ACLU believes police spied on local activists
Files public information requests
Posted 10/02/08
The Woodberry-based ACLU of Maryland believes the Baltimore City Police Department was illegally spying on several local activist groups, including the American Friends Service Committee on York Road.
The organization filed public information act requests with the city department and several other jurisdictions in the state on Sept. 30.
The requests were filed on the behalf of 32 different groups that believe they were under surveillance, according to the ACLU.
The requests are related to findings earlier this year that the Maryland State Police had been observing several activist groups.
The public information act requests were filed to find out if local police forces were monitoring groups and individuals, said David Rocah, ACLU of Maryland staff attorney.
He said he knows that state police that were watching the groups were giving reports to local police departments.
Rocah said documents attained by the ACLU already prove Baltimore City police were conducting surveillance on peace protesters and anti-death penalty groups.
On the ACLU Web site, www.aclu-md.org, several documents are posted, purportedly showing the surveillance of the American Friends Service Academy in the 4800 block of York Road by police as members of the group prepared to leave for a protest on the Fourth of July, 2004.
Veteran activist Maria Allwine, of Waverly, a former Green Party candidate for City Council president, said she believes her civil rights were probably violated by local police departments at various protests over the years.
“I hope I’m proven wrong,” she said.
Allwine is a member of three groups that asked the ACLU to file public information act requests their behalf.
She said taxpayers should be enraged that law enforcement would take the time to spy on peaceful citizens instead of securing terrorist targets like Baltimore’s ports.
“Maybe they don’t want to do the hard work. I don’t know,” she said.
Police department spokesman Sterling Clifford did not return a call for comment.
Former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs on Oct. 1 issued a report requested by Gov. Martin O’Malley that is critical of Maryland State Police tactics.
The report concludes that state police “significantly burdened” activists' First Amendment rights. However, the report also concluded that state police shared information about their surveillance with local departments, but didn’t collaborate with them.
The organization filed public information act requests with the city department and several other jurisdictions in the state on Sept. 30.
The requests were filed on the behalf of 32 different groups that believe they were under surveillance, according to the ACLU.
The requests are related to findings earlier this year that the Maryland State Police had been observing several activist groups.
The public information act requests were filed to find out if local police forces were monitoring groups and individuals, said David Rocah, ACLU of Maryland staff attorney.
He said he knows that state police that were watching the groups were giving reports to local police departments.
Rocah said documents attained by the ACLU already prove Baltimore City police were conducting surveillance on peace protesters and anti-death penalty groups.
On the ACLU Web site, www.aclu-md.org, several documents are posted, purportedly showing the surveillance of the American Friends Service Academy in the 4800 block of York Road by police as members of the group prepared to leave for a protest on the Fourth of July, 2004.
Veteran activist Maria Allwine, of Waverly, a former Green Party candidate for City Council president, said she believes her civil rights were probably violated by local police departments at various protests over the years.
“I hope I’m proven wrong,” she said.
Allwine is a member of three groups that asked the ACLU to file public information act requests their behalf.
She said taxpayers should be enraged that law enforcement would take the time to spy on peaceful citizens instead of securing terrorist targets like Baltimore’s ports.
“Maybe they don’t want to do the hard work. I don’t know,” she said.
Police department spokesman Sterling Clifford did not return a call for comment.
Former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs on Oct. 1 issued a report requested by Gov. Martin O’Malley that is critical of Maryland State Police tactics.
The report concludes that state police “significantly burdened” activists' First Amendment rights. However, the report also concluded that state police shared information about their surveillance with local departments, but didn’t collaborate with them.
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