[pjw] INFO: People's report on Joint Terrorism Task Force for 2020

[Peace and Justice Works]

PJW supporters
We sent this out to the powers that be and the media a few minutes ago. 
Feel free to circulate.
dan handelman
peace and justice works/portland copwatch

-------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 11:54:54
From: Peace and Justice Works <pjw at pjw.info>
To: Portland City Council -- Commissioner Carmen Rubio
      <comm.rubio at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Commissioner Mingus Mapps <mappsoffice at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Commissioner Dan Ryan <commissionerryanoffice at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty <joann at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Mayor Ted Wheeler <MayorWheeler at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Chief Chuck Lovell <charles.lovell at portlandoregon.gov>,
      Sgt. Pete Simpson <peter.simpson at portlandoregon.gov>,
      News Media <newsmedia at pjw.info>
Cc: Portland Copwatch and allies <copwatch at portlandcopwatch.org>
Subject: INFO: People's report on Joint Terrorism Task Force for 2020

(This information can also be found on the Peace and Justice Works website at 
http://www.pjw.info/pjttf_peoples_report0121.html )

----------------------------

THE PEOPLE'S REPORT ON THE PORTLAND JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE FOR 2020
January 4, 2021

In 2020, a number of community groups anticipating the Portland Police Bureau 
(PPB)'s Annual Report ("Report") on its case-by-case collaboration with the 
FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), published their own "People's Report" 
raising issues from the media and the PPB related to the JTTF. Because of the 
circumstances of 2020-- the pandemic, the uprising for social justice and the 
government's response to that movement-- much of this year's report takes the 
form of questions this report's authors hope to see answered with the Bureau's 
2020 Report.

For years community members have questioned the cooperation between Portland 
Police and the FBI's Task Force, in particular because of Oregon's unique 
anti-spying law, ORS 181A.250, which prohibits the collection or maintenance of 
information about people's social, political or religious affiliations in the 
absence of suspicion of criminal conduct. That law was reaffirmed by a judge 
ruling that the PPB could not livestream images of protests without violating 
the statute.

It is anticipated that the PPB's Report will be published sometime around 
January 22 for presentation to Council on January 27 or 28.

The authors of this report are hoping that the City Council will reject a 
Report from the Bureau that does not answer the questions raised below.

For background on Portland's history organizing against participation in the 
Task Force since 2000, pulling out in 2005, rejoining in 2011, and pulling out 
again in 2019, see http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/pjttf.html#resources .

QUESTIONS FOR THE PORTLAND POLICE REGARDING COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL LAW 
ENFORCEMENT

__A. Investigations of political affiliations

1) In late May, the uprisings for racial justice and police accountability 
began in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. US 
Attorney General Bill Barr pledged to use the nation's JTTFs to investigate 
"organizers and instigators" (USDOJ News release, May 31, 2020, 
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barrs-statement-riots-and-domestic-terrorism 
).

          ---Did the Portland Police investigate protest "organizers
             and instigators" as AG Barr directed the JTTF to do?

2) The Nation magazine reported that federal agents were tapping into 
protestors' cell phones to gather intelligence ("Federal Agencies Tapped 
Protesters' Phones in Portland," September 21, 2020 
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/homeland-security-portland ).

          ---Was the JTTF (including PPB) involved in cell phone
             surveillance of Portland protesters?

3) In Tennessee, activists were visited by JTTF agents based on social media 
posts, particularly about organizing for the Black Lives Matter movement 
("After Barr Ordered FBI to 'Identify Criminal Organizers,' Activists Were 
Intimidated at Home and at Work," the Intercept June 12 2020).

          ---Has the PPB been involved in JTTF investigations over
              Portland activist social media posts?

__B. Cooperation with federal law enforcement

1) This summer, Portland protests were patrolled in part by the Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement's Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) division, US Marshals, 
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies linked to the 
Joint Terrorism Task Force. City Council eventually passed two resolutions 
limiting interaction by the Portland Police with these agencies (July 22: 
https://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/Record/13915294 ; October 28: 
https://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/Record/14016312 ).

          ---Did PPB cooperation with federal policing including
              ICE's CBP, DHS, mean defacto work with the JTTF?

2) Beginning on September 26, over 50 Portland Police officers were deputized 
as federal Marshals, initially to respond to a right-wing demonstration, but 
with the deputizations extended until December 31.

          ---How did deputizing officers as federal agents impact
               the PPB's limited relationship to the JTTF?

3) On October 11, an undercover FBI agent helped the PPB arrest a protestor 
suspected of breaking windows at the Oregon Historical Society. The suspect was 
named Malik Muhamad, raising questions about why the FBI was focused on this 
one individual. A DHS agent also helped arrange the arrest of another protestor 
suspected of helping topple a statue ("Man firing gun in SE Portland drew 
officers from Sunday night's downtown protest," Oregonlive, October 12, 2020 
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/10/man-firing-gun-in-se-portland-drew-officers-from-sunday-nights-downtown-protest-portlands-police-chief-says.html 
).

          ---Were the FBI's arrest of Malik Muhamad and the
               DHS-aided arrest of another protestor on 10/11 connected
               to the JTTF, and if so did this fit the rules the PPB has to
               follow under the 2019 Council Resolution?

4) In early November, the FBI announced that the JTTF arrested a Troutdale man 
for "material support" of terrorism due to his posts on the internet 
("Portland-Area Resident Indicted for Providing Material Support to ISIS," FBI 
memo November 5, 2020, 
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland/news/stories/portland-fbis-joint-terrorism-task-force-jttf-111318 
).

          ---Were Portland Police involved in the arrest of the Portland
              area man indicted for providing "material support to ISIS"?

CONCLUSION

While the FBI has done some investigations, including undercover stings, about 
right-wing violent extremists in the US, these few cases do not erase the FBI's 
long history of targeting immigrants, Muslims, leftists and civil rights 
leaders. Last year's report on the PPB's involvement with the FBI bore out that 
most of the suspects investigated-- whether the cases were initiated by the PPB 
or the FBI-- were white men, but none resulted in any criminal prosecution. 
This is in part because, as with most of the questions raised in this document, 
the activities investigated did not rise to the level of criminal activity. As 
has been pointed out many times, the FBI's guidelines allow investigations to 
be started on no more than a hunch, which is a much lower threshold than 
reasonable suspicion. With Oregon's powerful anti-spying law in place, it is 
crucial for the public and City Council to be sure Portland officers are not 
being used by the FBI to violate state statutes and civil liberties. One of the 
only ways to do this is to ensure transparency in the activities of the 
Portland Police when they cooperate with the JTTF.

This report compiled and/or supported by

Peace and Justice Works/Portland Copwatch
League of Women Voters of Portland
Portland Democratic Socialists of America
Portland JACL
ACLU of Oregon
Brandon Mayfield
350PDX
Jewish Voice for Peace