Rania Khalek Dispatches from the Underclass

Tag / surveillance

In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, numerous American Muslims or U.S. citizens, who have brown skin, live in fear of what might happen if they go out in public. There have been several reported hate crimes. One mosque was vandalized by a ripped up Quran covered in feces. Right-wing protesters armed with shotguns […]

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The New York Police Department deployed an undercover officer named “Mel,” who “converted” to Islam and infiltrated Brooklyn College, according to a report published in the Gothamist. As reported, three Brooklyn College graduates shared how “Mel” had developed relationships with them. She was present “during some of the most private moments of their lives,” and they […]

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For this week’s episode of Unauthorized Disclosure, my co-host Kevin Gosztola spoke with Nadia Kayyali, an activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, about the Domain Awareness Center (DAC), a surveillance hub being constructed in Oakland, California. (I was traveling last week, so I was unable to participate in the interview portion, but listen to it anyway!) Funded by […]

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The Jewish Journal has an incredible write-up on the Los Angeles Police Department’s recent visit to Israel. For nine days early this month, eight of the LAPD’s highest ranking officers toured Israel on a trip organized by LAPD Deputy Chief and commander of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau Michael Downing, and headed by LAPD Information Technology Bureau […]

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For the third episode of our new yet-to-be named podcast, FDL’s Kevin Gosztola and I speak with Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, about how US authorities at all levels of government have used post-9/11 hysteria to go after activists and militarize the hell out of local police departments. […]

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There isn’t a problem in the world that Rep. Peter King (R-NY) can’t solve by spying on minorities and that includes the threat posed by Al-Shabab, the Somalia based terrorist group that carried out a horrific massacre in an upscale shopping center in Kenya over the weekend. As former chairman of the congressional Homeland Security Committee, […]

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Since the NSA spying story broke last week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this Martin Niemöller saying: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew. Then they came […]

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