Dec 11 2012
Local Activists Shine Light on Southern California ‘Fusion Center’
California Senator Dianne Feinstein succeeded in amending last year’s National Defense Authorization Act to curb its most egregious aspect: the indefinite detention of US citizens suspected of terrorism. The 2012 version of the bill passed by the Senate on December 4th, is an annual military spending bill. According to Truthdig.com, Feinstein’s amended version still could allow for indefinite detention of citizens as the last clause in the bill states—“unless an Act of Congress expressly authorizes such a detention.”
Those US Citizens potentially facing indefinite detention could be linked to acts of terrorism through information and official documents gathered by so-called “Fusion Centers.” There are officially at least 60 such centers in cities around the nation – centers which allow for intelligence gathering and sharing across numerous government agencies, including local law enforcement.
Privacy advocates are highly critical of these centers, particularly because so much of the information they gather could be inaccurate and can amount to outright surveillance of American residents. As the Huffington Post noted in a quote from Libertarian-leaning Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a report from a Missouri fusion center advised officials to “beware of people who have bumper stickers supporting third party candidates.”
On Thursday December the 13th at 11am the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition will lead a march on the Norwalk Fusion Center here in Southern California. The coalition will be demanding accountability from the LAPD who they believe has become a key intelligence gathering agency in recent years with the help of programs like Special Order 1 and iWatch. According to them, these wasteful programs are seen as more ways to target activists and people of color.
GUEST: Hamid Khan, Coordinator of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition
The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition has a Call to Action on Thursday Dec 13th at 11 AM at The Norwalk Fusion Center, 12440 E. Imperial Hwy in Norwalk. Find out more at www.stoplapdspying.org.
One Response to “Local Activists Shine Light on Southern California ‘Fusion Center’”
You are barking up the wrong tree if you think this is a local problem…the LAPD along with every other law enforcement agency in So Cal is involved in the use of Fusion Centers.
The real problem is in Washington DC…that’s where this originates…the federal govt…DHS…FBI…CIA…NSA…ICE…FEMA…the Obama Administration. You poor saps believed that because he said he wants to tax the rich that he’s your friend…he’s not & neither is the administration.