Feds and the Million Mask March

There is much noise being made about the planned Million Mask March scheduled for November 5, 2013-- especially the one that will take place in D.C.  Some of this noise appears to be originating from the wikileaks poet a.k.a. the polymath poet a.k.a. anonomobile a.k.a. Christine [Ann or Herron or neither] Sands a.k.a. who the frig knows.  So what is the problem?



Several: 

Anonymous is supposed to be well, anonymous.  It's in the name.   
     * * * * * Anonymous * * * * * 

Anonymous does not have leaders or spokespersons or membership lists.

Anonymous has been infiltrated by Feds and Informants, just like any other movement of the people.

The March in D.C. appears to have been billed by said poet with a phrase similar to "Overthrow the Government!"




So there is this woman whose image is posted on at least one of her Twitter profiles as well as across the web, an easily identifiable blonde woman claiming to be a sort of benefactor to Anonymous-- UNASKED she bought and registered some percentage of the Million Mask March domains currently in use for the March-- who has also now bought and decorated a massive R.V. and labeled it the Anonomobile.  She claims to be a poet.  And yes, she does write poetry.  Whether or not the poetry is worth reading is outside of the scope of this blog post.  What is clear to me is that Chris Sands is listed on Linked-In-- along with the same picture that graces at least one of her Twitter profiles-- as working or having worked for the feds, specifically at the Department of Justice through the year 2012.  Hello Anonymous, can you spell trap?

Yes, I've said it.  Trap.  I fear that the Million Mask March in D.C. will very much function as a trap.  Christine Sands will be on hand with her handy dandy not so anonymous Anonomobile.  I suspect that a host of her friends the Feds, Fed Informants, and others will also be there in D.C. on November 5, 2013.  To wit, there is probably a heavy presence of Feds and informants any day on the calendar, D.C. being what it is.

There is more stuff in the references.  Intimations and accusations which I've listed for those who want more.  Because I am not the only one sounding the alarm.  I don't know how many people are doing so.  I do know that a few of the Twitter nimjeh [accepted plural of ninjahs-- the accounts there that are usually marked by @my________ninjah -- fill in the blank--- go look in the Twitter search engine for ninjah and you will find them] have also been tweeting about the Million Mask March in D.C. being somewhat of a trap.  As the nimjeh are quick to remind us, None of us alone is as stupid as all of us together.  A few of the nimjeh have advocated for a return to the black bandanna.  I agree.  The icon currently in use-- the Guy Fawkes mask-- is "owned" by Warner Brothers.  Anonymous will not die because people are deciding that the use of a black bandanna is safer than using a mask.  But I digress.

Those Anons who are attending the Million Mask March-- specifically the one in D.C.-- I beg of you to please don't be stupid.  I know the oldfags know all of the things that I am about to list.  Some of the newblood may not.  Here are suggestions culled from Twitter and various other sources-- and my own experiences with protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations-- in no particular order:



Way before the March

~ Advertise the Million Mask March on social media.  Do not advertise your participation in it.  Don't be a leaderfag or a famefag or an egofag.  There are too many of those as it is.

~ Avoid hooking up in social media with known or suspected informants or feds beyond brief interactions, if that.

~ Do NOT publish your travel plans on social media.  Ever.

~ If your nics are easily connected to your wallet info, get new nics.  Duh.

~ Obtain a map of D.C. and mark the March route on it.  Start memorizing street names.

~ Begin to learn bus routes and subway routes so you can get back wherever it is that you are staying from any point on the March route.

~ If you've never participated in a protest or direct action of any sort before, visit various Anonymous and survival sites on the web.  Study and learn how to keep yourself safe.

~ If you are on FB [a.k.a. FaceBook, FedBook (the site that is actually named FedBook is not the one I am talking about), FailBook, FakeBook...] and you gave them your wallet info when you signed up and you used your real name and you don't use it behind chained vpns, proxies etc., ask yourself why.




What to bring

~ Maps of D.C.  A map of the march route.

~ Scripts from the doctor's office for any prescription drugs that you are taking with you.

~ Your prescription drugs in their original prescription drug bottles.  Carry doses required for the number of days away plus two.  In other words, if you will be away from home for three days then take three days worth of prescription drugs plus dosages for two extra days.  [Cops have seized prescription drugs from people for testing at a lab].

~ A mini-first aid kid or first aid supplies that are not heavy and not bulky that you can fit into your pockets and retrieve during the March if you need them.

~ A bandanna dipped in MOM [or vinegar or lemon depending upon what advice you accept on this] stored in a tin.  Instructions exist on the web for making such an anti teargas/pepper spray kit.

~ The memorized phone number of an attorney that you have contacted ahead of time.  The memorized phone numbers of any people that you will be contacting during your time away from home.

~ A throwaway cell phone that you will be using during your entire trip.  Or, a cell phone with a camera that is fairly "clean" or new i.e. not containing any photos or contact info for other anons.


What not to bring

~ Illegal drugs.  Any weapons or items that can be construed to be weapons.
 
~ Expired prescription bottles, prescription bottles that have someone else's name on them.

~ Your cell phone that you use daily with your contact list in it.

~ Your laptop.

~ Your expensive camera with or without incriminating photos stored on it.

~ Your thirst for social recognition via the media.



Just before the March itself in D.C.

~ A good night's sleep so you have your wits about you.

~ Study maps of D.C. and familiarize yourself with the route before the morning of the march.  Memorize the location of alleys and side streets so that you can cut away if you have to.  Then leave the actual maps at the place you are staying.

~ Make sure that your mask does not impede your peripheral vision. 

~ Stuff your pockets with your first aid items, including your bandanna soaked in MOM stored in a tin.




During the March itself

~ Be alert.  You are not going on a casual stroll or a picnic.  You are not a tourist.  Pay attention to what is going on around you and over you. 

~ Identify the Anon Medics around you in the March.  [And know that police action may focus on the medics first.]  The medics are valuable to you if you get hurt or sick during the March.

~ Use your brain.  If something seems suspect to you, pay attention.  Do not let your guard down.  Do not give in to the herd mentality that springs out of being with a mass of enthusiastic people.

~ Do not drink alcohol or get high before or during the March.  You do not want to make it easier for the police to arrest you.

~ Kettling.  If you do not know what that is, look it up.  Be prepared to break away from the crowd for your own safety if you have to.

~ The friendly person in the mask marching next to you may not be your friend.  That stranger may be another Anon.  He or she may be a cop working undercover, a Fed or fed informant, a professional provocateur, an agitator, a crazy person.  Trust no one, not even me.

~ Do not talk about your great hacking skills, what illegal activities you participated in as an Anonymous or otherwise, your use of drugs-- or anything else that you do not want the feds or law enforcement to know-- to the friendly stranger next to you at the March.  Bragging can be dangerous.

~ Stay away from and OUT OF the Anonomobile.  I should not have to even say that.




Contact with Law Enforcement Agencies during the March
 
~ If an agent of the police asks you to "step over here" or similar words, consider yourself as being under arrest even if they say you aren't and that they are only investigating something.

~ Keep your hands in plain sight and out of your pockets.  Do not make any sudden moves.  You do not want to do anything that an officer of the law can conceive of as a threat to his or her own personal safety.  Move slowly and state what you are doing before you do it.  Follow directions.

~ Ask politely if you are under arrest.  If you aren't under arrest or being detained for investigation, leave.  Immediately.

~ "You fucking pig" may be protected speech but endeavor to refrain from name-calling, fighting, and running away from the police.

~ Beyond personal identification, lawyer up.  Tell them you cannot or will not speak to them about [whatever it is they say they are investigating] without a lawyer.

~ The police are legally allowed to lie to you.  Remember that.  Anything they claim to you may not be the truth.  They will lie to you in order to get information out of you.

~ The police cannot determine how you will be treated in a court of law.  They may say things like, "This will go easier on you if you tell."  Again, lawyer up.  Offer them very little if any information beyond your name, address, and telephone number.

~ If your cell phone is seized, the cops will hunt through it for your contacts.  This is why it is better to have a pay as you go throwaway phone with you in D.C. or a cell phone that you do not mind "losing" to the cops forever or for a very long time rather than one that has the names and numbers of every Anon you know on it that you depend upon to make your life manageable.

~ If you find yourself in a holding pen or a jail cell, resist the temptation to talk with the other detainees or inmates about any suspect or illegal activities, your personal observations of the cops or guards, or anything else that might incriminate you in a court of law or among the guards.



The best advice that I ever received was from a judge.  I was attending a session of a Drug Court being held just before the graduation party of several friends who had been drug court participants.  A not so fortunate participant had been caught driving without a license.  The judge asked him why he was doing this.  What followed was a long list of excuses.  The judge was fairly angry and in a raised voice, emphatically stated to the hapless young man, "You gotta have a Plan B!"

~ You gotta have a Plan B.

radical sapphoq

Disclaimer:  I am not an attorney.  This blog post shall not be construed of as legal advice.  I am not responsible for your actions.  Names of informants, suspected informants and other musings listed in the blog post or under the references are not to be treated as evidence, facts, proof, or permission to take illegal actions upon said persons or their network of friends and relatives.  Anecdotes are not evidence, period.  Taking the law into your own hands will probably result in massive butthurt.  Any information that I provided is just that.  I made this blog post in the spirit of wanting new blood to think about safety.  This blog post is not an exhaustive list of how to conduct yourself while in a large assembly of people.  As usual, you are encouraged to conduct your own research and to draw your own conclusions.  Please do so. 


References:

a highly incomplete list of federal informants and suspected federal informants in ref to the Million Mask March
http://pastebin.com/WgZG5YAj
http://pastebin.com/2AhGYTwT
http://evanbatterton1.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/man_groove
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhard_Pfeiffer
http://www.dailydot.com/news/anonymous-operation-last-resort-hoax/
http://pastebin.com/9aB9vB62
http://lulzraft.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-grand-deception-x-sect-exposed.html


what to do if you are being detained for investigation or are under arrest
https://www.aclu.org/
https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/right-protest
https://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/protestors-rights
https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal/bustcardtext.html
http://www.aclu-il.org/protesting-know-your-rights/
http://www.aclu-il.org/aclu-report-what-should-i-do-if-police-stop-or-arrest-me/

http://www.criminalinfonetwork.com/arrested/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/tech/social-media/online-oversharing-arrests/index.html
http://michaelbluejay.com/misc/arrest.html


a few attorneys on twitter who are sympathetic to Anonymous and to protests
http://www.scoop.it/t/anonyme/p/2880822074/hacktivist-s-advocate-meet-the-lawyer-who-defends-anonymous
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/hacktivists-advocate-meet-the-lawyer-who-defends-anonymous/263202/
http://istanleycohen.org/

tiny bits of history of Anonymous and the culture of Anonymous and tidbits of info-- I cannot vouch for accuracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/from-anonymous-to-shuttered-websites-the-evolution-of-online-protest-1.1134948
http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/anonymous-lulz-collective-action
https://whyweprotest.net/community/
http://anonnews.org/
http://www.4chan.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_Dramatica
https://encyclopediadramatica.es/Main_Page
http://cyberguerrilla.org/
https://www.cyberguerrilla.org/blog/
https://odinn.cyberguerrilla.org/
https://lilithlela.cyberguerrilla.org/
https://anonymissexpress.cyberguerrilla.org/
http://anoninsiders.net/guides/index.html
http://lifehacker.com/5854203/how-to-create-a-fake-identity-and-stay-anonymous-online
http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/6747/does-a-vinegar-bandana-help-against-tear-gas
http://www.donrearic.com/bandana1.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-kettling.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Danger-During-Civil-Unrest
http://www.wikihow.com/Deal-With-Riot-Control-Agents
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Getting-Shot-by-a-Police-Officer
http://www.mookychick.co.uk/feminism/activism/protest-march-safety.php

http://www.alternet.org/activism/8-ways-stay-safe-occupy-wall-streets-one-year-anniversary-protests
      (targeted for Occupy protest in NYC)