Dear Community,
We write to you with an important update about a recent example of state repression and surveillance of our movement, specifically of SURJ-DC’s action at the January 20, 2017 presidential inauguration. This is particularly important as we prepare for another round of J20 defendant trials, beginning on May 14.
We recently became aware of a case of infiltration by a Metropolitan Police Department officer around inauguration protests on January 20th, 2017. Brian Adelmeyer, a Metropolitan Police Department officer, assumed the false identity of Andrew Miller and attended meetings in preparation for the J20 actions. He had a back story about trying to get his life together and find community. He was unassuming, helpful, and quiet. He participated in the art builds leading up to J20 and set out with us in the SURJ blockade the morning of the 20th. We did not discover he was an undercover police officer until he testified against our community members in November 2017 trials.
Luckily, in this case, the police were not able to disrupt our action, gain highly sensitive information, or directly access or harm our Black partners. In fact, Adelmeyer’s participation in our blockade meant he was unable to testify to the complete events of the day in the first J20 trial; all six defendants in that case were found not guilty. This prompts reflection and potential learning for us regarding our role as a buffer between white/state violence and Black liberation organizers. However, the ineffectiveness of this police action is not a reason to underestimate the power and potential impact of efforts by the state to repress our movement.
We hope that by sharing this information, we can begin to build stronger bonds across movements and greater context (particularly among white folks) of historical and ongoing acts of state repression. Stronger bonds and deeper context are key to preventing the state from dividing and tearing apart our work, and to our wholehearted, courageous efforts to grow a more just future. The tactics of state repression are well worn and varied; from water cannons and dogs to infiltration and the dispersal of false information to extreme prosecutions intended to suppress political dissent, ours is just another in a long line of movements that have been targeted by the government.
We make this public statement because publicizing acts of state repression are crucial to combating them. Particularly as white folks in the movement for racial justice, it’s crucial that we understand the role that state repression has played and continues to play in maintaining the unjust, violent, white supremacist status quo. While we as white folks may feel comfortable around the police, while we have often been taught that the police can and will protect us, we must reject that alliance and deliberately, courageously affirm that we side with the forces of justice and peace, not repression and violence.
“We know that people who don’t understand the role and methods of the state are more vulnerable to its manipulation, and can make our movements more vulnerable to its violence. It’s very important that white activists and organizations are not a “weak link” in security practices.” — The Catalyst Project (link for deeper resources below)
Our partners experience surveillance in person and online, the Department of Justice has designated a category of terrorist called “Black Identity Extremist” and MPD surveils the homes of BLM organizers. It is crucial that we carefully and calmly face the threat of state repression as a community seeking to build with the movement for Black Liberation and the liberation of all people. Further, in studying the history of state repression (again, see below for more resources) we’ve come to recognize that the work we need to do to resist state repression is the same work we need to do to dismantle white supremacy and grow justice:
- Political education: understanding the role of the police and other state forces
- Conflict mediation / resolution / transformation
- Deep reckoning with our own stake in liberation
- Unlearning white supremacy culture
- Building strong multiracial coalition, multilateral accountability
- Healing & organizing with a lens towards trauma
We’re eager to continue doing this work with you and with our partner organizations. If you’re having questions, want to work through feelings, and want to strategize, please email surjdc@gmail.com to get plugged in.
We’re committed to loving and protecting our broader movement, and part of that commitment is building strong security practices. The type of trust we need to resist state repression is the same kind of trust we need to build to make this big beautiful movement happen, going deeper with one another can only make us stronger.
With Love and Dedication,
SURJ DC Steering and Accountability Team
If you’d like to do some more self education, we suggest you start here:
1. Catalyst Project, A Troublemakers’ Guide; and the accompanying curriculum for reading groups.
2. COINTELPRO 101 (Freedom Archives, 2012, 60 mins). [The video documentary is made and distributed by Freedom Archives. The Archives has made the documentary available to view for free online on Vimeo at vimeo.com/15930463. The DVD includes optional Spanish subtitles and bonus materials; please consider supporting Freedom Archives by buying a copy and sharing it. freedomarchives.org/publications/cointelpro-101.
3. This 1972 letter to white Southern women from Anne Braden includes a really powerful telling of when Braden first recognized her choice of allying with the police or with a multiracial movement for justice.