On December 2, 2004, the Colorado ACLU invoked the Freedom of Information Act on behalf of 16 organizations and 10 individuals, seeking disclosure from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) of the files on it keeps on peaceful and nonviolent political activity.
At a press conference announcing the FOIA campaign, the ACLU of Colorado presented a detailed powerpoint presentation, based on files obtained from the Denver police Spy Files litigation, showing that the FBI had also been monitoring and keeping files on how Colorado activists exercise their First Amendment rights.
The FOIA request was part of a nation-wide ACLU campaign to uncover the full extent of FBI political surveillance. The national ACLU and at least a half-dozen additional state ACLU affiliates filed similar requests for FBI documents the same day. The Colorado ACLU and other state affiliates filed additional FOIA requests in 2005.
In four subsequent news releases, the ACLU of Colorado disclosed files obtained through these FOIA requests that demonstrated that the FBI has been keeping files on peaceful political activity, often in files classified as "domestic terrorism." The ACLU of Colorado relied on these documents in correspondence asking Denver officials to end their participation in the FBI task force.
The ACLU's clients: 16 organizations, 10 indivduals:
ACLU news releases:
- "Presenting documentary evidence of FBI political spying, ACLU files FOIA request on behalf of 16 organizations and 10 individuals," ACLU News Release, December 2, 2004
- ACLU of Colorado powerpoint, compiling evidence of FBI political spying found in Denver police Spy Files, December 2, 2004
- "New documents confirm: FBI's Joint Terrowism Task Force targets peaceful activists for harassment, political surveillance," ACLU News Release, May 18, 2005
- "New documents confirm that FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force treats peaceful protest as potential terrorism," ACLU News Release, August 2, 2005
- "New documents confirm that FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force wastes resources and threatens First Amendment rights by targeting peaceful protest activity as “domestic terrorism,” ACLU News Release, December 8, 2005
- "FBI conducts surveillance of Denver bookstore and records license plate numbers of vehicles," ACLU News Release, March 28, 2006
Media:
-
“ACLU accuses FBI of spying,” Rocky Mountain News, December 3, 2004
-
“FBI spying allegations supported by records,” The Denver Post, December 3, 2004
-
“ACLU Fights FBI Spying on Colorado Activists,” 5280, December 6, 2004
-
“ACLU: Peaceful groups in FBI files,” The Denver Post, August 2, 2005
-
““Spy files” pact may be broken,” The Denver Post, May 17, 2005
-
ACLU: Pull cops from terror unit,” The Denver Post, May 18, 2005
-
ACLU demands Denver police comply with no-spying rule,” 9 News, May 18, 2005
-
““Spy files” all over again?,” The Denver Post, May 22, 2005
-
ACLU: Peaceful groups in FBI files,” The Denver Post, August 2, 2005
-
“Spy files” include antiwar surveillance,” The Denver Post, March 28, 2006
-
“FBI allegedly kept eye on nonviolent anti-war groups,” The Denver Post, March 28, 2006
-
“FBI’s misguided surveillance,” The Denver Post, April 6, 2006
ACLU case number
2004-06