Now We’re a Terrorist Threat?

In a time when politicians are wringing their hands over “out-of-control” spending, government officials have decided there’s enough cash to closely monitor activist groups in Philadelphia doing the hard work of defending the rights of workers and their communities.

Last week our friends at Jobs with Justice revealed that Pennsylvania’s Office of Homeland Security has “contracted the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR), a private company, to assess terrorist threats impacting law enforcement priorities in Pennsylvania.”

And ITRR, apparently, considers JWJ part of its terrorism monitoring mission. JWJ does coalition work in solidarity with union members, drawing the connections between good sustainable jobs, our communities, and the importance of collective bargaining rights.

In September, thousands of JWJ activists hit the streets in more than 100 cities nationwide to protest the lack of action from Congress and the corporate sector to create jobs. More than 100 gathered in front of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and we wrote about it in last month’s Labor Notes.

Here is what ITRR’s report had to say about this band of evil-doers:

“ITRR analysts believe that law enforcement duties at the aforementioned JwJ event will primarily be limited to crowd and access control at the Chamber of Commerce offices. However, isolated cases of more vigorous protest action remains a possibility in light of JwJ's declared support for ‘strategic militant action.’”

JWJ activists like Sulaiman Kamara and Dynitta Bryant, both security officers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, were recently instrumental in establishing the independent Philadelphia Security Officers Union and winning collective bargaining rights for 135 officers.

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“Since when is securing a path out of poverty-wage jobs considered a terrorist threat?” said shop steward Kamara.

Never mind that the “intelligence” provided by ITRR, which politicians have decided to squander tax dollars on, is in the public domain.

Never mind that the activists are exercising their First Amendment rights.

Government officials and their battle buddies at ITRR are choosing a strategy designed to nurture a climate of paranoia.

As usual, it’s up to us to wage our battles for justice in the face of their fear-mongering—even if we now know that they’re peering over our shoulder.

Eduardo Soriano-Castillo recently joined the Labor Notes staff. He works with Philadelphia JwJ.