Mardi

Jordan Flaherty

If you think one police force's activities are enough to be worried about, try adding some fuzz from America's largest city. Apparently, there wasn't enough crime up in New York City, so the Big Apple's force dispatched a few people down to New Orleans. According to an AP investigation, New Orleans activist-journalist Jordan Flaherty, who writes for Left Turn and organizes the annual local International Human Rights Festival, was in the crosshairs of the NYPD's intelligence division for opposing government policies.

According to the report, the NYPD officers kept an eye on Flaherty at the 2008 People's Summit, which was a gathering of leftist groups opposed to American economic policy. Flaherty apparently caught the NYPD's attention because as a "former member of the International Solidarity Movement Chapter in New York City." The NYPD appears to have also monitored Flaherty at that year's International Human Rights Film Fest, according to the report. 

"The only threat was the threat of ideas," Flaherty said of the Festival. "I think this idea of secret police following you around is terrifying. It really has an effect of spreading fear and squashing dissent."

Labor organizer Marisa Franco also caught the NYPD's attention, according to the report.

As has been well-trodden before, all of this was done in the name of counterterrorism.