July 29 2019 For Immediate Release
Contact: Refuse Fascism 323 946-1742
Media Requests: 323 574-3997
RefuseFascism.org
What Press Conference
When Tuesday July 30 9:00 am
Where LA City Hall West Steps on Spring Street 200 N. Spring Street
At 10:00 a.m. Refuse Fascism will move from City Hall steps to City Council Chambers
On the Major Controversy Erupting About LAPD Spying — Refuse Fascism Brings Demands to City Council
Major controversy is erupting about the unconstitutional LAPD spying on Refuse Fascism. Sunday’s Los Angeles Times editorial raised serious concerns stating that “The Los Angeles Police Department’s infiltration of an anti-Trump activist group is deeply troubling and bring to mind a long history of improper LAPD spying.” They go on to describe what they call “the LAPD’s surveillance hall of shame:” “the many police operations whose purpose was to develop dossiers on individuals and undermine organizations” and conclude “it is not clear why the department has to keep relearning the same lesson: Snooping on the public in order to gather intelligence is off-limits unless authorities have a reasonable belief that there is a crime afoot. Without a credible tip or other evidence, monitoring a conversation or a meeting amounts to a fishing expedition at best. When directed at people of a particular political leaning, race or creed, it’s unlawful harassment.”
Last Tuesday, at a police commission meeting, Chief Moore lied and slandered Refuse Fascism, in a dangerous attempt to justify LAPD spying and to justify further surveillance and criminalization. He claimed that “members that identified themselves as being within this group had traveled to other parts of the country, and that in other parts of the country, there had been criminal acts including vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon or arson…” Refuse Fascism demanded that Chief Moore cease and desist in this kind of defamation stating that, “This is all the more dangerous with a fascist regime in power. Trump has expressed his desire to outlaw protest, anti-protest laws are on the books across the country, the Republicans are working to classify anti-fascists as “domestic terrorists,” the regime is tearing up the rule of law, stacking the judiciary with fascists and making openly white supremacist statements intended to unleash his violent fascist mobs. Mobs which have been given a green light by the protection of the LAPD and UCPDs.” (See Refuse Fascism’s statement and press release).
Refuse Fascism is bringing this controversy to the LA City Council to demand: the politically inspired prosecution desist, that criminal charges be dropped and that the LAPD cease and desist in this kind of defamation, that information be released on the full extent of their cover-up and spying campaign, and that the City Council pass a resolution in support of the actions of the #Freeway9 and the #UCLA5, and join in the demand that the Trump/Pence regime must go.
This illegal spying only came to light because of the determined and heroic resistance of the members of Refuse Fascism and the Revolution Club who were arrested and dragged into court, facing illegitimate criminal charges that could land them in jail for up to 3 years.
They were arrested in protests responding to the Call from Refuse Fascism for a movement of millions in the streets acting in sustained, non-violent, determined protest to drive the Trump/Pence regime from power.
Miguel “Alex” Antonio, part of the National Tour to Organize Forces for an ACTUAL Revolution and one of the Freeway 9, said “The Democratic Party machinery out of the City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office is doubling down to criminalize those of us standing up to stop this Trump/Pence nightmare. They’re the ones threatening our species but the Democrats are more afraid of losing the stability of their monstrous system, having people break beyond the official channels they want people confined within, than they are of the order of fascism. This tells you you need to stop relying on them!”
Chantelle Hershberger, one of the #Freeway9 defendants and a member of Refuse Fascism, LA said, “We got on the freeway to sound the alarm and call millions into the streets. With a regime hellbent on consolidating fascism, torturing immigrants in concentration camps, threatening to kill 10 million Afghan people, unleashing violent mobs with open white supremacy, what we called for a year and a half ago is more needed than ever. We need to learn from the people of Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Sudan and more — acting together in the streets in sustained, non-violent, determined protest with one demand: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!”
Here is the Call to Act from RefuseFascism.org
This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go! In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America.