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Celebrating 50 Years
Defending Your Right to Dissent!
1960 - 2010
SCLC reception honoring DDF Founder Frank Wilkinson and Carl Braden
the evening before they were jailed. April 30, 1961.
Left to right: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frank Wilkinson, Carl Braden, and Dr. James Dombrowski
The Defending Dissent Foundation is activists standing up for activists. Our mission is to protect and advance the right of dissent. We alert local activists to civil liberties threats, and make sure the concerns of activists are heard in Washington. We take action when our right to dissent is threatened.
Domestic Intelligence Project: FOIA Parties
Are you now, or have you ever been an environmentalist? An animal rights activist or peace activist? Have you ever fought for economic justice? Demonstrated against abortion? Do you belong to a mosque? Are you a veteran of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan? Is there a Ron Paul bumper sticker on your car?
If so, you may have been the target of unconstitutional police spying.
In 2005, the FBI testified to Congress that animal rights and environmental 'extremists' are the number one domestic terrorism threat in the U.S. Recently-leaked documents indicate that FBI and other police informants have unjustifiably infiltrated mosques as well as anarchist, peace, anti-death penalty and other activist groups. Documents indicate that police agencies at the federal, state, local and tribal level are tracking activists of all stripes based on their legitimate First Amendment-protected activities.
FOIA Parties!
Information about domestic political spying is revealed slowly, through leaks, or as a result of Freedom of Information Act requests. FOIA can be a powerful tool, but only if we use it! Find out if you, or your group has been the target of police spying, and help us uncover and document the extent of domestic spying on legitimate First Amendment activities! Host a FOIA Party! It's fun, it's pretty easy, and really, haven't you always wanted to ask for your FBI file? Click here for resources
Find out more about unconstitutional police agency spying here.
The right to dissent is the foundation of a strong democracy. Unfortunately the history of dissent in America goes hand in hand with the history of government repression of dissent: The inspiring story of Martin Luther King Jr. is paired with the treacherous FBI campaign of spying, sabotage and smear tactics to 'neutralize' him. Beloved folk singer Pete Seeger was 'investigated for sedition, harassed by the FBI and blacklisted,"1 and sentenced to a year in jail for refusing to answer questions posed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). Union activists were often met with violence, members of the International Workers of the World gunned down by police in Everett Washington in 1916, or the Minneapolis Teamsters killed by police in 1934 ... read more
