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<h1 class="entry-title">Here’s How One Activist Convinced the FBI
to Leave Him Alone</h1>
<p class="headline_meta">by <span class="author vcard fn">Will
Potter</span> on <abbr class="published" title="2015-12-07">December
7, 2015</abbr></p>
<p class="headline_meta"><b><small><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/how-to-handle-fbi-visit/8577/">http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/how-to-handle-fbi-visit/8577/</a></small></small></small></b><span><a
href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/category/terrorism-threats/"
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<p><img class="alignright wp-image-8578"
src="cid:part4.04080507.03010900@freedomarchives.org"
alt="pickering-fbi-forego-interview" height="229" width="650">Newly
released FBI documents confirm what some activist groups have
argued for years: when FBI agents come knocking, the best response
is to shut the door and call the press.<span id="more-8577"></span></p>
<p>Leslie Pickering is no stranger to FBI harassment. Years ago, he
was a spokesperson for the radical environmental group the Earth
Liberation Front. By publicly making statements in support of
militant tactics like property destruction, he immediately drew
the attention of law enforcement. Today, he helps run an anarchist
bookstore — and has found that the government is <a
href="http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/fbi-asked-for-tracking-of-pickering-mail-in-2012-20140526"
target="_blank">still monitoring his mail and First Amendment
activity</a>.</p>
<p>Pickering has been working with his attorney, Michael Kuzma, to
obtain FBI documents about him. The court has ordered the FBI to
process and release 30,000+ pages of his FBI file. In the first
batch of those documents he has received, there is an account of
the FBI’s decision to “forego an interview” and not visit
Pickering.</p>
<p>The reason?</p>
<p>Pickering never talked, and future visits could result in bad
press for the FBI.</p>
<p>“In previous investigations, Pickering was not cooperative with
interviewers,” the document says. “Additionally, Pickering has
used a possible FBI investigation against him to gain publicity in
the local and national press. SSA concurrence was obtained to
forego an interview.”</p>
<p>Author Kristian Williams says Pickering’s documents are a good
example of the power and importance of non-cooperation and public
exposure. Williams is the author of<em> <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849352151/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1849352151&linkCode=as2&tag=greecom-20&linkId=VH37GGHQESQ4DXO2"
rel="nofollow">Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in
America</a></em><em>, </em>and has also written about FBI
harassment.</p>
<p>“The FBI’s decision not to approach Pickering shows that, one, if
you refuse to talk it reduces the likelihood that they’ll approach
you again (and conversely, talking at all only increases
the likelihood they’ll come back),” Williams told me. “And two,
the FBI really doesn’t like it when the people they’re
investigating publicize the fact, and if they think you will,
they’re less likely to try to approach you in the first place.”</p>
<p>This often runs counter to activists’ instincts in these
situations, which is to attempt to talk their way out of it. And
activists sometimes don’t want to publicize the FBI visit,
Williams said, because it could make other activists afraid to
continue organizing, or it could be perceived as self-promotion.</p>
<p>Pickering says he understands those feelings, but documents like
this show that non-cooperation, combined with media outreach, is
the best response.</p>
<p>“It’s never been easy resisting federal investigators or dealing
with the mainstream media,” Pickering said. “However, I have no
doubt that full and consistent resistance of all these
investigations and extensive media exposure have both been
essential in providing the best possible defense on a personal
level, but more importantly for the struggle as a whole.”</p>
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