To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Time to Shut Down Fusion Centers!
Dear Member of Congress,
Fusion Centers imperil our privacy and civil liberties by spying on, harassing and criminalizing people based on their First Amendment protected activities. Even a bi-partisan Senate committee found that Fusion Centers waste money and produce “shoddy” intelligence. It’s time to shut Fusion Centers down.
Fusion Centers imperil our privacy and civil liberties by spying on, harassing and criminalizing people based on their First Amendment protected activities. Even a bi-partisan Senate committee found that Fusion Centers waste money and produce “shoddy” intelligence. It’s time to shut Fusion Centers down.
Why is this important?
Fusion Centers bring together federal, state and local police, the military and the private sector to share information about terrorist “threats.” But instead of fighting terrorism, they are harassing, spying on, and criminalizing people because they are actively working for a better, more just world. Whether you are advocating for safer communities, a cleaner environment, or a more accountable government, YOU are in the sights of a domestic security system that views YOUR activism as a potential terrorist threat.
Join us in calling on Congress to shut down Fusion Centers.
Fusion Centers are routinely violating basic privacy and free speech rights of Americans:
The Oklahoma Fusion Center partnered with the Keystone XL pipeline company TransCanada to profile anti-pipeline activists as terror threats. These peaceful students, ranch owners, and indigenous people who engaged in non-violent protest to defend their homes are now listed in government databases as terror threats!
In Boston, and around the country, Fusion Centers monitored the Occupy movement, keeping tabs on dangerous activities like “a food drive and ‘yoga, faith & spirituality’ classes.”
The Washington state Fusion Center partnered with the Army to infiltrate a local peace group and harass members when they tried to attend protests, and distributed “domestic terrorist” dossiers about some of the activists.
In Virginia, a Fusion Center Terror Threat Assessment warns that the state has Universities, which are “recognized as a radicalization node for almost every type of extremist group,” it further warns of a Girl Scout Troop conducting a voter registration drive, as well as the more classic “extremists” like Greenpeace and local environmental groups.
A Missouri Fusion Center had to retract its Threat report after warning local police to beware of cars bearing Ron Paul for President bumper stickers.
Even a bi-partisan Senate investigation found that Fusion Centers produce “shoddy” intelligence and endanger civil liberties and privacy. The investigation also found that no one knows how much money we’ve poured into them.
Bottomline: it’s time to shut Fusion Centers down.
Join us in calling on Congress to shut down Fusion Centers.
Fusion Centers are routinely violating basic privacy and free speech rights of Americans:
The Oklahoma Fusion Center partnered with the Keystone XL pipeline company TransCanada to profile anti-pipeline activists as terror threats. These peaceful students, ranch owners, and indigenous people who engaged in non-violent protest to defend their homes are now listed in government databases as terror threats!
In Boston, and around the country, Fusion Centers monitored the Occupy movement, keeping tabs on dangerous activities like “a food drive and ‘yoga, faith & spirituality’ classes.”
The Washington state Fusion Center partnered with the Army to infiltrate a local peace group and harass members when they tried to attend protests, and distributed “domestic terrorist” dossiers about some of the activists.
In Virginia, a Fusion Center Terror Threat Assessment warns that the state has Universities, which are “recognized as a radicalization node for almost every type of extremist group,” it further warns of a Girl Scout Troop conducting a voter registration drive, as well as the more classic “extremists” like Greenpeace and local environmental groups.
A Missouri Fusion Center had to retract its Threat report after warning local police to beware of cars bearing Ron Paul for President bumper stickers.
Even a bi-partisan Senate investigation found that Fusion Centers produce “shoddy” intelligence and endanger civil liberties and privacy. The investigation also found that no one knows how much money we’ve poured into them.
Bottomline: it’s time to shut Fusion Centers down.