Peace Fresno infiltrated by agent working for Fresno Sheriff’s Dept.

[Melinda]

Unfrickin believable. What has happened to the sleepy, liberal town of Fresno where I grew up? Welcome, again, to the new AmeriKKKa.

Posted today on SFIndymedia by native Fresnan Mike Rhodes:

Peace Fresno was infiltrated by an agent working for the Fresno Sheriff’s Department. Aaron Kilner, known by Peace Fresno activists as Aaron Stokes, attended several Peace Fresno meetings. Peace Fresno activist Nicholas DeGraff remembers him taking voluminous notes and several members say they saw him at peace vilgils held at Shaw and Blackstone. He was also on the bus local anti-globalization activists took to attend the WTO ministerial-level conference on Agricultural Science and Technology demonstration in Sacramento in June 2003.

Aaron Kilner died in a motorcycle accident on August 30, 2003. In his obituary in The Fresno Bee he was identified as a member of the Fresno County Sheriff’s department. The obituary went on to say that he was “assigned to the anti-terrorist team.” Local activists believe that this “anti-terrorist team” is, in fact, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) that has recently been formed in this area.. When members of Peace Fresno saw the picture and read of Kilner’s association with law enforcement they began piecing the
story together.

San Francisco Indy Media Article
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The Fresno Bee printed a statement from Sherriff Pierce that said:

*************************************
Detective Aaron Kilner was a member of the FCSD Anti-Terrorism unit. This unit collects, evaluates, collates, analyzes, and disseminates information on individuals, groups, and organizations suspected of criminal or terrorist activities. This information meets the stringent federal and state guidelines for intelligence gathering and civil rights protections in order to prevent crime and protect the health and safety of residents of Fresno County and the State of California.

For the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department may visit any place and attend any event that is open to the public, on the same terms and conditions as members of the public generally. No information obtained from such visits shall be retained unless it relates to potential criminal or terrorist activities.

Peace Fresno was not and is not the subject of any investigation by the FCSD. The FCSD does not have any reports, files, rosters, or notes on Peace Fresno or it's (sic) meetings.

The FCSD is dedicated to protecting the citizens of Fresno County. The department will continue toutilize legal methods for collecting, evaluating, collating, analyzing, and disseminating criminal intelligence of terrorist and organized crime organizations to accomplish its mission, while respecting the constitutional rights of all persons.
Sincerely,
RP, Sheriff
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Continuing the IndyMedia article:

The revelation that the Sheriff’s department placed an agent in Peace Fresno begs the question of what other groups are being investigated, what has happened to our civil liberties since 9-11, and how will the community respond to this attack against our civil liberties. Some activists and legal experts are claiming that state attorney general Bill Lockyer’s directive to California law enforcement, telling them not to collect intelligence on religious or political groups without evidence of criminal activity should be the law of the land. But, does State law override the Patriot Act?

A united community defending their Constitutional Rights to civil liberties will be the best defense against future attacks. The goal is to not only stop these current intrusions against peaceful and nonviolent groups engaged in civic participation but return the rights that were taken away with the passage of the Patriot Act. To find out how Fresno progressive groups respond to this incident you are invited to subscribe to the Community Alliance magazine, P.O. Box 5077, Fresno Ca 93755 ($35 a year) or visit them on their web site: http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home

For more information about Peace Fresno see their web site at: http://www.peacefresno.org

END


*Note to mods: I do not believe this post violates the 4 paragraph rule in that I am using two points of reference and have limited each to 4 paragraphs or less.

[JanMichael]

1. Wow. That's creepy as all get out.

First they infiltrate, then they agitate (Encourage "illegal" activities then get everyone arrested), isn't that the usual sequence of events?

[Melinda]

3. Not to mention Fresno is the homebase of Freeperland

When I grew up there we were overwhelmingly liberal. Fresno nourished and gave rise to Chavez and the farm labor movement... I am so dismayed to see what my hometown has devolved into!!

[stevedeshazer]

2. The scariest part to me

Is that if Aaron Kilner had not met an untimely death, he'd still be there infiltrating this group.

Not surprised, though. Last year in my town, boxes and boxes of pictures and surveillance files dating from the 1970's to the late 1990's were found by a local reporter in a retired cop's garage and were made public.

Don't doubt that it goes on way more than we all realize.

[AnnabelLee]

4. Those bastards

Those fascist bastards.:mad:

[Mari333]

5. That reminds me of the 70s

when the Red Squad showed up at all of our anti war rallies, and the FBI showed up at our apartment asking questions.
Here we go again!!!!!!!!!
Assholes.

[kodi]

6. COINTERPOL, paid informants & provocateurs. Welcome to Big Brother

of course, those organizations that actually advocate violence such as white supremicist and christian identiy hate groups are left alone?