As the latest government whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, fights for asylum, we will explore some history about government surveillance and malfeasance toward the people it is supposed to protect. This month we will show Cointelpro 101, an exposé of the illegal surveillance, disruption, and outright murder committed by the U.S. government in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
This is how Cointelpro was unmasked: In April 1971, a group of antiwar activists broke into a Selective Service office in Pennsylvania in order to find draft records so as to destroy them. Unknown to these activists, the Selective Service shared an office with the FBI. Thus, the activists serendipitously discovered files documenting many years of illegal actions against civil rights, antiwar, and other progressive movements. They had stumbled upon a highly secret program called the Counter Intelligence Program, or Cointelpro.
The activists leaked these files to the U.S. press, breaking open the shocking story of illegal surveillance and covert plots to interrogate, incarcerate, terrorize, and even murder these activists.
Cointelpro was spearheaded by J. Edgar Hoover, then Director of the FBI, and was supported by the military and police agencies nationwide. The goal was to sow division and distrust and eliminate leaders of social justice organizations. One of the first targets was the Puerto Rican struggle for independence.
In 1975, the Church Committee investigated government illegal activities, including Cointelpro.
The exposé features interviews with activists who experienced these abuses first-hand, such as activist lawyer Bob Boyle, Mexicana activist Priscilla Falcon, Ward Churchill, Geronimo Jaga (in photo below and right), and others, along with rare historical footage. This film provides an educational introduction to a period of great national unrest and intense repression.
Please join us for this very good documentary and the discussion afterward on how it is relevant to our situation today.
We will also show a short 9/11 film, yet to be determined.
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DENVER
Mark your calendars! Colorado 9/11 Visibility Video and Action Meetings are held the 3rd Friday of each month in Denver.
When: Friday, July 19, 2013, 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Where: Hooked on Colfax Coffee-Books-Community, 3213 E. Colfax Ave., Denver (303-398-2665) (1/2 mile west of Colorado Blvd., between Adams and Steele, on north side of Colfax) (Map)
*Admission is free, donations are welcome, and buy a beverage from Hooked on Colfax to support them*
Please observe the parking signs: Steele St., 16th Ave., and Colfax Ave. usually have available parking spaces.
Meeting Timeline:
7:00 – 7:20 Announcements, introductions
7:20 – 8:50 Videos
8:50 – 9:30 Discussion
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BOULDER
Mark your calendars! Boulder 9/11 Visibility Video and Action Meetings are normally held the 4th Wednesday of each month.
When: Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Where: University of Colorado, Boulder, Math Building, Room 350, third floor, northeast corner
Parking: Free parking is available after 5:00 PM on Colorado Avenue or in CU Lot 359 due west of the Math Building (but very competitive when school is in session). Paid parking ($3 flat fee) is available in Lot 360 directly across the street from Folsom Field Stadium.
Directions: From 28th St., turn west on Colorado Ave.; go through the lights at Regent St. and Folsom Avenue. The Mathematics Building will be on your left at the Folsom intersection, although you must proceed west to the parking lots and walk back to the building. http://www.colorado.edu/pts/sites/default/files/attached-files/UCB_ParkingMap2012-13_WEB_1.pdf
Meeting Timeline:
6:00 – 6:30 Announcements, introductions
6:30 – 8:00 Video
8:00 – 8:30 Discussion
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GRAND JUNCTION
Attention: There will be no meeting this month in Grand Junction!
When: Normally on a Saturday, 9:30 – 11:30 AM
Where: Beans About Beans, 759 Horizon Drive (located by Enzo’s Pizza, across from Grand Vista Hotel), Grand Junction, CO (Map)
Program: None this month