Members of Housing First! No More Deaths! were able to confirm that two undercover Grand Junction police officers had joined their organization. The two undercover officers participated in meetings, trainings, and had signed the membership list joining the organization. HF! NMD! has made it public that they, as an organization, are willing to risk arrest to provide shelter for and by the homeless this up coming winter.
“I’m honestly not surprised,” said Connie Murillo, “they stood out since the beginning.” Murillo said that she was disappointed that the police would resort to political surveillance. “Undercover policing of public political organizing destroys community trust of the police.”
Murillo was at the police station waiting for a friend who was doing some paperwork around noon on Wednesday. When she saw the two undercover officers escorting themselves through a secured door into the lobby and then out the rear secured door of the police station. “I got up to make sure they were the same guys that were at the meetings, and they both looked back as they were leaving. It was definitely them.” Murillo said.
Minutes before the beginning of the first HF! NMD! on July 7th in Whitman Park, police scanner traffic indicated that two officers were on “special assignment at Whitman Park.” Indicating that the police had planted undercover officers at that meeting.
One of the officers who called himself “Vic” claimed to be an Iraq War vet who had been houseless since he discharged from the military. Vic and his fellow officer reported to be camped at two different locations to two different people in the organization.
“This is really just more of the same police intimidation and harassment that is directed at the the houseless population in our city on a regular basis,” said HF! member Laurel Ripple. “I don’t see what the city and police find so frightening about the poor and the houseless organizing themselves.”
HF! member Jacob Richards said that three members of his organization were harassed by the police after the first HF! NMD! meeting on July 7th. “Three different people all said the same thing: that officer Cody Kennedy and four other officers told a number of homeless people in the park that they ‘never should of had that meeting,’ that they ‘have the wrong idea,’ and that ‘you don’t know what kind of trouble you’ve started.’
Despite all this the group is still willing to work with the police department. “Deputy Chief John Zen has made an effort to establish open lines of communication between the police department and our organization, and though the discovery of undercover police at our meetings sets things back a little bit, we are still willing to work with the GJPD. In fact they are vital partners if our organization wants to achieve our first goal which is “No More Deaths on the Streets of Grand Junction.” said Richards.
Note the Chief of Police resigned today as well. The above is the Press Release that HF! NMD! is sending out. And attached is a photo of the undercover officers at the first meeting of HF! NMD!
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Comments
good detective work!
July 22, 2009 by strongwindsahead, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3692
Dang! I'm glad y'all are on your toes and were able to catch them early on. I guess that's another plus for small town organizing. People know people...
Great job!
July 22, 2009 by BringItDownNow, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3693
More and more stories like this are showing up. Snitches are getting outed and activists are wising up about security culture. Infiltration and the framing that eventually comes with it is going to just get more difficult for the State.
Same MO
July 23, 2009 by Anonymous, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3695
Just before the DNC dude approached with the same Iraq Vet homeless etc girlfriend etc story out the blue palming a bowl & lighter in broad daylight sidewalk. I stuck out in an friendly group of obvious locals no one had see him before. He kinda looks like the guy on the left in the pict.
it could be...
July 23, 2009 by TheRedPill, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3697
the gjpd did send some of its force to the dnc like bomb squad and swat team who knows maybe our would be homeless pigs were on duty as well i mean just like this story shows you just cant use the local cops to infiltrate grassroots organizing
Nice Oakley "cop" sunglasses.
July 23, 2009 by Anonymous, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3696
Nice Oakley "cop" sunglasses. Those are a dead giveaway.
The guy on the left was also at DNC
July 23, 2009 by tina braxton, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3699
At least two of us have ID'd him there.
RE: Homeless Undercovers
July 23, 2009 by TheRedPill, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3701
I will get confirmation tomorrow but it appears that these two were undercover in the homeless community prior to the launch of HF NMD. Which makes one wonder why they haven't gotten better outfits. Oh and we won the anti-spanging ordinance. The ordinance that is coming back to City Council only prohibits people being in medians for any reason.
Congratulations
July 23, 2009 by tina braxton, 17 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3702
on winning the ordinance. That's great!
Interesting use of taxpayers' money--overdressed cops infiltrating homeless community, before any self-organizing even began. WTF?
question
July 23, 2009 by tina braxton, 17 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3703
About how tall is "Vic"? The guy who tried to take my IMC packet was tall--probably over 6 feet.
Answer
July 24, 2009 by TheRedPill, 17 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3705
he's right around 6-foot even.
Busker's Union
July 24, 2009 by Rebel Insurgent, 17 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3704
Panhandlers of the world UNITE!
Democracy Now covering infiltration this week
July 29, 2009 by Anonymous, 16 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3723
Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow.org radio has been interviewing folks who've been infiltrated - started with Tues show 7/28 and looks like it will continue all week
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