RESISTANCE! Avoid Government Surveillance Of Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protest
Above all, don’t assist them in their illegal, immoral, traitorous job of betraying OUR Constitution. Resist ... Persist ... Don’t be complicit!
“Dictatorships are never as strong as they think they are, and the people are never as weak as they think they are.”
— Gene Sharp, “From Dictatorship To Democracy”
Photo by Mark Taylor / DeMOCKracy.ink
By Mark Taylor
DeMOCKracy.ink (4/26/25)
I’m going to begin by acknowledging I am no expert on the issue, but in the rapidly evolving AI amped-up surveillance state, few are. We are all in learning mode in the new fascist surveillance state and need to be discussing and sharing ways to be safe.
Throughout history, speaking out against tyranny and impetuous idiotic evil leaders is always risky, but remaining silent is a guaranteed loss of freedom, dignity and individuality — values the collapsing, walking-dead US corporate empire betrays daily.
If you are among the millions of fellow citizens peacefully taking to the streets to express your rightful (and legal) disdain of where this country is headed — or reaching a point of doing so — there are ways to resist or at least gum up illegal government surveillance and oppression.
If you haven't already, check out this previous post on Gene Sharp’s practical guide to resistance, “From Dictatorship To Democracy”.
The Wired video below has some good basic information to build from on how to evade and minimize intrusive government surveillance of peacefully exercising your First Amendment rights in the new genocidal Christo-fascist regime.
Practical self-protection can be as simple as going to a demonstration or march wearing sturdy lace-up shoes or boots instead of slip-on footwear in case you have to run. Carrying basic identification is a good idea, but if you have sensitive information like financial records or personal photos or contacts in your wallet leave that material at home.
Get it on video
One of the things that is important when going to a rally or protest is to charge up your phone and have it pre-set to video so that if something occurs you can quickly begin documenting whatever is happening. The importance of being ready to video was underscored at a street march I participated in during the early weeks of the US/Israel genocide in Gaza at St. Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.
I had decided to be at the very tail end of the march, where traffic was filing in behind the marchers. There was a fully bearded, tatted-up toddler boy on a big, noisy motorcycle who began nudging several young women carrying signs. He’d rev up the engine than push up against the young women. I got my phone out and shouted out, “Everybody, phones out! Video this idiot!”
Suddenly, there were a dozen phones being held up. I was about a dozen feet from him and called out to make sure he saw I was videoing him. The toddler looked confused, then flustered then intimidated and backed off and kept his distance.
I’m guessing he didn’t want his parole agent to see any of that video in his next court hearing.
Additionally, occasionally video the area and buildings surrounding a protest or march and counter demonstrators or vehicles (and their license plates) aggressively passing by in case some violence breaks out. You may inadvertently record information that could be essential evidence later. Such open recording may — like with the motorcycle toddler boy — dissuade violent action or intimidation.
A reader sent me a photo they took of a funky pair of goony little Nazis boy demonstrators against a protest march last weekend in Port Charlotte, Florida. Document the presence of such characters. If they see a dozen people videoing them they may be less likely to do anything violent.
Now, of course your phone also tracks you step-by-step, second-to-second and it may be wise to leave your phone at home. But the ability to video record is essential, especially if there are fascist harassers trying to stir up conflict.
You can find a wide range of small surveillance body cameras for less than $50. Here is one, but there are many others, even pen-sized cameras. Many of these cameras can continuously record for several hours. Obviously, if you can avoid ordering from Amazon, do so.
I recently bought a small Faraday bag, which blocks a cell phone from sending or receiving signals, which can be wise going to and from and even during a demonstration. The one I got doesn’t work. If anyone has recommendations on a reliable phone Faraday bag/container please leave a comment.
Run it through the shredder
Consider buying a paper shredder and spend a few extra dollars for a cross-cut model, which makes it nigh-on impossible for federal goons to reassemble documents. It’s wise to shred regular financial documents and records but — given the times — essential for anything involving your political or organizing activity or even mail or fundraisers from progressive groups. From the criminal days of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI on, illegally snatching household trash for intel gathering is a well-established tactic of federal thugs.
(Note, if you were to get arrested of indicted, destroying potential evidence could be a big problem. I am not an attorney, so under such circumstances don’t do anything with potential evidence without first talking to your attorney.)
Finally, when meeting with others to discuss or plan peaceful protests I strongly recommend everyone putting their phones and smart watches in a container outside wherever a meeting is taking place. I remember ten years ago attending a meeting where an indicted pipeline protester was meeting to discuss his case with local activists and we were all instructed to put our phones in a box outside the room. As surprising as that was to me then, that needs to be standard procedure now.
If a location for such an organizing meeting has been publicly announced, it is important to at least look around for surveillance equipment, though be aware many such devices are tiny. There are devices for ferreting out surveillance hardware, though I don’t know enough to make any recommendations.
Finally, link to the DeMOCKracy.ink website and scroll down the righthand column for links to the ACLU, the FIRE free speech organization and various other links regarding your free speech and Constitutional rights to peaceful protest.
None of this is being paranoid. It is being wise and prepared for the times as they are.
In this fascist state, assume you are being tracked and monitored. Don’t let that dissuade you from peacefully marching and speaking out to protect your Constitutional rights and rights of others, but be smart and careful. Above all, don’t assist them in any way in their illegal, immoral, traitorous job of betraying OUR Constitution.
Resist
Persist
Don’t be complicit!
25 Disturbing Devices Proven To Be Spying On You — WiFi can track you through walls. Your coffee maker knows when you wake up. And that mouse next to your computer? And you know how your grandma doesn’t trust Alexa? Well let’s just say she might’ve been right all along… Here are 5 disturbing devices proven to be spying on you — starting with everybody’s favorite digital assistant. Link to 20-minute video
How The Fascist Government Spies On Protesters — And How To Avoid It
Wired (4/16/25)
Law enforcement’s ability to track and profile political protesters has become increasingly multifaceted and technology driven. In this edition of Incognito Mode WIRED Senior Editor, Security & Investigations Andrew Couts and WIRED Senior Writer Lily Hay Newman discuss the technologies used by law enforcement that put citizens' privacy at risk—and how to avoid them.
25-minute video
Blocking Facial Recognition For Now — Today it's easy to recognize faces from camera footage taken in public. Whenever you leave the house, your movements can be tracked whenever a camera sees your face! Luckily, there are some ways to avoid this---at least for now. … Link to story
‘RED ALERT MOMENT” — 'Fascism Getting Turned Up' As Trump FBI Arrests Wisconsin County Judge
"The Trump [administration] has arrested a judge in Milwaukee. This is a red alert moment. We must all rise up against it."
— Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
[Editor’s Note: My bet is this arrest is a direct attack in response to Musk/trump’s recent embarrassing 10-point loss in the recent Wisconsin State Supreme Court race. Vengeance has no limits with baby-boy fascists. Time to stand up to the little bastards. — Mark Taylor]
By Brett Wilkins
Common Dreams (4/25/25)
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders led congressional progressives on Friday in condemning the Trump administration's arrest of a county judge in Wisconsin for allegedly helping an undocumented man evade capture by federal immigration agents.
FBI agents arrested 65-year-old Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, who faces felony charges of obstruction and concealing an individual, whom she is accused of giving refuge in her chambers as federal officers sought to arrest him.
Moving country toward authoritarianism
In a statement accusing President Donald Trump of "illegally usurping congressional powers," Sanders (I-Vt.) said: "Let's be clear. Trump's arrest of Judge Dugan in Milwaukee has nothing to do with immigration. It has everything to do with his moving this country toward authoritarianism."
"Trump continues to demonstrate that he does not believe in the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the rule of law."
"He is suing media that he dislikes. He is attacking universities whose policies he disagrees with. He is intimidating major law firms who have opposed him," Sanders continued. "He is ignoring a 9-0 Supreme Court decision to bring Kilmar Abrego García back from El Salvador, where he was illegally sent. He is threatening to impeach judges who rule against him."
"Trump's latest attack on the judiciary and Judge Dugan is about one thing—unchecked power," the senator asserted. "He will attack and undermine any institution that stands in his way. Trump continues to demonstrate that he does not believe in the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the rule of law. He simply wants more and more power for himself."
"It is time for my colleagues in the Republican Party who believe in the Constitution to stand up to his growing authoritarianism," Sanders added. [Fat chance. — MT]
Other progressive lawmakers also condemned Dugan's arrest, with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) calling this "a red alert moment" that we "all must rise against."
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said on the social media site X: "Judge Dugan's arrest is outrageous and a fear tactic to our independent judiciary. Trump has always thought he was above the law, but now he's enabling his goons to push that limit as far as it can go. His reckless deportations and flaunting of the Constitution will fail."
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said on social media that "arresting judges is the kind of crackdown you see in a police state."
"This is how dictators take power," Lee warned. "They manufacture crises, undermine our institutions, and erode our checks and balances. If they'll come for one, they'll come for all."
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said that "Trump's playbook is simple: punish anyone who stands in his way."
"This ain't law and order—it's a rise of authoritarianism in real time," she added.
Weaponizing federal law abuse
Accusing the Trump administration of a "shocking" willingness to "weaponize federal law enforcement," Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) contended that the FBI "coming into a community and arresting a judge is a serious matter" that would require a "high legal bar."
Moore added, "I am very alarmed at this increasingly lawless action of the Trump administration," including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has "been defying courts and acting with disregard for the Constitution."
Advocacy groups including Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR), and Milwaukee Turners led a Friday afternoon protest against Dugan's arrest outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
"To refer to this heinous attack as alarming would be an understatement," MAARPR said in a statement accusing FBI Director Kash Patel of "intentionally being public with his announcement and accusations" and "seeking to bypass Dugan's due process and label her as a criminal before she even has an opportunity to speak up."
"It's no coincidence that Patel and the FBI have acted this way when the agency has a long history of bypassing any due process," the group said. "They are seeking to send a clear message: Either you play along with Trump's agenda, or pay the consequences."
MAARPR continued:
During this period of racist and political repression, we must stand together to denounce today's actions by the FBI. What happened to Dugan is not new. The FBI and other agencies have been emboldened in recent months, snatching people off the streets, separating families, terrorizing communities, breaking doors down of pro-Palestine activists, and contributing to the unjust deportation of immigrants who don't have criminal records. What is new is that they have gone after a judge.
"The conditions we face are scary, but it will be the people united who can put an end to this terror by the FBI, ICE, and all other agencies committing such acts of injustice," the group added. "The people united will stand against Trump and his agenda."
Common Dreams work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
HIDDEN STORY OF ‘COP CITY’ REVEALED: Israel-Linked Billionaires Funded Police State Project
Breaking Points (4/20/25)
James Li discusses how Israeli linked billionaires funded Atlanta's cop city.
20-minute video
NATIONWIDE POLICE STATE: The Quiet Rollout Of Militarized Cop Cities Across The US Is About Control, Not Crime
At least seven cities, including Chicago and Baltimore, have allocated over $100 million to their Cop Cities — and many are meant to host international police training programs like the Israeli occupation forces. Activists and scholars have said that Cop Cities are replicated after Israel’s own Cop City, “Little Gaza,” where they “battle-test” violence against Palestinians. This would be an expansion of already existing police training exchange programs that many U.S. states and cities have with Israel.
By Victoria Valenzuela
Waging Nonviolence (9/9/24)
On June 11, a week after a police training facility in Richmond, California, broke ground, organizers from the Stop Cop City Bay Area Coalition marched to the Overaa Construction headquarters in protest. Citing concerns over rising police militarization and repression in the predominantly Black and Latino area, the protesters — joined by local residents — called on Overaa workers to boycott the $30 million construction deal.
“By furthering the militarizing and surveillance of our city — and coordinating law enforcement resources across the region, including ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] — they’re actually making our cities into Cop Cities,” said Refilwe Gqajela, a community organizer with the Anti Police-Terror Project in California’s Bay Area.
Gqajela said organizers in Northern California have been working to form the coalition since the facility was announced in August 2023. They’ve expressed their opposition at rallies and town halls, saying the money should instead be put into other programs that would benefit the community.
Of course, California isn’t the only state where Cop Cities are being built. The term first captured national attention in January 2023, when Manual “Tortugita” Teran was killed by police while protesting the Atlanta facility that’s displacing one of the largest urban forests.
The influx of these facilities parallels the emergence of the defund the police movement, which — following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 — saw thousands of people across the country mobilize to decry police violence against Black and brown communities. Within the last five years, there has been a quiet rollout of over 80 multi-million dollar Cop City-like facilities across the country.
As Cop Cities spread to nearly every state, grassroots activists are pushing back by forming coalitions that press for investment in communities over militarized policing.
This development is raising concerns with anti-police organizers, especially when it comes to the impact on marginalized communities and movements. There is now a facility in almost every state and — according to researcher and mutual aid organizer Renee Johnston — at least 10 states have multiple police compounds.
“This nonsense with ‘the training needs to improve’ has been on a slow incline,” Johnston said. “2020 marks that period where, if we’re looking at a graph, there would be a sharp uptick in how quickly they were going up.”
Groups like Stop Cop City Atlanta, Stop Cop City Dallas and Stop Cop City Bay Area have been fighting these new police facilities in their communities by way of canvassing, holding rallies, petitioning and more — similar to the effort in California.
At least seven cities, including Chicago and Baltimore, have allocated over $100 million to their Cop Cities — and many are meant to host international police training programs like the Israeli occupation forces. Activists and scholars have said that Cop Cities are replicated after Israel’s own Cop City, “Little Gaza,” where they “battle-test” violence against Palestinians. This would be an expansion of already existing police training exchange programs that many U.S. states and cities have with Israel.
“We’re told that police are here to serve and protect the public and they care about the community, but I just don’t think any of that is true,” Johnston said. “That’s why training doesn’t work, because there is no training that you can give that’s going to change the nature of a system.”
While Cop Cities have been rolled out largely under the radar, activists around the country have been vocal about their opposition. Many have decried the multi-million dollar allocations to policing and called on their local leaders to instead invest in resources needed by their communities.
Divestment from police, investment in communities
Tennessee lawmakers are throwing $415 million into their Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Training Academy, an 800-acre facility to be built in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood currently experiencing a housing crisis, extreme displacement and gentrification, according to Erica Perry, executive director of Nashville’s Southern Movement Committee.
“$415 million is a huge amount of money, especially in a state where we ranked low in health, literacy, education and housing,” Perry said. “That’s extremely frustrating because we know that money could be spent on things that would help people have healthy, thriving, safe lives.”
In response, the Southern Movement Committee began advocating for a proposed $10 million investment in the creation of an office of youth safety, community centers and alternatives to police in schools — programs they say the community actually needs. In June, $1 million of this budget was approved by Nashville City Council.
“We’re trying to approach our budget work in a way that addresses safety and creates alternative forms of safety that do not require cops, courts and cages,” said Southern Movement Committee Arts and Culture Director Mike Floss.
Activists in Chicago have shared similar concerns. In the years before the planning of its Cop Academy in 2017, the city had seen the closure of half its mental health clinics, as well as the then-largest sweep of school closings in U.S. history. Naturally, many residents were outraged when the new multi-million dollar police training facility was announced, especially considering the Chicago Police Department already had seven other training facilities in the area.
“Why is there suddenly this new investment available when we were told that the city was broke, when we were asking for investments in our own communities?” asked Benji Hart, an adult ally with the youth-led No Cop Academy Coalition.
Chicago’s Cop Academy came after the police-killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer in 2014. Not long after, youth organizers from the Stop Cop Academy campaign began spreading information by canvassing and passing out fliers, as well as leading more disruptive actions like taking over trains in large groups chanting, passing out flyers and talking to other passengers about the campaign. They also blocked city council building elevators. Eventually, they grew the effort into a coalition of over 100 local organizations.
“The initial thought was that there has to be a challenge to this narrative,” Hart said. “It can’t just be that the city announced it was going to build this thing. There needed to be some evidence of pushback and opposition to the construction, and calling for different funding priorities on the part of the city and for investments in community resources.”
For many organizers, the work is about making it known that crime isn’t the biggest threat — it’s houselessness, rising rents, food deserts and the myriad other issues plaguing communities competing for funds with Cop Cities.
“The safest communities in the United States are not the communities that are over policed,” said Kamau Franklin, a lead organizer with the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta. “They are the communities that have resources that benefit the young people in their communities, that give people outlets and make sure schools are satisfactory and building your mind. Those are the ways in which these resources could and should be used.”
Repression of movements
Within the last two and a half years, local activists have been leading the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta through canvassing, demonstrations, rallies, town halls and creating petitions that garnered over 116,000 signatures, growing the mobilization into a national conversation.
They’ve faced pushback from the other side. Dozens of Atlanta organizers have been jailed and charged with domestic terrorism and racketeering. According to Franklin, this a coordinated effort to criminalize activism and scare organizers. He said a large part of the facility will be built by the end of the year, even though a poll from 2023 indicated that 59 percent of residents don’t support it.
Over the last year, repressive policing has extended beyond Stop Cop City organizers to encompass Gaza solidarity student encampments as well. Tamera Hutcherson, an organizer with Stop Cop City Dallas, said the city council held secretive meetings and used vague language around “public safety” to get voters to support a proposition that gave $50 million to a police training facility. Soon after, Texas State Troopers raided a peaceful Gaza solidarity student encampment. …
SUPPRESSION: Journalist Richard Medhurst Shares Chilling Arrest Story
[Editor’s Note: You know a power regime understands it is actually rickety and has no real legitimacy among the people when it goes to such extremes to silence and punish a journalist like Richard Medhurst. The more such tactics happen, the greater their weakness. Like many German veterans after WW II, the cops and interrogators who now obediently carry out such abuse will eventually be seen as the weak little moral apparatchik goons they are and haunted by shame for their role in today’s fascist oppression. — M. Taylor]
System Update (4/24/25)
19-minute video
Zionism Is The Single Greatest Threat To Free Speech In The Western World Today
“This isn’t just about Gaza now. It’s not just about some strangers in the middle east. It’s about you. It’s about your rights. It’s about your right to tell the truth, even if the truth makes your leaders feel uncomfortable.
“Even if you are not a sufficiently moral and compassionate person to oppose a genocide on its own merit, at this point you should at least be opposing the erosion of your own personal liberties for your own sake.”
— Caitlin Johnstone: Zionism Is The Single Greatest Threat To Free Speech In The Western World Today: 5-minute audio
WHAT’S NEEDED NOW? Organized Defiance
“What’s needed now is not just understanding and outrage, but organized defiance. Education must be reclaimed as a vehicle of liberation, capable of producing critical, informed, and courageous citizens. This is not the time for silence or spectatorship. It is a time to act in defense of freedom, justice, equality, and the fragile dream of a democracy not yet fully realized.”
— Henry Giroux, The Politics Of Cleansing
Excellent and important piece of work Mark. I saw a copy of the letter sent to Patel by a host of judges …. Protesting the arrest of the judge … and actually referring to the Trump government as fascist. For me that was first, a body of learned people naming evil. It was heartening. We both filed a piece on Cop Cities over a year ago. We found the map locating the numerous cop cities in operation and those under construction. Three in Minnesota alone. What frightens me is that the cop cities mirror the prisons in Israel and Iran where people are taken and tortured every day by ‘police’. I fear they are the foundation of our very own concentration camps. Trump starts with El Salvador … it will move here quickly now. I’d like to emphasize again that Steven Miller is a dark, intelligent, racist and dangerous force. He is the Himmler to clown Trump. Himmler and Heydrich (Noem) murdered millions without a care. We aren’t up against rational people with conscience. We are facing sociopathic and psychopathic evil fanatics. There IS a place for spiritual protection when marching or protesting. The Gestapo had the skull on their hats… that skull ‘protected’ the SS and Gestapo and put fear into the hearts of millions. The golden Trump pin… the Nazi and fascist tattoos… all vibrate an evil that is real!!! If they had cute puppies tattooed on their necks and arms consider your response …. Vs skulls and blood. So, carry a blessed item… something to change the vibration around you. We are facing holistic evil…. Mark your daily posts and cartoons keep many of us motivated. Be safe old man.
Turns out the government(s) are not our friends 🤨