NYPD Spent Years Spying On Muslims, Generated Exactly Zero Leads
from the security-theater dept
We just wrote about yet another (in a long line) of manufactured terrorist plots, in which the FBI creates its own terrorist plot to arrest anyone who can be coaxed into going along for the ride, even if they had no interest or ability to push the plot forward on their own. In that case, it was even more ridiculous, because they couldn’t even find anyone willing to go along with the plot — and the main “suspect” actually alerted the FBI to the informant who was trying to coax him into taking part in a plot (which didn’t stop him from being arrested, even if the case was eventually dropped).
Of course, the FBI is not alone in its incredibly ham-fisted anti-terrorism efforts in which the focus seems to be much more about someone’s religious leanings, rather than any actual interest in creating terror. The NY Police Department got plenty of attention for deciding to build their own local versions of the FBI and CIA to try to catch terrorists. That link describes the NYPD as a sort of new “elite” intelligence agency, hiring people out of other intelligence agencies and then placing agents around the globe to try to beat the FBI and CIA at their own game.
Back at home, apparently this included following on the FBI’s tactic of assuming that “brown skin = terrorist.” As such, they’ve spent the past few years spying on “Muslim neighbrhoods” throughout New York (with help from the CIA), sending undercover agents and informants into Muslim groups and organizations:
The Demographics Unit is at the heart of a police spying program, built with help from the CIA, which assembled databases on where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and prayed. Police infiltrated Muslim student groups, put informants in mosques, monitored sermons and catalogued every Muslim in New York who adopted new, Americanized surnames.
Police hoped the Demographics Unit would serve as an early warning system for terrorism. And if police ever got a tip about, say, an Afghan terrorist in the city, they’d know where he was likely to rent a room, buy groceries and watch sports.
How useful has it been? Apparently not at all. Not a single lead has come out of the program. Not one.
I know this is a crazy thought, but perhaps violating the privacy of tons of people just because of the color of their skin or their religion, isn’t the best (or even “a”) way to stop terrorists.
Filed Under: civil liberties, muslims, new york city, nyc, privacy, profiling, spying, terrorism
Comments on “NYPD Spent Years Spying On Muslims, Generated Exactly Zero Leads”
But it is “a” way to become a terrorist.
Duh!
I’ve said it over and over. The largest terrorist organization which directly targets the United States is the KKK. The NYPD is looking in the wrong place for terrorists.
Re: Duh!
White Power/Hate Groups are a big problem.But an even bigger problem is this story and all it implies.
Violating people just because of their Religion and/or the Color of their skin is disgusting.
Who is next in line ? Jews,Pagans, Buddhists ? Maybe anyone who came from Canada ?
Re: Re: Duh!
Canadians are a lot more likely to attack the US than Muslims are. They have an iron-hard code of ethics that forbids violence under any circumstances.
We have hockey.
Re: Re: Re: Duh!
I’m convinced Disney bought Canada a while back and is planning a strike against the US. The bombs will have beloved characters painted on them so no one will try to stop it.
Re: Re: Re:2 Duh!
When did China buy Disney?
Re: Re: Duh!
Jews, Pagans, and Buddhists have all had their turn already.
Next will be anarchists, and right wing blog operators.
Oh and dont forget the elderly.
This shit is run by fake Christians, fake politicians
Look at they mansions, then look at the conditions you live in
All they talk about is terrorism on television
They tell you to listen, but they don’t really tell you they mission
They funded Al-Qaeda, and now they blame the Muslim religion
Even though Bin Laden, was a CIA tactician
They gave him billions of dollars, and they funded his purpose
Fahrenheit 9/11, that’s just scratchin’ the surface.
Amerikkka’s been took – it’s plain to see
The oldest trick in the book is make an enemy
A phony evil so the government can do its dirt
And take away ya freedom lock and load, beat and search
Ain’t nothin’ changed but more colored people locked in prison
These pigs still beat us but it seem we forgettin’
But I remember ‘fore September how these devils do it
Fuck Giuliani ask Diallo how he doin’
Oil blood money makes these killers ride cold
Suspicious suicides people dyin’ never told
It’s all a part of playin’ God so ya think we need ’em
While ‘Bin Ashcroft’ take away ya rights to freedom
Bear witness to the sickness of these dictators
Hope you understand the time brother cause it’s major
Re: Duh!
Screw the KKK; the largest terrorist organization that directly targets US Citizens is our own bloody government at this point.
“I know this is a crazy thought…“
But if we stop fighting terrorism, the terrorist will win! Won’t somebody think of the children! And some other third thing!
Re: Re:
This seems to be trending towards “Motherfucking Eagles”.
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Oh, I thought of one. If we’re weak on terrorism, the child pornographers will win!
Re: Re:
“But if we stop fighting terrorism, the terrorist will win!”
You know, the next time someone says that, I’m going to point out “they already did”.
Re: Re: Re:
They? They who exactly?
At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide..
One thing the US authorities to well
I turn peaceful, violent people into blood thirsty terrorists through blanket surveillance and victimisation.
Will they learn from this? Bollocks they will.
Duh
How useful has it been? Apparently not at all. Not a single lead has come out of the program. Not one.
The NYPD has completely suppressed terrorism. I say that’s a tremendous success.
Re: Duh
Oh, thank goodness! Now they can focus on the Super Big Gulps from 7-11!
“I’ve said it over and over. The largest terrorist organization which directly targets the United States is the KKK. The NYPD is looking in the wrong place for terrorists.”
But white people don’t commit terrorist attacks! They just commit mass shootings in very populated areas (like movie theaters, or college campuses, or grocery stores a local politician is meeting some voters at)! Or kill people simply because they disagree with them on politics (like the guy who shot that abortion doctor, or the guy who shot the guard at the Family Research Council)!
Ok, killing people over political disagreements is ‘technically’ domestic terrorism, using fear and violence to accomplish your political goals just like Bin Laden did… but domestic terrorism isn’t terrorism, because the media never calls it that! The media says we only have to worry about terrorism from foreigners, or people who are!
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Killing people for a political reason is at the core of what terrorism means. Anything else is simply murder…
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I’m not sure I agree with that statement because the killing isn’t the point, the key goal is to create fear in the targeted population so that it stops the hated activity (performing abortions, being brown, voting democrat). Threats of non-lethal violence, acts under colour of authority, and even the threat to be added to a ‘watch list’ which receives greater scrutiny for membership in a group or acts can be terrorism. Killing people for terrorist reasons just happens to be more visible than the other acts and one that many people don’t justify as being acceptable the way they do other terrorist acts.
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the key goal is to create fear in the targeted population
Exactly. It’s not called TERRORism for nothing. Deaths aren’t the end goal. Inducing fear of death/harm is.
Well it’s such a failure that they may just scrap the program… not holding my breath though.
Re: Re:
Governmental bureaucracies such as the NYPD derive their funding through the whims of politicians. These bueaucracies know it is essential to be doing what politicians consider to be *important* to ensure their department’s wants and needs are covered in the budget for the next fiscal year.
So long as politi-critters want to seen as ‘fighting terrorists to keep the public safe’, then then law enforcement will be ‘actively fighting terror’ – regardless of whether there is any evidence on the street that such programs are necessary or even helpful.
Opps, hit post too soon. Met to say “Or people who are close enough to foreign” at the end (to reply 14).
at least those Muslims shouldn’t feel singled out now. all US citizens are spied on, not just in New York, so everyone are being treated the same!
What about all the white terrorists … Columbine, the Colorado shooters, all the serial killers, etc…
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120723/00374519790/uk-wont-extradite-terrorists-if-you-build-site-that-helps-people-watch-tv.shtml#c619
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120729/19374119870/hollywood-made-him-do-it-two-more-theories-aurora-shooter.shtml#c329
Why doesn’t the feds spend more time investigating them, they seem to be much more likely engage in terrorist activities even without the FBI’s encouragement.
Re: Re:
Because they’re not trying to stop terrorism, they’re trying to look like they’re trying to stop terrorism.
Of course, they’re not doing a good job of that either, otherwise we would’ve even be having this conversation…
Re: Re:
Not all mass-murderers are terrorists. Terrorism is a tactic that is used in an attempt to cause political change. If you’re just shooting/bombing/whatever people because you’re crazy or angry, you’re not a terrorist. Just a dangerous lunatic.
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The two are not mutually exclusive.
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But in the above cited cases they are.
Also, I love how short-sighted everyone is, yes, white people with guns in clubs were viewed as potential terrorists and investigated by the feds for quite some time after the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
Oh yeah that Tim guy, who acted alone, and got bombs placed in the Federal building, all by himself.
You government has no problems finding terrorists, all they have to do is look in the mirror:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKsQKc2eP-8
One of these days we’re going to manufacture a threat that we can’t stop.
I have a dream
Someday, if you will allow me to dream, we will have a black president or a black attorney general and this pointless race profiling will stop.
"The Convert"
This American Life covered this exact story a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting, if somewhat unsettling, story:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/471/the-convert
Re: "The Convert"
Hah! I see this was already covered in an earlier article – oops! Guess that’s what I get for reading through the articles in reverse order of publication… 😉
Re: "The Convert"
Two different stories bub. One takes place in California, the other in New York
Re: "The Convert"
Two different stories bub. One takes place in California, the other in New York
...isn't the best (or even "a") way to stop terrorists.
But it certainly IS an excellent reason to say “I’m doing something to stop terrorists!” 😉 because everyone insists that “something has to be done”….
The threat is way smaller than the mainstream media paints. Can we scrap the TSA and start fresh now that we found out this obvious truth, please?
I see the government’s war on freedom and privacy is alive and well.