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On May 18, the ACLU-EM, along with ACLU affiliates in nine other
states, filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the FBI
seeking information about the FBI's use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces
and local police to engage in political surveillance based on the
individual's or group's political or religious affiliations. The
ACLU-EM's nearly two-dozen clients represent a "who's who" of community
political and religious activists, including Sheikh Nur Abdullah, the
Imam of the Islamic Foundation; Bill Ramsey, director of Human Rights
Action Service; Bill Quick, a National Lawyer's Guild attorney and
leader of the Instead of War Coalition; Michael McPhearson, Executive
Director of Veterans for Peace; as well as activists who were put under
FBI surveillance prior to last summer's presidential conventions and
others whose home was raided prior to protests of the World
Agricultural Forum in 2003. The FOIAs seek two kinds of information: 1)
the actual FBI files of groups and individuals targeted for speaking
out or practicing their faith; 2) information about how the practices
and funding structure of the task forces, known as JTTFs, are
encouraging unwarranted spying. The FBI has rejected our requests for
expedited processing both initially, and on administrative appeal (as
they have done with regards to the filings by other affiliates and
National). We have not received any actual files. To date we have
received several responses from the FBI asserting they have no files
regarding particular individuals. We are considering next steps
including a court challenge to the determination on expedited
processing. Most of the documents we received are available for viewing on our national site.
Legal Documents
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