Rozendaal was arrested by the New Jersey State Police and, according to an arrest report viewed by The Intercept, charged with one count of obstructing law enforcement. The charge was minor — but a week later, things took a strange turn when Rozendaal received a call from the FBI.
“The agent said, ‘We’re calling because you were arrested at Delaney Hall,’” Rozendaal told The Intercept. (The FBI declined to comment.)
In the following minutes, Rozendaal said the agents asked if he would be willing to provide the FBI with information on protesters that they described as “anybody planning to go to Delaney Hall with not the right intentions.”
“So, I mean, they were asking me to inform,” Rozendaal said.
Rozendaal is not the only Delaney Hall protester to receive a call from the FBI.
In the weeks since arrests began stacking up at the protests — approximately 90 people have been arrested so far — at least half of those taken into custody have received calls from federal agents looking for information, according to Benjamin Van Meter, a deputy public defender with the Essex County Public Defender’s Office who represents a number of protesters facing charges
That is a wonderful plan and absolutely worth the risks, but just so everyone knows what those risks are:
Refusing to be an informant is legal.
Being an informant is (usually) legal.
Be careful sending disinformation as an informant because they could try to charge you with obstruction of justice and making false reports to law enforcement, although given how unlawful the ICE is you could probably get away with claiming entrapment. These dudes work more for private prison industry than the US Government, putting people in their work camps is the whole goal.
EDIT: Oh, here is an idea, have another person send you the false information via text or email, then when you provide that disinformation to the fuzz it is totally legal: you didn't lie and the person who did lied to you not the fuzz.
But you're just passing information that you come across. It's the agency and agents that decide to act on it.
Then again, how long do you want to spend in jail to eventually win your trial? How much can you afford for bail? And a good lawyer? Will you get fired from your job?
That's how the state terrorizes us into compliance.
You can't afford to be disobedient if it costs you a job, or health insurance.
Have a friend email you shit post plans for deniability, so you can say it was "to the best of your knowledge" all real
So like… how are they going to deal with the fact that more than a few people would probably take them up on it with zero intention whatsoever of giving them any accurate information? Or better yet, effectively working as double-agents?
They clearly do not understand how much people vehemently hate ICEatzgruppen.
I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone do this. It's not like you are going to exhaust the FBI of resources, and every question you answer, truthfully or otherwise, makes you more vulnerable to prosecution and/or harassment.
I think there’s a valid defense to lying there, because there’s implied coercion and threat (“we are contacting you because you were arrested at …”), which means you’re under duress despite having done nothing wrong and being released. And you’re not under oath. So… idk.
IANAL though - this is not legal advice.
I feel like that's kind of par for the course when it comes to informants. They're turned individuals from whatever organization they need info on. That information is bound to be suspect, at best.
@midwest.social
Welcome to !usa@midwest.social, where you can share and converse about the different things happening all over/about the United States.
If you’re interested in participating, please subscribe.
Rules
Be respectful and civil. No racism/bigotry/hateful speech.
No pics of text
Memes are now allowed, as long as they're US centric, general political memes please see !politicalmemes@lemmy.ca
Post news related to the United States.
go to feed...
@midwest.social
Welcome to !usa@midwest.social, where you can share and converse about the different things happening all over/about the United States.
If you’re interested in participating, please subscribe.
Rules
Be respectful and civil. No racism/bigotry/hateful speech.
No pics of text
Memes are now allowed, as long as they're US centric, general political memes please see !politicalmemes@lemmy.ca
Post news related to the United States.
go to feed...
There's lots of people planning to go to Delaney Hall with not the right intentions. They're ICE agents.
You can't be so circumspect about your asks when you're backing up the American gestapo.
save