Inauguration

Judge Orders Limits On Warrant Seeking Info On Anti-Trump Site

October 16, 2017 Kate Conger, www.gizmodo.com Educate! Inauguration, Repression, Trump Administration

By Kate Conger for Gizmodo - A judge ordered the web hosting company DreamHost to redact identifying information about visitors to a website used to coordinate a protest during President Trump’s inauguration, imposing further limits on an extensive warrant obtained by the Justice Department that initially aimed to collect visitors’ IP addresses. Chief Judge Robert E. Morin of the Superior Court of D.C. had previously ordered DreamHost to turn over information about the operators of the website, disruptj20.org. The Justice Department alleged that the site was used to privately communicate plans for a riot, and that it needed the IP addresses of the millions of visitors to the site in order to discover who had incited the violence. After resistance from DreamHost, the Justice Department narrowed the scope of its request. In an order issued today, Morin said that the government would need to submit a report explaining the minimization procedures it would use when searching DreamHost’s data—in short the government would need to explain why it needs everything it needs. Only then would Morin allow the DoJ to review redacted data, and the government would again have to provide the court with its justification for removing any redactions. “Because of the potential breadth of the government’s review in this case, the Warrant in its execution may implicate otherwise innocuous and constitutionally protected activity,” Morin wrote.

D.C. Police Threw More Than 70 Grenades At Inauguration Protesters

October 10, 2017 Baynard Woods, www.therealnews.com Resist! Inauguration, Police abuse, Protests, Repression, Trump Administration

By Baynard Woods for The Real News Network - MPD deployed the weapons during massive protests of Donald Trump’s inauguration. At some point around 10:00 a.m. on the morning of the inauguration some protesters began breaking windows of major corporations on 13th Street NW between Logan Circle and Franklin Square. The protesters who engaged in vandalism were dressed in all black as part of a so-called “black bloc.” In the statement of notice for an expert witness set to appear in the first trial related to the case, which begins on Nov. 20, the prosecutors argue that the “‘black bloc’ tactic involves participants dressing in all black clothing and concealing their faces with masks, bandanas, and other clothing items. This tactic makes it difficult for law enforcement to identify the individual perpetrators of violence or destruction within the larger group.” Shortly after the police encountered the group, they began to deploy weapons, spraying large amounts of pepper spray (I was covering the event and was hit with spray). Platoon 32, for instance, emptied four large MK46 canisters and seven smaller canisters of the irritant.

EFF Urges Stronger Oversight Of DOJ’s Digital Search Of J20 Protestor Website

August 28, 2017 Stephanie Lacambra, www.eff.org Resist! DOJ, Free Speech, Inauguration, Investigation

By Stephanie Lacambra for EFF - District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Morin ruled today that DreamHost must comply with federal prosecutors’ narrowed warrant seeking communications and records about an Inauguration Day protest website: disruptj20.org; but they will have to present the court with a “minimization plan” that includes the names of all government investigators who will have access to the data and a list of all the methods that they will be using to search the evidence. This is an important step in ensuring judicial oversight of the government’s digital search. While we are glad to see that the judge is taking steps to oversee the government's “narrowed” search, EFF has long warned against the problems with the two-step approach of overseizure of digital information followed by a search of the information for evidence responsive to the warrant. Because of the vast troves of data that the government has access to in these cases, it risks executing a general search, the very danger that the Fourth Amendment is meant to guard against. As the en banc 9th Circuit warned in 2010:“The process of segregating electronic data that is seizable from that which is not must not become a vehicle for the government to gain access to data which it has no probable cause to collect.”

DOJ Drops Request For IP Addresses From Trump Resistance Site

August 23, 2017 Morgan Chalfant, www.thehill.com Resist! DOJ, Donald Trump, Inauguration, Investigation

By Morgan Chalfant for The Hill - The government said in a brief released Tuesday that it has "no interest" in the 1.3 million IP addresses related to the website disruptj20.org. It says it is solely focused on information that could constitute evidence related to criminal rioting on Inauguration Day. “The Warrant — like the criminal investigation — is singularly focused on criminal activity,” the reply brief states. “It will not be used for any other purpose.” Privacy and civil liberties advocates were up in arms last week when the web hosting company DreamHost publicized a July 12 search warrant for information related to disruptj20.org, which was used to organize protests on Inauguration Day. DreamHost said complying with the request would amount to handing over roughly 1.3 million visitor IP addresses and other information about visitors to the site. Lawyers for DreamHost opposed the warrant, arguing it raised First and Fourth Amendment concerns. “In essence, the Search Warrant not only aims to identify the political dissidents of the current administration, but attempts to identify and understand what content each of these dissidents viewed on the website,” the company’s lawyers said in a legal argument opposing the request.

In J20 Investigation, DOJ Overreaches Again. And Gets Taken To Court Again.

August 16, 2017 Mark Rumold, www.eff.org Resist! Courts, DOJ, Inauguration, Trump Administration

By Mark Rumold for EFF - We’ve already written about problems with the government’s investigation into the J20 protests—a series of demonstrations on January 20, the day of President Trump’s inauguration—which resulted in the arrest of hundreds of protesters. But prosecutors in DC are still at it. And they’re still using unconstitutional methods to pursue their investigation. This time they served a search warrant on hosting provider DreamHost that would require the company to turn over essentially all information on a website it hosts, www.disruptj20.org—a site that was dedicated to organizing and planning the protest. Did you click on that link? Well, that’s apparently information the government wants to know. In just one example of the staggering overbreadth of the search warrant, it would require DreamHost to turn over the IP logs of all visitors to the site. Millions of visitors—activists, reporters, or you (if you clicked on the link)—would have records of their visits turned over to the government. The warrant also sought production of all emails associated with the account and unpublished content, like draft blog posts and photos.

DOJ Seeks 1.3M IP Addresses Associated With J20 Protests

August 15, 2017 Staff, www.dreamhost.com Resist! DOJ, Inauguration, Mass Surveillance, Trump Administration

By Staff of Dream Host - You would be shocked to see just how many of these challenges we’re obligatedto mount every year! Chris Ghazarian, our General Counsel, has taken issue with this particular search warrant for being a highly untargeted demand that chills free association and the right of free speech afforded by the Constitution. Demand for Information. The request from the DOJ demands that DreamHost hand over 1.3 millionvisitor IP addresses — in addition to contact information, email content, and photos of thousands of people — in an effort to determine who simply visitedthe website. (Our customer has also been notified of the pending warrant on the account.) That information could be used to identify any individuals who used this site to exercise and express political speech protected under the Constitution’s First Amendment. That should be enough to set alarm bells off in anyone’s mind.

#DisruptJ20 Protester Receives Prison Sentence For Felony Rioting

July 8, 2017 Anne Meador, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Inauguration, Protests, Riots

By Anne Meador for DC Media Group - A judge sentenced a man who broke windows and threw rocks at police officers during Inauguration Day protests to 36 months in prison for each of two counts, all but 4 months suspended. Dane Powell, 31, who participated in an “anti-fascist march” on January 20, accepted a government deal in late April in which he pleaded guilty to two charges, felony rioting and felony assault on police officers. In addition to the prison sentence, DC Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz imposed two years supervised probation and three years supervised release. Powell was among over two hundred people arrested related to #DisruptJ20 protests on the day of President Trump’s inauguration in downtown Washington, DC. Most of those arrested and charged that day, including journalists and bystanders, were indiscriminately rounded up by police. Powell, however, was arrested the following day after he was identified by police standing outside the courthouse while waiting for other protesters to be released. In January, he was charged with six offenses, including three counts of assault on a police officer, destruction of property and felony rioting. In April, he was hit with additional charges in a superseding indictment, including conspiracy to riot. The seriousness of the charges could have resulted in decades in prison. Powell accepted a plea deal on April 28.

Charges Dropped Against Journalist Covering Inauguration Protests

February 22, 2017 Anne Meador, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! Inauguration, Journalism, Protests

By Anne Meador for DC Media Group - Shay Horse, an independent photographer, was notified by the U.S. Attorney’s office that felony rioting charges against him had been dropped without prejudice. He had been arrested and charged during protests in Washington, DC on Jan. 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Horse was among seven journalists who were arrested when police indiscriminately rounded up hundreds of protesters using a technique called “kettling.” Mass arrests in 2000 and 2002 led to lawsuit settlements in the millions. As part of the legal settlements, new policies were implemented which prohibited kettling. Police also tear gassed and pepper sprayed protesters and threw concussion grenades at them after a few “Black Bloc” demonstrators allegedly broke storefront windows and torched a limosine. In total, seven journalists were arrested and charged along with more than 200 protesters.

Did Interim DC Police Chief Order Mass Arrests Also Order 2002 Mass Arrests

January 28, 2017 Steven Nelson, www.usnews.com Educate! Inauguration, Protesters Arrested, Protests, Washington DC

By Steven Nelson for U.S. News - The interim police chief in the nation’s capital is declining to address details of a 235-person mass arrest Friday during President Donald Trump's inauguration as it becomes clear that some journalists were booked alongside activists. So far, seven journalists have been identified as being among the 230 adults charged with felony rioting, which carries a maximum 10 years in prison and a large fine. Peter Newsham told U.S. News he could not confirm that he ordered the mass arrest and said that he could not comment on why some journalists were charged while at least four others were allowed to leave a large penned-in group.

DC Police Resume Unlawful Mass Arrest Tactic At Inauguration Protests

January 28, 2017 Mark Hand, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! Inauguration, Police, Protests, Washington DC

By Mark Hand for DC Media Group - The Washington, DC, police assault on protesters on Donald Trump’s inauguration day was reminiscent of how police forces handle dissidents under dictatorships and tyrannical regimes around the world. For several hours, the police used pepper spray, tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets on people gathered in the streets of the capital city. The police also rounded up people indiscriminately, including more than a handful of journalists, and arrested them. The people spent the night in jail, with the bulk of them facing felony rioting charges that carry a possible penalty of 10 years in prison.

Are Police Searching Inauguration Protesters’ Phones?

January 27, 2017 George Joseph, www.citylab.com Educate! Inauguration, Police, Protesters, Surveillance

By George Joseph for City Lab - A lawyer for several protesters arrested in inauguration protests on Friday claims that police appear to be mining information from mobile phones taken after they were detained. On Friday, January 20, thousands of protesters took to the streets of D.C. to disrupt Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities. A small fraction of them damaged property and threw projectiles at police in riot gear, who deployed flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and pepper spray on large crowds throughout the day. But according to CityLab’s observations of the demonstrations that morning, most of the roughly 230 people arrested—who included a number of legal observers, journalists, and medics

Our Streets: The Story from the Front Lines & How We Fight

January 26, 2017 Eleanor Goldfield, www.Occupy.com/ActOut Strategize! Black Bloc, Donald Trump, Inauguration, Militarized police, Police violence, Resist J20

By Eleanor Goldfield for ACT Out. Yawn points out that condemning black bloc tactics divides us and that we should not limit ourselves to only permitted protests. He asks: what violence would have to be done to you before you fight back? Is that being done to others in our country? Is it being done by the United States to others around the world? With these questions in mind he points out that opposing black bloc tactics comes from a place of privilege, the privilege of not suffering violence at the hand of the state. Yawn describes how tactics must be analyzed in the context of the situation and the goals of the protest.

Journalists & Dissent Under Attack In The United States

January 25, 2017 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Black Bloc, Criminal Justice, Inauguration, Media, Resist J20

By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese for Popular Resistance. When we discussed these specific arrests with Chris Hedges over email his view was "This is just the start." On our radio show, Hedges described how cowering the media is a key part of silencing dissent. If the media is not there to cover the mistreatment of protesters, then law enforcement will become even more abusive. Reporters Without Borders described the media as "Public Enemy Number One for the Trump administration," writing it is "alarmed by the new administration’s repeated attacks on the media and blatant disregard for facts in the first three days of Donald Trump’s presidency. . . In the first 72 hours since the 45th President of the United States took his oath of office, his administration has executed a coordinated attack on the media and demonstrated a clear disregard for facts." Margaux Ewen, Advocacy and Communications Director for RSF North America, said: It is clear that Trump views the media as his number one enemy and is taking every single opportunity to try to weaken their credibility.

Felony Riot Charges Against Trump Inauguration Protesters

January 23, 2017 Sarah Lazare, www.alternet.org Resist! Donald Trump, Inauguration, Protests, Riots

By Sarah Lazare for AlterNet - More than 200 people who were mass-arrested at the Washington, D.C. protests against the inauguration of Donald Trump have been hit with felony riot charges that are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Those picked up in the sweep—including legal observers and journalists—had their phones, cameras and other personal belongings confiscated as evidence, a lawyer confirmed to AlterNet. Demonstrators warn that the crackdown signals a new wave of repression against the protesters, whose mass mobilization was met with riot police violence, National Guard and Department of Homeland Security deployments, heavy surveillance and law enforcement snipers positioned on rooftops.

Why Is Trump So Sensitive About The Small Turnout For His Inauguration?

January 23, 2017 Jonathan Freedland, www.theguardian.com Educate! 2016 Elections, Donald Trump, Inauguration

By Jonathan Freedland for The Guardian - For it was Groucho Marx’s character – impersonated for that scene by brother Chico – who asked, in the 1933 classic Duck Soup, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?” In his first appearance at the podium as White House press secretary on Saturday, Sean Spicer adhered to that same Marxist doctrine by demanding that the media ignore the clear evidence of their own eyes, as well as photographs and video footage, and instead believe Trump’s claim that he had drawn record-breaking crowds to his inauguration ceremony the previous day. Or to be precise, “the largest audience to ever witness the inauguration – period. Both in person and around the globe.”

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