On the morning of Thursday, July 21st, our bookstore was visited by two individuals from the FBI who claimed to be concerned about right-wing threats against our co-operative. 🧵 1/10
One visitor provided a business card identifying himself as a special agent with the Charlotte Division's Asheville satellite office. and asked if we had received any threats (presumably, not including the presence of FBI agents). 2/10
They didn't ask any other questions about our collective or our community and we didn't provide any other information. 3/10
We retained an attorney through @NLGnews, an association of lawyers & legal workers best known for defending the rights of activists. We're sharing our experience in the hope that others, whether or not they consider themselves activists, will be prepared if an agent knocks. 4/10
Vague threats of right wing violence have become the standard opener for agents seeking to engage activists and their loved ones. This pretense of concern for our safety plays on our fears and can make us vulnerable to intelligence gathering & self-incrimination. 5/10
The FBI—an organization founded to disrupt organized labor & criminalize anarchists—is not part of our safety plan! From the assassination of Hampton to the repression of the George Floyd Uprising, the FBI always aligns itself with white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. 6/10
If you're approached by agents, get their info and tell them you'll have a lawyer follow up. Then end the conversation. It's a crime to lie to federal agents, even unintentionally, so it's safest to simply not speak further. 7/10
If you or a family member are approached by the FBI, call the @NLGnews Federal Defense Hotline at (212) 679-2811. 8/10 nlg.org/nlg-announces-…
Talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors, talk to your family—tell them not to talk to the FBI! #WeKeepUsSafe 9/10
We'll end this thread with resources that we think can help everyone understand and prepare for state repression. 10/?
"If An Agent Knocks" via @theCCR ccrjustice.org/if-agent-knock…
"Inside the FBI Entrapment Strategy" via @crimethinc cwc.im/entrapment
Digital Security 101, an hour long workshop we hosted earlier this year
"Doxcare: Prevention and Aftercare for Those Targeted by Doxxing and Political Harassment" via @crimethinc crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/dox…
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