This article needs to be updated.(June 2014) |
The Occupy movement has been met with a variety of responses from local police departments since its beginning in 2011. According to documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund,[1] the FBI, state and local law enforcement officials treated the movement as a potential criminal and terrorist threat[2] and used fusion centers[3] and counterterrorism agents to investigate and monitor the Occupy movement.[4]
In certain documents, divisions of the FBI refer to the Occupy Wall Street protests as a "criminal activity" or even "domestic terrorism."
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the F.B.I. has come under criticism for deploying counterterrorism agents to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence on organizations active in environmental, animal-cruelty and poverty issues.