Example of the proactivity about which Gregory speaks:
Activists Protest Justice Department's Operation TIPS
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
July 29, 2002
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - More than two-dozen students and other "social justice" activists gathered outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice Monday to protest the DOJ's plans to continue developing a program that allows private citizens to report suspicious activity.
Operation TIPS, which is an acronym for "Terrorism Information and Prevention System," is described as "a national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related activity," according to the federal government's "Citizen Corps" website.
But Steven Weiss, organizer of the protest against Operation TIPS, said the plan would be better described as a "citizen-spy" program.
"It pits citizens against citizens, ratting each other out," he said. "If you look at history you can see other regimes that have done that. The Gestapo did it. Cuba still does it. It's McCarthyism all over again."
In a statement issued by the Justice Department, Public Affairs Director Barbara Comstock said the program merely creates an organized information gathering system for tips from workers whose jobs put them in public places and whose routines will help them spot anything out of the ordinary.
"Operation TIPS is simply a reporting system," Comstock said. "which enable[s] American workers to report unusual and non-emergency issues that they observe in the normal course of their work."
But Adam Eidinger, who also participated in the protest, said he fears activities such as his political involvement with the "DC Statehood Green Party" may put him on a TIPS reporting list.
"I can only imagine a situation where private individuals, who are citizens of this country, who think they are doing something patriotic, are actually giving bad information about political activities to the FBI, to the Justice Department, to whoever," he said. "This program is a violation of our rights. It's a violation of the Fourth Amendment."
Alex Billet of the "International Socialist Organization" also participated in the demonstration. He said he believes government officials like Attorney General John Ashcroft will use Operation Tips to send citizen spies into areas that law enforcement can not obtain warrants to search or put under surveillance.
"This is a man who we cannot trust with our civil liberties, with our civil rights," Billet said. "When it comes to our civil liberties, I assure you 'Big Brother' is watching."
Comstock rejected such claims.
"None of the Operation TIPS materials published on the web or elsewhere have made reference to entry or access to the homes of individuals; nor has it ever been the intention of the Department of Justice, or any other agency, to set up such a program, she said.
"Our interest in establishing the Operation TIPS program is to allow American workers to share information they receive in the regular course of their jobs in public places and areas," Comstock added. "Once they report the information, they can rest assured that law enforcement officials will be taking any appropriate next steps."
But even those limited activities are seemingly not acceptable to Congress. In the "Homeland Security Act of 2002" passed by the House last week, a one-sentence chapter relating to Operation TIPS was added to the legislation.
Title VII, Subtitle G, Chapter 97, Section 770 of the Act states:
"Any and all activities of the Federal Government to implement the proposed component program of the Citizen Corps known as Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System) are hereby prohibited."
Weiss says that's not stopping the Justice Department.
"We know that they're going to still try to pursue this under another name," he argued, "or under the same name and just blatantly ignore Congress and destroy civil rights within this country."
Literature handed out by the group claims that Operation TIPS would:
Violate the Fourth Amendment;
Foster an atmosphere of fear and distrust;
Make false arrests easier to justify, using information of dubious reliability, gathered by untrained laymen; and
Give Americans a false sense of security by creating a program with an "elite sounding" name for an activity any American can already engage in: calling authorities when they see something suspicious.
After spending approximately half an hour chanting and listening to speeches, the protesters, led by Weiss, went to the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the Justice Department's headquarters building to ask that the department promise to abide by the congressional prohibition on Operation TIPS.
More than 20 uniformed and plainclothes officers from several federal law enforcement agencies blocked the protesters' access to the building, even closing one of two large iron barricade doors to keep them from entering. After brief negotiations between Weiss and the ranking officer, a DOJ spokesman emerged and talked briefly with the demonstrators.
"The statement stands. The program is still under development," said Mark Corallo, deputy director of the Office of Public Affairs. "There have been a lot of misconceptions about the program, and we will clarify those in the coming days. That's all we have to say."
The protesters remained outside the building for another 15 to 20 minutes before leaving voluntarily. One demonstrator vowed to return to the Justice Department every day until the agency agrees to halt the program. She carried a sign hand-lettered with the text of the Fourth Amendment.
Protest
OVE alone is eternal and unconquerable.
Maria
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