With its one-year anniversary looming, the Occupy Movement confirmed what it suspected from Day 1: It is under surveillance by the FBI.

Material obtained by the ACLU of Northern California through the Freedom of Information Act documents FBI coverage of Occupy Oakland events, strategy planning for continued surveillance and coordination with private security companies. A complete assessment of FBI activities was not possible because it refused to release most of the available material.

The FBI initially rejected the ACLU request for information, but after the organization filed a lawsuit, it handed over 13 pages of documents. However, it held back another 24 pages “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy, for example, information involving intelligence sources or methods.”

Nine of the pages concerned the subject of “civil unrest” and a November 2011 Occupy Oakland protest at the port, which lasted about two days, drew 3,000 people, disrupted maritime activities for about 14 hours and was relatively peaceful. Participants advocated for a variety of causes, including Wall Street reform, foreclosure relief, unemployment, local school closures and declining social services. 

One FBI report, assessing the first day’s activities, warned: “If this movement were to spread to the Port of Long Beach, the second busiest port in the United States, the disruption of port operations resulting in cargo reaching their required destinations late could have much more serious effects on the supply chain network in the United States.”

The reports also noted the presence of the “ ‘Black Bloc,’ who are believed to be black-masked anarchists whose actions included: vandalism of small businesses, setting fires in downtown Oakland, and physical clashes with the Oakland police. . . . Occupy Oakland spokesmen made statements denouncing this violence, claiming those who committed violent acts were not a part of Occupy Oakland or the Occupy Wall Street movement.”  

Occupy Wall Street began September 17, 2011.

–Ken Broder

To Learn More:

Documents Show FBI Monitored Bay Area Occupy Movement (by Matthew Artz, Oakland Tribune)

FOIA Documents Show FBI Was Watching Occupy Protestors, Some Docs Still Secret on National Security Grounds (by Linda Lye, ACLU of Northern California)

FBI Response to Freedom of Information Act Request (pdf)

Oakland Police Raid on Occupy Oakland Raises Serious Questions (by Linda Lye, ACLU of Northern California)

Oakland’s Port Shuts Down as Protesters March on Waterfront (by Malia Wollan, New York Times)

FBI Prepares Billion-Dollar Iris Recognition Database (by Matt Bewig, AllGov)