INDIVIDUALS
Bill Ramsey is a local peace activist who has spent decades resisting war through non-violent protests and tax resistance. He is already aware that the FBI has a file on him and received a copy of that file in 1976. The reasons the FBI was monitoring him in the early 1970’s were twofold: Ramsey was part of a support committee for the Harrisburg 8 Trial in which defendants were accused of kidnapping Henry Kissinger; and for his refusal to coordinate with the Draft Board during the Vietnam War. In their file, the FBI describes Ramsey as a “dangerous revolutionary.” Since 1971, Ramsey has been arrested numerous times for nonviolent protests; however, very few of his arrests have led to convictions. Most recently, Ramsey reports that he has been followed on numerous occasions related to his activism against Iraq War in 2003 and 2004. He has been followed during speaking engagements at universities, received death threats on his children’s lives and was also attacked by federal agents at a protest in November, 1986. Most recently, he has been arrested twice when he was peacefully protesting the visits of President Bush (November, 2002 and April, 2004). Ramsey also believes that organizations to which he has belonged have been infiltrated several times – in particular, he believes that the Economic Conversion Project was infiltrated by JTTF agents in November, 2002 when new members unknown to others began attending meetings and insisted on taking on significant leadership responsibilities.
Bill Quick is a St. Louis attorney who sits on the Steering Committee of the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition (IOW), a coalition of various peace and social justice groups in St. Louis opposed to the war in Iraq. Quick has represented various individuals arrested during nonviolent anti-war and anti-torture demonstrations in and around St. Louis since 2002, and has been active with the IOW Patriot Act Working Group. He assists in maintaining the website for the IOW and has noticed that one of the most frequent visitors is the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, who visit the site nearly everyday. Quick has noticed an increased police presence at his group events and meetings and has cause to believe the FBI has infiltrated some of the groups and is involved in monitoring the groups in which he has assumed a leadership role.
Hedy Epstein is a peace activist with Women in Black, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Instead of War Coalition. An activist for over 50 years, Epstein is aware that the FBI has a file on her, which she previously requested in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Epstein is concerned that she may still be targeted by the FBI/JTTF because of her political views, because she is a naturalized citizen, and because of her active protest activities.
Michael McPhearson is the Executive Director of Veterans for Peace, a national organization which engages in public dissent against the Bush Administration's policy concerning the War in Iraq. McPhearson is a Gulf War Veteran and has received national attention for his advocacy against the War since 9/11. In 2003 and 2004 he traveled to Iraq, Italy and Turkey as part of a peace delegation to monitor the occupation and present the organization's message opposing U.S. occupation. He has also been detained at the airport. McPhearson is a coordinating committee member of the “Bring them Home Now” campaign against U.S. occupation and a steering committee member of United for Peace and Justice. He was a featured speaker at a national march in Washington, D.C. sponsored by United for Peace and Justice and he has been featured on C-Span and in Associated Press articles condemning the Bush Administration's policies. McPhearson, who is the publisher of Cpeace.com, is a long time peace activist who was previously engaged in outspoken activism with the NAACP.
Wilson “Woody” Powell is a leader of the St. Louis chapter of Veterans for Peace and former Executive Director of Veterans for Peace. He engages in public dissent against the Bush administration’s policies, protests war, including the War in Iraq, and asks for better treatment of veterans. Powell has observed an increased police presence at group protests. He also believes that organizing meetings have been infiltrated, based on an increase in new, unknown attendees who periodically show up at organizing meetings, gather information and then never return or keep in contact with the organization.
Richard LaMonica is the chair of the St. Louis chapter of the Alliance for Democracy and is involved with workers’ rights, anti-war, and anti-genetic engineering activities. The national office of the Alliance for Democracy and the Ohio chapter have been confirmed to be under FBI surveillance. LaMonica noted that there has been an increased police presence at protests in recent years and a higher number of arrests. He believes that his branch has been targeted through raids on members’ homes and unwarranted harassment from the IRS. LaMonica stated that the IRS claimed that the Alliance for Democracy did not file a non-profit report and avoided paying taxes and the issue was only resolved after several appeals in court.
Joan Suarez is actively involved with the IOW, Jobs with Justice, the Peace Economy Project and U.S. Labor Against the War, as well as the Immigrant’s Rights Task Force. Her groups regularly engage in protests and demonstrations. Suarez has observed an increased law enforcement presence during group events. She believes that the police or JTTF may have investigated her as well because of her leadership roles in these organizations.
Molly Dupre is a social activist who is affiliated with environmental and anti-globalization groups. She is a founding member of People Over Profits, a member of Earth First, Heartwood, Cascadia Forest Lands, the St. Louis Independent Media Center, the Community Arts and Media Project, Missouri Resistance Against Genetic Engineering, Jobs with Justice, and the Coalition Against Police Crime and Repression. Dupre has observed unknown authorities who appear to be government agents surveilling her and groups with which she is involved. In May 2003, two days before a protest of the World Agricultural Forum in St. Louis, police and other authorities raided a home occupied by Dupre and other protesters. Dupre was surprised when police addressed her by name, as she was not aware that she was known to the police. In the raid, ostensibly for housing code violations, Dupre's bicycle, personal journals, address book and photographs were confiscated, suggesting a government interest in obtaining information about her activities and associations. Moreover, police conducted a strip search of Dupre at the scene, lifting her shirt and examining her bare breasts, pulling her pants down below her hips and manually inspecting her genital area underneath her underwear. Police then wrote her name on a report, captioning her as an “anarchist” even though she did not designate herself in that fashion to police. She is now a plaintiff in a civil rights suit challenging the raid. In addition to her recent protest activities, she believes that the FBI or JTTF may have a file on her because of her involvement with Heartwood, a forest advocacy group, when she lived in Columbia, Missouri. There was a period of time in 1999-2000 when she felt sure that she was being surveilled by the FBI. She reports that a white van was constantly tailing her during a two-week period in 2000. This surveillance occurred after there were rumors of a “tree spiking” incident among environmental groups. Although Heartwood did not engage in “tree spiking,” Dupre and at least five other members of the group recall seeing the white van and strongly suspect that they were under surveillance. In addition, JTTF/local police have photographed members of the Cascadia Forest Lands group and Dupre during protests and direct actions. She feels that she is being targeted because of her political beliefs.
Sheikh Nur Abdullah is the imam/president of the Islamic Foundation of St. Louis and is very religiously active in the St. Louis area. He also belongs to the Islamic Society of North America and the Interfaith Partnership. The Islamic Foundation and the Islamic Society are primarily educational groups which attempt to build bridges with the general American community and correct misconceptions about Islam by inviting speakers, giving presentations, etc. Sheikh Nur believes that the FBI or JTTF may have a file on him because he has been stopped at airports and scrutinized at airline ticket counters every time he has traveled since September 11, 2001. In some instances, airline personnel have to take at least 10-20 minutes to “clear his name” by calling the national office of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and airport officials have informed him that his name may match that of a suspected terrorist. In addition, since September 11, 2001, FBI agents have interviewed Sheikh Nur at least once every year at his office to ask about potential “suspects/terrorists” or suspicious people at the Islamic Foundation. He is aware that the FBI has questioned several people from the Islamic Foundation since September 11, 2001, and that they questioned many people just before the 2004 presidential election.
Kelley Meister is a founding member of Bolozone, a loosely-knit group of activists who identify as anarchists dedicated to social justice issues and a collective urban living experiment in St. Louis. Meister has attended several anti-war demonstrations and is involved with an anarchistic coalition. Meister was arrested when the Bolozone house was raided by members of the St. Louis Police Department, ostensibly as part of a building inspection / condemnation. At the time of the raid, police conducted a strip search of Meister, confiscated Meister’s bicycle and political art work, and jailed her for approximately 20 hours. They also designated her as an “anarchist” on a police report, though Meister never designated herself that way to police. The raid occurred two days before the World Agricultural Forum in St. Louis. Mesiter has also noted a police presence at protests and even at anarchist soccer games.
Elizabeth Schaefer is a St. Louis political activist who has been involved in various political and anarchist causes. Schaefer has attended numerous protests in St. Louis and Washington, D.C. regarding anti-war, pro-immigration, and fair trade issues. She has been questioned about these activities by local and federal authorities, asked about others involved in the movement and was arrested. Upon her arrest, police confiscated a journal with personal information, including a diary, names and phone numbers. The police are still holding these materials, even though the charges surrounding her arrest have been resolved. While Schaefer remains politically involved, the police activities have caused her concern and made her less inclined to associate with other activists or to take leadership roles in political organizations.
Chris Scheets and Ben Garrett are political activists. Scheets and Garrett were questioned and put under surveillance by the FBI's JTTF in the weeks preceding the Democratic National Convention in July, 2004. The young men, who have no history of violent activity, were also subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury on July 29th, the date of their scheduled protest, which prevented them from traveling to Boston to protest the convention as they had planned.
Scheets, who is 20, first realized he was under investigation when agents identifying themselves as members of the FBI's JTTF visited the home of his parents in Jacksonville, Illinois. According to Scheets, the agents asked his parents about easily accessible information such as his current address, as well as information about his political affiliations. FBI JTTF agents also visited or contacted the parents of Garrett, 24, in Webster Groves, Missouri.
After speaking with their parents, agents identifying themselves as FBI JTTF agents then visited Scheets at his home and Garrett, who was already staying at a friend’s home in St. Louis in preparation for the trip to Boston. When Scheets arrived in St. Louis the next day, the house was under overt surveillance by authorities who identified themselves to the men as FBI agents. For the next four days, at least three unmarked cars were parked in front of the house at any given time and the men, as well as the house’s occupants and visitors, all reported being trailed by FBI agents every time they ventured outside. Several cars followed the men when they went to the ACLU-EM office to meet with the legal staff about the surveillance.
On July 26, 2004, two agents served subpoenas on the three requiring their appearance before a grand jury on July 29th, the same day as the main scheduled protest at the Democratic Convention. They also received target letters advising them that they were targets of a domestic terrorism investigation. To date, no charges have been filed. The FBI’s actions directly prevented the three from engaging in a peaceful protest and have caused the men to question their ability to continue to be politically active. Click here for more information on U.S. v. Scheets et al.
Sheila Musaji is an activist who is involved in religious and peace and justice issues in the local community. She is editor of The American Muslim magazine, an online magazine which disseminates information about Islam and highlights political issues that are relevant to American Muslims. She is a member of Women in Black, the Interfaith Partnership, the Islamic Foundation of St. Louis, and is the director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of St. Louis. She believes that she may have been investigated by the government because of her leadership in the Muslim community, because she is Muslim, because she was involved in demonstrations against the construction of the wall in Israel/Palestine and because she objected to the nomination of Alberto Gonzales (her name was printed in a New York Times ad).
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