Snitch culture: historical examples and current proposals
"Homeboy was talking to the po-po, we had to let everybody that was a no-no, he thought he was on the low low, and was surprised when I hit him with the fou(4)-fou(4)" -Uncle Murda, "Bullet, Bullet"
With the growing wave of repression by the state towards direct action oriented struggles, radicals have been bombarded with the shameful concern of snitches and informants. In a struggle which is purely of choice and individual realization, as opposed to a rich cultural or family heritage, a valor dedication to one's community has been shamefully neglected by some. The following article provides a brief look into how radical communities of the past have approached traitors to the community, while at the same time proposing how more unique struggles can learn from it. It is an excerpt from the zine; "Got the Hollow Points for the Snitches".
To order a copy of this pamphlet, you can contact the email below: thegreenscare@gmail.com
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Green Scare Informant Darren Thurston Runs Computer Security Company
"If people such as members of the resist(dot)ca collective, Under the Volcano organizers and Megan Adam chose to maintain a friendship with Darren Thurston, that’s their own personal problem. Their inability to distinguish between the loyalty to their friend and loyalty to people whose lives have been damaged by their friend, should not stop the rest of us from preventing Thurston and his supporters from participating in activist or resistance activity, or jeopardizing wider resistance movements by allowing him continued access to activist social circles and organization, or to sensitive resources and infrastructure." Yep, couldn't have said it better. No cooperation!
-------
Hackbloc and Voice of the Voiceless offer extensive reports of Green Scare snitch Darren Thurston running his own computer security firm. His twitter feed hasn't updated since August 3rd. He goes by "rad_boy" and "hard_mac". Hackbloc says "Who needs good computer security when one of your friends will sell you down the river anyway?" and Voice of the Voiceless offers further analysis:
A warning to anyone who has received computer security services from someone going by hard_mac, or rad_boy: Your consultant was once working for the FBI, and may still be.
Thurston became an asset for the federal government in the Green Scare case after his arrest on arson charges for the 2001 torching by the Animal Liberation Front of a BLM wild horse holding barn in Susanville, California. In exchange for reduced charges, he implicated several others in serious arsons. Among them was Justin Solondz, who is serving a three year sentence in China on unrelated charges after being arrested there while a fugitive.
There is additional information about Thurston that may be of concern to activists. From Vancouver Anarchist Online Archive:
Friday, August 6, 2010
Walter Bond Speaks: His Brothers a Rat
from Infoshop News:
Informant Revealed: A.L.F. Suspect Set Up By His Brother
In his first written statement from jail, the accused A.L.F. "Lone Wolf" reveals new details about his case
In a new letter (excerpts posted below), the accused A.L.F. "Lone Wolf" Walter Bond addresses several lingering questions surrounding his case. Among them, the circumstances of his arrest, quotes made about him by "friends" to the media, and: the identity of the informant who set him up.
Bond sits in jail on arson and Animal Enterprise Terrorism charges, accused of being the Animal Liberation Front "Lone Wolf", responsible for three arsons at animal abuse targets in Utah and Colorado. To date, Bond has been charged only in the Denver Sheepskin Factory arson. He faces up to 30 years in prison.
The informant
Walter Bond was arrested after what court documents say was a set-up by a friend. The "friend" allegedly enticed Bond into a monitored conversation in which Bond allegedly admitted to three A.L.F. arsons. The entire set-up was orchestrated by the ATF. The informant had been identified to date only as someone Bond had not seen in 12 years. In his letter from jail, Bond reveals the identity of the informant, and other details of his arrest.
Excerpts from Walter Bond's jail statement
The details surrounding his arrest:
"The day of my arrest I was on my way to see my brother. We hadnt' seen each other for 12 years, and he had told me that he was coming to Denver to help our half-brother [name redacted] move. He had told me that he was bringing my nephews I had never met. I left [location redacted] thinking I was going to begin healing the very deep wounds of my shattered family. I was wrong. My brother [name redacted] had been working for the ATF since July 1st.
On my way to the hotel he was at, the police stopped me because I was on a 'bulletin'. They quesioned me mostly about veganism, and my tattoos. I refused to say anything except 'I have nothing to say'. They searched me and let me go. I later realized I was only released so that I could walk down the street and into an ATF set-up."
On statements made to the media by "friends" (referencing negative statements made about Bond to the media):
"I found out from a visitor today that Billy Jo has been spinning fanciful tales about me. First off, I was not at her house. Next, I am vegan as everyone that has ever met or known me can attest. I was not at a BBQ nor was I even at Jim and Billy Jo's house. I was simply arrested on their front lawn. In two years time I have spoken to Billy Jo a grand total of perhaps two-dozen sentences.... My guess is that given her shady nature the ATF scared her into trying to discredit me. Altogether predictable and honestly of little consequence to me. Those who know me know what I stand for."
On vegan food and support:
"I am being fed a vegan diet and of course the food is less than desirable. I have no money on my books and I can really use some for ramen noodles, envelopes, etc. Other than money and letters of support I don't need anything from the outside."
On animal liberation:
"Obviously I can not talk about my ongoing case / cases, but I will say this: the charges I face are serious. Accordingly so is the time that goes along with them. However nothing they can do to me can ever compare with what animals endure at the hands of speciesist human oppressors. Please use any means at your disposal to use whatever [illegigble] surrounding my case to bring awareness to the plight of animals. I am vegan and an animal liberation activist, and shall never relent in the fight for the total freedom of non-human animals."
Support
After being denied bail, Walter Bond will likely remain in Jefferson County Jail (Golden, CO) until his trial. Write Walter Bond a letter of support:
Walter Edmund Bond
PO Box 16700
Golden, CO 80402-6700
- Peter Young
Informant Revealed: A.L.F. Suspect Set Up By His Brother
In his first written statement from jail, the accused A.L.F. "Lone Wolf" reveals new details about his case
In a new letter (excerpts posted below), the accused A.L.F. "Lone Wolf" Walter Bond addresses several lingering questions surrounding his case. Among them, the circumstances of his arrest, quotes made about him by "friends" to the media, and: the identity of the informant who set him up.
Bond sits in jail on arson and Animal Enterprise Terrorism charges, accused of being the Animal Liberation Front "Lone Wolf", responsible for three arsons at animal abuse targets in Utah and Colorado. To date, Bond has been charged only in the Denver Sheepskin Factory arson. He faces up to 30 years in prison.
The informant
Walter Bond was arrested after what court documents say was a set-up by a friend. The "friend" allegedly enticed Bond into a monitored conversation in which Bond allegedly admitted to three A.L.F. arsons. The entire set-up was orchestrated by the ATF. The informant had been identified to date only as someone Bond had not seen in 12 years. In his letter from jail, Bond reveals the identity of the informant, and other details of his arrest.
Excerpts from Walter Bond's jail statement
The details surrounding his arrest:
"The day of my arrest I was on my way to see my brother. We hadnt' seen each other for 12 years, and he had told me that he was coming to Denver to help our half-brother [name redacted] move. He had told me that he was bringing my nephews I had never met. I left [location redacted] thinking I was going to begin healing the very deep wounds of my shattered family. I was wrong. My brother [name redacted] had been working for the ATF since July 1st.
On my way to the hotel he was at, the police stopped me because I was on a 'bulletin'. They quesioned me mostly about veganism, and my tattoos. I refused to say anything except 'I have nothing to say'. They searched me and let me go. I later realized I was only released so that I could walk down the street and into an ATF set-up."
On statements made to the media by "friends" (referencing negative statements made about Bond to the media):
"I found out from a visitor today that Billy Jo has been spinning fanciful tales about me. First off, I was not at her house. Next, I am vegan as everyone that has ever met or known me can attest. I was not at a BBQ nor was I even at Jim and Billy Jo's house. I was simply arrested on their front lawn. In two years time I have spoken to Billy Jo a grand total of perhaps two-dozen sentences.... My guess is that given her shady nature the ATF scared her into trying to discredit me. Altogether predictable and honestly of little consequence to me. Those who know me know what I stand for."
On vegan food and support:
"I am being fed a vegan diet and of course the food is less than desirable. I have no money on my books and I can really use some for ramen noodles, envelopes, etc. Other than money and letters of support I don't need anything from the outside."
On animal liberation:
"Obviously I can not talk about my ongoing case / cases, but I will say this: the charges I face are serious. Accordingly so is the time that goes along with them. However nothing they can do to me can ever compare with what animals endure at the hands of speciesist human oppressors. Please use any means at your disposal to use whatever [illegigble] surrounding my case to bring awareness to the plight of animals. I am vegan and an animal liberation activist, and shall never relent in the fight for the total freedom of non-human animals."
Support
After being denied bail, Walter Bond will likely remain in Jefferson County Jail (Golden, CO) until his trial. Write Walter Bond a letter of support:
Walter Edmund Bond
PO Box 16700
Golden, CO 80402-6700
- Peter Young
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Concerning Potential Infiltration in Canada: "Khalid Mohammed"
Received anonymously, linked to the Brenda Doughtry case:
a couple pics of so called Khalid Mohammed are attached. they are at a anti-olmypic torch demonstration on the Haldimand tract in the city of kitchener. one of them was in the toronto star.
so-called Khalid claimed to be 35, hailing originally from Kenya, and had a basically unlived-in apartmentin Guelph. he infiltrated or tried to infiltrate numerous actions and groups over his time in the region. He appeared at the Hanlon Creek Business Park land protection in the summer of 2009 but was not trusted by the entire camp, and he was eventually blocked from the site through the identification of a need offsite for a "dedicated" person. in an earlier attempt to infiltrate a group in guelph, he was asked to stop attending meetings as he was discussing and advancing a policy of property destruction - this was a group which had a mission to educate on the issue.
so-called Khalid always drove a large white van which he claimed to be related to his job as a superintendent for buildings around southern ontario. He offered it up whenever he could, whether for an action or to drive somebody home, or drive their younger siblings home, or someones mom, or grandfather. He always offered up his van to pick up alcohol as well, and had a limit for actions set at not being convicted; for then his "mother may not get status in Canada". He could not drive on weekends as those are days he saw his daughter who lives with her mother in Brampton. He had only a couple stories of his daughter that he would share. A seemingly helpful and engaged person. though this changed as time went on, and the g20 approached and the weekend restrictions on driving was over. he had all sorts of pins on the ceiling of his van - antifa, communist, anti-olympic, be the change, etc.
in Kitchener so-called Khalid never wanted to speak of internal issues or group process issues in the communities he infiltrated, just on action planning. what is more obvious now is that he never offered up any solid suggestions. or any relevant criticisms, just facilitated the continuing of action planning through soft questions, volunteering to help (usually drive or pay for gas, food, beer, etc) and consenting to proposals. he also did not speak of or propose property destruction - an uncommunicated change of tactics from the earlier guelph experience. he kept all his receipts. he gave people gifts from his hometown.
"From: The Coalition to see that the G20 infiltrators go fuck themselves
right in their own ears, until the process of self-termination is
completed! (TCTSTG20IGFTRITOE,UTPOS-TIC)
--------
so-called Khalid claimed to be 35, hailing originally from Kenya, and had a basically unlived-in apartmentin Guelph. he infiltrated or tried to infiltrate numerous actions and groups over his time in the region. He appeared at the Hanlon Creek Business Park land protection in the summer of 2009 but was not trusted by the entire camp, and he was eventually blocked from the site through the identification of a need offsite for a "dedicated" person. in an earlier attempt to infiltrate a group in guelph, he was asked to stop attending meetings as he was discussing and advancing a policy of property destruction - this was a group which had a mission to educate on the issue.
so-called Khalid always drove a large white van which he claimed to be related to his job as a superintendent for buildings around southern ontario. He offered it up whenever he could, whether for an action or to drive somebody home, or drive their younger siblings home, or someones mom, or grandfather. He always offered up his van to pick up alcohol as well, and had a limit for actions set at not being convicted; for then his "mother may not get status in Canada". He could not drive on weekends as those are days he saw his daughter who lives with her mother in Brampton. He had only a couple stories of his daughter that he would share. A seemingly helpful and engaged person. though this changed as time went on, and the g20 approached and the weekend restrictions on driving was over. he had all sorts of pins on the ceiling of his van - antifa, communist, anti-olympic, be the change, etc.
in Kitchener so-called Khalid never wanted to speak of internal issues or group process issues in the communities he infiltrated, just on action planning. what is more obvious now is that he never offered up any solid suggestions. or any relevant criticisms, just facilitated the continuing of action planning through soft questions, volunteering to help (usually drive or pay for gas, food, beer, etc) and consenting to proposals. he also did not speak of or propose property destruction - an uncommunicated change of tactics from the earlier guelph experience. he kept all his receipts. he gave people gifts from his hometown.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Police Infiltrate Anarchists and Activists (Guelph, Kitchener, Toronto)
UPDATE: We obtained photos of Brenda.
via Anarchist News dot Org:
"From April 2009 until July 2010, two undercover police officers infiltrated activist groups in Guelph, Kitchener and Toronto, Ontario. They are members of the “Joint Intelligence Group (JIG)” that focuses on extremism and terrorism. Its specific mandate has been for the Vancouver Olympics and Torch Relay, and the G8/G20 summits. It is an RCMP (National Police) led group that includes police forces collaborating from across Southern Ontario including Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Barrie, Kitchener/Waterloo and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The names the two undercover intelligence police officers used were “Brenda Dougherty” and “Khalid Mohammad”*.
Brenda Dougherty = Filthy Rat Goof Pig
“Brenda” is in her early 40’s, white, 5’3” tall, with short white and blonde hair, glasses, and an English accent and a Canadian flag tattoo (on her back?). Her story was that she had a job with flexible hours as a home caretaker. She said she was born in Victoria, Canada and lived in England for most of her childhood and adult life. She said that she moved back because she was in an abusive relationship/marriage. She said she moved to Guelph because she had a friend who could get her a job here. She also said that she got accepted to the university of Guelph and began doing part time courses. She said she didn’t talk to her family. Her apartment appeared pre-furnished, and didn’t really look lived-in. She occasionally appeared at events with her “boyfriend”, “John”, a 5’7 or 5’8 beefy native dude with brown hair who wore sunglasses and a hat. He had a US Marine Corps tattoo on one of his biceps that read USMC and had numbers under it.
via Anarchist News dot Org:
"From April 2009 until July 2010, two undercover police officers infiltrated activist groups in Guelph, Kitchener and Toronto, Ontario. They are members of the “Joint Intelligence Group (JIG)” that focuses on extremism and terrorism. Its specific mandate has been for the Vancouver Olympics and Torch Relay, and the G8/G20 summits. It is an RCMP (National Police) led group that includes police forces collaborating from across Southern Ontario including Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Barrie, Kitchener/Waterloo and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The names the two undercover intelligence police officers used were “Brenda Dougherty” and “Khalid Mohammad”*.
Brenda Dougherty = Filthy Rat Goof Pig
“Brenda” is in her early 40’s, white, 5’3” tall, with short white and blonde hair, glasses, and an English accent and a Canadian flag tattoo (on her back?). Her story was that she had a job with flexible hours as a home caretaker. She said she was born in Victoria, Canada and lived in England for most of her childhood and adult life. She said that she moved back because she was in an abusive relationship/marriage. She said she moved to Guelph because she had a friend who could get her a job here. She also said that she got accepted to the university of Guelph and began doing part time courses. She said she didn’t talk to her family. Her apartment appeared pre-furnished, and didn’t really look lived-in. She occasionally appeared at events with her “boyfriend”, “John”, a 5’7 or 5’8 beefy native dude with brown hair who wore sunglasses and a hat. He had a US Marine Corps tattoo on one of his biceps that read USMC and had numbers under it.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Utah Man Arrested in Connection With String of ALF Arsons After Opening Mouth to Informant
Comrades at Denver's leader in news on the insurrection, 'Til it Breaks, report from the Denver Post:
(TIB preamble, SnitchWire couldn't agree more): While we have strong opinions about the events surrounding the April 30th arson and the ALF operative’s claiming of it, we are going to refrain from commentary on questions of ideology and tactical decisions. Suffice to say, we hope the informant gets what’s coming to them, and may the fires of revolt burn ever more fiercely.
The following is from the Denver fucking Post:
Federal investigators have arrested a 34-year-old Utah man in connection with the April 30 fire that destroyed the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale.
Walter Edmund Bond was taken into custody Thursday in Denver after allegedly telling an informant that he started the Glendale fire and two fires in Utah because they were businesses that “profited from animals.”
At the time of his arrest by FBI and ATF agents, Bond was carrying a backpack, according to an affidavit by Rennie Mora, a special agent for the ATF.
Agents searched the backpack and found literature titled, “The Declaration of War – Killing People to Save the animals and the Environment – Strike a Match Light a Fuse We’ve Only Have the Earth to Lose.”
According to an affidavit, Bond is a member of the Animal Liberation Movement who went by the name “Lone Wolf.”
The Sheepskin Factory sold a variety of sheepskin products including but not limited to seat covers, shoes, rugs, and blankets. The fire destroyed the building and its contents resulting in approximately $500,000 in damage.
The informant told federal investigators that in early July, Bond contacted the informant by phone and that he admitted he had started the Sheepskin Factory fire, directing the informant to the website of the Animal Liberation Movement.
(TIB preamble, SnitchWire couldn't agree more): While we have strong opinions about the events surrounding the April 30th arson and the ALF operative’s claiming of it, we are going to refrain from commentary on questions of ideology and tactical decisions. Suffice to say, we hope the informant gets what’s coming to them, and may the fires of revolt burn ever more fiercely.
The following is from the Denver fucking Post:
Federal investigators have arrested a 34-year-old Utah man in connection with the April 30 fire that destroyed the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale.
Walter Edmund Bond was taken into custody Thursday in Denver after allegedly telling an informant that he started the Glendale fire and two fires in Utah because they were businesses that “profited from animals.”
At the time of his arrest by FBI and ATF agents, Bond was carrying a backpack, according to an affidavit by Rennie Mora, a special agent for the ATF.
Agents searched the backpack and found literature titled, “The Declaration of War – Killing People to Save the animals and the Environment – Strike a Match Light a Fuse We’ve Only Have the Earth to Lose.”
According to an affidavit, Bond is a member of the Animal Liberation Movement who went by the name “Lone Wolf.”
The Sheepskin Factory sold a variety of sheepskin products including but not limited to seat covers, shoes, rugs, and blankets. The fire destroyed the building and its contents resulting in approximately $500,000 in damage.
The informant told federal investigators that in early July, Bond contacted the informant by phone and that he admitted he had started the Sheepskin Factory fire, directing the informant to the website of the Animal Liberation Movement.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jeremy Hammond: A Statement from Hackbloc
UPDATE: Jeremy has replied to this post in three parts below.
via HackBloc
Throughout the past few years our association with Jeremy has caused some controversy. Every time we release a new issue of Hack This Zine or announce an event of ours, somebody is there to ask us why our zine is "edited by a known snitch" or how we can tout security culture while still associating with Jeremy.
We support the anarchist community and resist systems of oppression like the state, police and snitch culture. To this end we would like to explain the situation as we currently understand it (partially quoted from communications with other folk) and make clear our plans of dealing with these accusations.
Jeremy was a member of Hack This Site, a Hackbloc-like project. We worked with Jeremy on a lot of projects including Hack This Zine (the first few issues were written entirely by them). Jeremy also worked very closely with Hackbloc during the first few years and without his help early on we certainly wouldn't be where we are today.
In Chicago on June 27, 2004 there was an anarchist bloc in the Gay Pride Parade. When the anarchist bloc reached the parade there was a violent clash between homophobes and the anarchist bloc. Three people were immediately arrested from the anarchist bloc, one of (Halstead 3) them was Jeremy. Someone associated with Chicago Indymedia videotaped the clash. In December 2004 the tape, which Jeremy was tasked with destroying, was given to the lawyers representing the Halsted 3. Nobody else was charged with a crime after the tape was given to the lawyers and the charges the Halsted 3 were facing were not changed after the tape was given to the lawyers at the CAN meeting in January 2005 Jeremy was first accused of snitching. There was not consensus regarding this at the meeting which created conflict at the Crimethinc convergence that year where some members supporting Jeremy were tabling HTZ.
On March 17, 2005, Hammond's apartment in Chicago was raided by FBI agents who seized his computers, written records and various electronic media. He was eventually arrested and charged with felony-level offenses relating to computer hacking and credit card fraud, arising from the 2004 intrusion into the website belonging to the activist group Protest Warrior.
As far as we know Jeremy was the only one arrested resulting from this raid. There is no evidence showing that any credentials that may have been stolen from him by the police in that raid were used to prosecute anyone other them himself.
While engaging in direct action, being identified, raided, and or charged is always a possibility one has to realize and make preparations for. If a person home is raided there is the possibility that evidence that leads to the arrest/investigation of other activists will be found. As a part of consent, each person living at an at risk house or working with others should be made aware of and understand the risk. Like wise with those who are tasked with maintaining tech infrastructure for radical communities should make sure they have mechanisms in place to protect the data of those they are supporting. If the safety of others is affected as a result of such a raid we would consider it a breach of security culture. However, in that scenario we don't see the person as willingly malicious. And that person certainly does not deserve to be lumped in the same category as Anna [2], Brandon Darby [3], or Adrian Lamo [4]. Such a situation should be carefully dissected to see where things went wrong, hold those accountable, and be available to others so as to prevent future mistakes of that nature.
We have been attempting to contact those involved with the group and others who have made claims about Jeremy being a snitch. We are interested in finding out what their story is and if there is anyway we can support an accountability process. Hackbloc's plan is to be transparent about this process and provide documentation detailing our involvement. Hackbloc wants to help support the needs and demands of victims of consent violation and snitch culture. We are dedicated to looking into the accusations made against us.
We had a number of question that we hoped would have been answered by the time this issue went to press, but it turns out this is hard work and it has been difficult to get a hold of folk. We are dedicated to continuing research and documenting this process because of our involvement with Jeremy in the past and because we understand that alternative justice systems handled by our own communities is important for the sustainability of the anarchist movement. To this end we will continue to post our updates on this issue at:
https://hackbloc.org/category/tags/accountability.
Solidarity,
Hackbloc Collective
PS. There is currently a group in Portland that is attempting to document different alternative justice systems of radical communities if you have been apart of an accountability process they would love to hear from you and find out what worked and what didn't. They are especially available to hear from folk who do not feel comfortable talking with members of Hackbloc about issues they have had with Jeremy. The group can be reached at altjustice@gmail.com.
Accountability process notes:
2010-07-03
- Received a big picture perspective� from a third-party.
2010-06-29
- received a response from questions surrounding the nature of the raid on Jeremy's house on 2005-03-17. Received good analysis on consent and security culture as related to computer security.
2010-06-27
- discussed the situation around the raid and Jeremy's earlier arrest with persons that are currently working with Jeremy and in the past had worked with Jeremy. These persons have performed their own analysis of all of the facts and have determined that they do not believe that Jeremy is or was at any point a snitch.
2010-06-18
- Was contacted by a former member of CAN (Chicagoland Anarchist Network) who
gave their perspective on the events that happened with the videotape of the
Halstead 3. Individual provided good background for what happened. Wrote back
asking for more information about what if any accountability process has taken
place.
2010-06-02
- Wrote letter with more questions about the accusations and asking for more contacts related to the accusations.
- Wrote 5 contacts asking them to talk about their experiences with this case.
2010-06-01
- finished reading through legal paperwork relevant to the Halstead 3 cases.
2010-05-29
- received printed copies of legal paperwork relevant to the Halstead 3 case.
2010-04-29
- talked with folk about the situation and got contact information for a number of folks who could speak to the accusations of being a snitch.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Hammond
[2] Confidential Source (Informant) Anna as relating to the arrest of Eric McDavid, Zachary Jensen and Lauren Weiner: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/01/332735.shtml
[3] Brandon Darby (agent provocateur) as related to the arrest of David Guy McKay and Bradley Neal Crowder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Darby
[4] Adrian Lamo (Informant) as related to the arrest of Bradley Manning: https://hackbloc.org/node/2123
via HackBloc
Throughout the past few years our association with Jeremy has caused some controversy. Every time we release a new issue of Hack This Zine or announce an event of ours, somebody is there to ask us why our zine is "edited by a known snitch" or how we can tout security culture while still associating with Jeremy.
We support the anarchist community and resist systems of oppression like the state, police and snitch culture. To this end we would like to explain the situation as we currently understand it (partially quoted from communications with other folk) and make clear our plans of dealing with these accusations.
Jeremy was a member of Hack This Site, a Hackbloc-like project. We worked with Jeremy on a lot of projects including Hack This Zine (the first few issues were written entirely by them). Jeremy also worked very closely with Hackbloc during the first few years and without his help early on we certainly wouldn't be where we are today.
In Chicago on June 27, 2004 there was an anarchist bloc in the Gay Pride Parade. When the anarchist bloc reached the parade there was a violent clash between homophobes and the anarchist bloc. Three people were immediately arrested from the anarchist bloc, one of (Halstead 3) them was Jeremy. Someone associated with Chicago Indymedia videotaped the clash. In December 2004 the tape, which Jeremy was tasked with destroying, was given to the lawyers representing the Halsted 3. Nobody else was charged with a crime after the tape was given to the lawyers and the charges the Halsted 3 were facing were not changed after the tape was given to the lawyers at the CAN meeting in January 2005 Jeremy was first accused of snitching. There was not consensus regarding this at the meeting which created conflict at the Crimethinc convergence that year where some members supporting Jeremy were tabling HTZ.
On March 17, 2005, Hammond's apartment in Chicago was raided by FBI agents who seized his computers, written records and various electronic media. He was eventually arrested and charged with felony-level offenses relating to computer hacking and credit card fraud, arising from the 2004 intrusion into the website belonging to the activist group Protest Warrior.
As far as we know Jeremy was the only one arrested resulting from this raid. There is no evidence showing that any credentials that may have been stolen from him by the police in that raid were used to prosecute anyone other them himself.
While engaging in direct action, being identified, raided, and or charged is always a possibility one has to realize and make preparations for. If a person home is raided there is the possibility that evidence that leads to the arrest/investigation of other activists will be found. As a part of consent, each person living at an at risk house or working with others should be made aware of and understand the risk. Like wise with those who are tasked with maintaining tech infrastructure for radical communities should make sure they have mechanisms in place to protect the data of those they are supporting. If the safety of others is affected as a result of such a raid we would consider it a breach of security culture. However, in that scenario we don't see the person as willingly malicious. And that person certainly does not deserve to be lumped in the same category as Anna [2], Brandon Darby [3], or Adrian Lamo [4]. Such a situation should be carefully dissected to see where things went wrong, hold those accountable, and be available to others so as to prevent future mistakes of that nature.
We have been attempting to contact those involved with the group and others who have made claims about Jeremy being a snitch. We are interested in finding out what their story is and if there is anyway we can support an accountability process. Hackbloc's plan is to be transparent about this process and provide documentation detailing our involvement. Hackbloc wants to help support the needs and demands of victims of consent violation and snitch culture. We are dedicated to looking into the accusations made against us.
We had a number of question that we hoped would have been answered by the time this issue went to press, but it turns out this is hard work and it has been difficult to get a hold of folk. We are dedicated to continuing research and documenting this process because of our involvement with Jeremy in the past and because we understand that alternative justice systems handled by our own communities is important for the sustainability of the anarchist movement. To this end we will continue to post our updates on this issue at:
https://hackbloc.org/category/tags/accountability.
Solidarity,
Hackbloc Collective
PS. There is currently a group in Portland that is attempting to document different alternative justice systems of radical communities if you have been apart of an accountability process they would love to hear from you and find out what worked and what didn't. They are especially available to hear from folk who do not feel comfortable talking with members of Hackbloc about issues they have had with Jeremy. The group can be reached at altjustice@gmail.com.
Accountability process notes:
2010-07-03
- Received a big picture perspective� from a third-party.
2010-06-29
- received a response from questions surrounding the nature of the raid on Jeremy's house on 2005-03-17. Received good analysis on consent and security culture as related to computer security.
2010-06-27
- discussed the situation around the raid and Jeremy's earlier arrest with persons that are currently working with Jeremy and in the past had worked with Jeremy. These persons have performed their own analysis of all of the facts and have determined that they do not believe that Jeremy is or was at any point a snitch.
2010-06-18
- Was contacted by a former member of CAN (Chicagoland Anarchist Network) who
gave their perspective on the events that happened with the videotape of the
Halstead 3. Individual provided good background for what happened. Wrote back
asking for more information about what if any accountability process has taken
place.
2010-06-02
- Wrote letter with more questions about the accusations and asking for more contacts related to the accusations.
- Wrote 5 contacts asking them to talk about their experiences with this case.
2010-06-01
- finished reading through legal paperwork relevant to the Halstead 3 cases.
2010-05-29
- received printed copies of legal paperwork relevant to the Halstead 3 case.
2010-04-29
- talked with folk about the situation and got contact information for a number of folks who could speak to the accusations of being a snitch.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Hammond
[2] Confidential Source (Informant) Anna as relating to the arrest of Eric McDavid, Zachary Jensen and Lauren Weiner: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/01/332735.shtml
[3] Brandon Darby (agent provocateur) as related to the arrest of David Guy McKay and Bradley Neal Crowder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Darby
[4] Adrian Lamo (Informant) as related to the arrest of Bradley Manning: https://hackbloc.org/node/2123
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