NYPD Raids Activists’ Homes Before May Day Protests (gawker.com)
The New York Police Department (NYPD) raided at least three activists’ homes in advance of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) May Day Protests, using old warrants for roommates or individuals previously living in the homes as pretext. One activist was arrested on an outstanding open container violation. Other activists were visited and questioned by the NYPD, and in one instance, by FBI agents. Pre-emptive raids and interrogations by law enforcement officers threaten to chill First Amendment rights, and both the FBI and the NYPD have previously been criticized for improperly treating non-violent civil disobedience as terrorism, which is reflected in this NYPD memo regarding the OWS May Day Protests: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/new-york-police-department-anticipates-may-day-vio
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