local, state, and federal law enforcement.   SEE: The DEA Has Been Given Permission To Investigate People Protesting George Floyd’s Death https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/george-floyd-police-brutality-protests-government   DOJ Grants Expanded Powers Allowing DEA to Monitor George Floyd Protesters https://www.newsweek.com/doj-grants-expanded-powers-allowing-dea-monitor-george-floyd-protesters-1508254   “Democracy is not a drug, and the DEA has no business spying on those exercising their First Amendment rights,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Rather than rolling out new and invasive spy tools, the Attorney General should be restoring the Federal policing oversight and consent decrees he has helped dismantle. Expanding the use of militarized surveillance will only put more Black Americans at risk of deadly police stops.”   The DEA’s surveillance authorization follows separate reports that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol flew an unarmed predator drone over at least one protest. Additionally, Trump Administration officials have discussed further forms of federal escalation, including deployment of active-duty military personnel. Feds flew an unarmed Predator drone over Minneapolis protests to provide “situational awareness” https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/29/21274828/drone-minneapolis-protests-predator-surveillance-police   Officials Discuss Return of Troops From Washington as Administration Mulls a Military Response https://www.wsj.com/articles/troops-await-orders-as-administration-mulls-a-military-response-11591183684  The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END –   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.