Activist spied on? Man wins settlement

Source: Seattle Times

A 22-year-old anti-war activist from The Evergreen College will get $169,000 as part of a settlement with the State Patrol and two other law-enforcement agencies over allegations that their officers engaged in political spying and harassment.

Philip Chinn was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving by state patrol troopers in May 2007, while traveling to an anti-war protest at the Port of Grays Harbor in Aberdeen.

According to court documents, Chinn was pulled over after police had broadcast an "attempt to locate" his car, which was described as containing "three known anarchists."

The criminal charge was dismissed after tests showed Chinn had no alcohol or drugs in his system. Chinn sued last year, alleging false arrest and violations of his right to free speech.

... The ACLU took up Chinn's cause because it believes the case and other allegations suggest that spying on dissidents by local enforcement, at the behest of the military, "appears to be far more pervasive than we had thought," said ACLU spokesman Doug Honig.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011780363_spysettle05m.html

by the enemies of the state, as the Soviets were believed to have funded socialist and communist political movements throughout the world. In absence of proof, however, that doesn't give them the right to push local law enforcement to violating basic rights.

Everybody on the right wing from McCarthy to Coulter has said this, but no actual proof has been presented for this allegation.

However, the scope turned out to be vastly different than the allegations... in general, states tend to fund groups that match their ideologies in foreign countries, be that US anti-war protesters being funded by the soviet states during Vietnam, or anti-communist groups being funded by the United States in Cuba.

That being said, it's absurd to assume that all people in a given movement are paid operatives, as it turns out that very little funding (in comparison) is required for financial reasons. Most "true believers" pay out of their own pockets, with minimal external financial assistance required.

his anti-war anarchist vehicle to times square. And where are the other two anarchists?

Who was Wsahington governor on 2007 Chris Gregoire? - that's the dudette that needs to be in jail and fined. Her cops = her responsibility.

like last weekend's event. Clearly not happening, so it's an oblique slap at the state patrol for "preventing" him from a major crime he had no intention of doing. On the responsibility part - if Bush's FBI had done this, I would have criticized him; however, this was the Washington state patrol so the governor needs to step up and be responsible for their conduct.