Ways to spot Imposters- undercover agents at Occupy Charlotte DNC (review print)

[Dyck Dewid]

Here are a few ways undercover agents may tip their hands:  (Print & take with you)

    >Seeking information they do not need under “need to know” rules.
    >Trying to get people to repeat incriminating statements made at an earlier meeting (so they can be recorded). If you are suspicious, say you were just joking when you made the earlier remark.
    >Repeatedly casting suspicion on others without basis. This may be a smoke screen to keep suspicion off themselves.
    >Showing an extremely shallow understanding of the issues. An undercover cop may know only what they have been briefed on. Some, however, are good talkers and can sound knowledgeable without really knowing an issue in depth.
    >Making boisterous demands for action and belittling more timid members of the group. Because many cops have authoritarian, even violent personalities, they may reveal this inadvertently.
    >Showing extreme nervousness, such as looking around constantly during an action. (They may be looking for the surveillance or backup team.)
    >Slipping away to phone or meet supervisors or control agents. Such meetings may be brief , in a car at a public parking lot, for instance, or in a department store. Longer meetings, such as “debriefings” might be held in motel rooms.
    >Constantly “managing” the conversation to guide it in direction they wish.
    >Mentioning another person’s name when you refer obliquely to that person.
    >Working the time, date, or location into conversations.
    >Explicitly stating incriminating things in response to vague comments from you or others.
    >Manipulating conversations to try to get some kind of affirmation from you in response to their incriminating statements.
    >Regularly asking about other individuals (particularly supposed leaders).
    >Initiating conversations about monkeywrenching.
    >Steering a conversation back to illegal acts or conspiracies when the conversation moves on to legal and unrelated matters.
    >Claiming to be a recovering alcoholic. This gives them excuses not to drink with you and possibly slip on their cover while under the influence.
    >Playing different roles with different people calculated to appeal specifically to each individual’s vulnerabilities or strengths. An infiltrator may play the role of just the kind of person you need in your current mental state.
    >Setting up a phony “hit” to enhance their credibility. They may arrange to attack heavy equipment, surveyor stakes, or other targets while witnessed by people they with to entrap or whose confidence they want.

[Dyck Dewid]

Prepare for detainment, pepper spray, or arrest. 

“Both Tampa and Charlotte have passed a number of ordinances regulating the possession of certain items that are perceived as tools of civic disruption at demonstrations,” writes Andy Sellars, the guidebook’s author.  (Free Press site: also see what not to have on your person.. http://www.freepress.net/blog/2012/08/27/what-pack-protest?akid=3809.9962749.isTCIy&rd=1&t=2

There is a lot of nuance in these rules, but they boil down to this: If local, state or federal officials think journalists want to cause “harm or disruption,” they could be in trouble.

With that in mind, Sellars suggests that all journalists pack these five items:

    A government-issued ID
    Cash and/or a credit card to pay any bond that is required to ensure a court appearance. These bonds can be as much as a few hundred dollars.
    Quarters in case the jail provides only a payphone
    A press credential (or letter from a sponsoring news organization)
    A printout of an attorney’s phone number, or the number of one of the legal assistance hotlines developed for the convention. Journalists may want to consider writing this information on their bodies in the event that police confiscate personal items.

Experts like Natasha Lennard at the International News Safety Institute suggest a range of other items that can be invaluable for mobile journalists covering civil unrest. The INSI’s recommendations include the following suggestions:

    In case of tear gas, carry a bandana soaked in onion, lemon or vinegar, which neutralizes irritation.
    If there’s a chance you might be pepper-sprayed, don’t wear face cream or cosmetics. They burn on contact.
    Use earplugs to help neutralize sound cannons.
    Prepare a backpack with supplies to last a day: lightweight raingear, energy bars, water and spare batteries for electronic equipment.
    Pack a medical kit and know how to use it.

For more information on how to pack for a protest, check out this Storify post featuring photos and advice from mobile journalists who have covered conflict areas.

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