Statement - Caitlin Childs, Target of Illegal Spying
Many people express shock upon learning that I have been the subject of
surveillance by Homeland Security. What could I have possibly done that
would make government officials see me as a threat to national security,
they ask. The answer? I joined a peaceful protest on public property
outside the Honey Baked Ham store on Buford Highway in DeKalb County,
Georgia. I was arrested after that protest for taking down the license
plate number of the car belonging to the homeland security agent who had
been photographing us all day.
I wish I could say being spied on and arrested by homeland security came
as a shock to me, but unfortunately it did not. As an activist and an
organizer for animal rights for the past eight years, being spied on,
harassed and falsely arrested is something that I have come to expect.
I don't think that the public really understands what happens to innocent
people who exercise their right to protest. No government ever likes
dissent, but the Bush administration has escalated domestic spying and
further limited free speech rights - all under the guise of "national
security." For evidence, one has to look no further than the advent of
"free-speech zones" and protest pens that keep the face of dissent far
away from the main event, or the mass arrests in New York during the
Republic National Convention. This crackdown on protest has a serious
chilling effect on dissent. You can bet some people are going to think
twice before going out to protest if they fear they'll end up in jail.
This is not democracy.
I refuse to live in fear of what could happen for speaking out and
fighting for the things in which I believe. We learn as young children
that freedom of speech is a fundamental right guaranteed in America. The
government officials currently in power seem to have forgotten that
important lesson.
In many ways, it is a compliment to me that homeland security would be
interested in my activities -- if they are paying attention I must be
doing something right! I will continue to be an activist, to speak out for
animals, for social justice and against government repression. It is vital
that we refuse to be bullied or scared into submission and inaction. We
must hold our government accountable for its abuse of power and disregard
for the Constitution.
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