[Seattle-editorial] FEATURE PROPOSAL: LEIU

[jonathan lawson]

subtitle: BIG BROTHER COMES TO TOWN
title: LEIU to Meet Opposition and Scrutiny in Seattle

During the first week of June, Seattle's Red Lion Hotel plays host to the 
48th annual training seminar of the <a 
href="http://nobigbrother.net/article.php?id=12">Law Enforcement 
Intelligence Unit</a>, a <a 
href="http://eatthestate.org/07-18/LEIUThreatMenace.htm">somewhat 
mysterious</a>, private organization which links the intelligence squads of 
over 250 law enforcement agencies on four continents, sharing information 
among public and private agencies through channels unaccountable to any 
public scutiny or accountability. Seminar topics include "Criminal Protest 
Groups," "Informant Management" and "Domestic Terrorism Left and Right;" 
Homeland Secuity chief  Tom Ridge is LEIU's invited keynote speaker. Other 
speakers include FBI Assistant Director John Pistole and former New York 
City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. Corporate sponsors of the 
conference include <a href="http://jps.directtaps.net/">Microsoft</a>, 
Starbucks, Seven Eleven and Boeing.

<p><a href="http://nobigbrother.net/">Activist groups</a> plan to converge 
in Seattle during the conference , to protest attacks on the civil 
liberties of immigrants and communities of color, the lack of local police 
accountability in Seattle, growing infringements of civil rights under the 
PATRIOT Act and its proposed sequel, the militarization of police, and the 
effective criminalization of dissent. Major planned events include a 
<b>June 1 Teach-in (7:30pm at Town Hall)</b> on "LEIU and the New 
Surveillance Society," and a <b>June 2 Rally and March for Liberty (6pm, 
Westlake)</b>. Weekly planning meetings are being held Sundays at 3pm at 
the IMC (1415 Third Ave). [<a 
href="http://nobigbrother.net/article.php?id=11">more events listed here</a>]

<p><a href="http://www.leiu2003seattle.org/">LEIU Seattle 2003</a> |
<a href="http://nobigbrother.net/">Stop the Police State</a> | <a 
href="http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=23464">LEIU: a 
brief history </a>
| <a href="http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=27006">Radio 
X interview on LEIU</a>