Black Caesar
Active Member
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ed-facebook-posts-slams-fbi-article-1.3984603
A Texas judge has dismissed the indictment against a man believed to be the first prosecuted under a new government effort to track "black identity extremists" nearly six months after he was arrested and jailed.
Rakem Balogun and his 15-year-old son awoke on Dec. 12, 2017, to a horde of FBI agents storming his one-bedroom apartment in Dallas. They were ushered outside in their underwear, where he was arrested by federal agents.
He'd later learn they were investigating him for "domestic terrorism," allegations he said are rooted in his social media posts criticizing police officers, according to the Guardian.
Balogun, who was born Christopher Daniels, is a founding member of the Guerilla Mainframe and the Huey P. Newton Gun Club, both of which encourage weapons training and physical fitness among the African-American community. Their work also includes coordinating meals for the homeless, youth picnics and self-defense classes.
Investigators initially started monitoring Balogun after he appeared in videos at an Open Carry rally in Austin, Texas, in March 2015. The clips — which see protesters chanting slogans like "the only good pig is a pig that's dead" — were eventually posted on Infowars, a far-right site run by Alex Jones.
"They're using a conspiracy theorist video as a reason to justify their tyranny? That's a big insult," Balogun told the Guardian.
Special agent Aaron Keighley, who testified in the case, made no mention of Balogun specifically, speaking only about the 2015 rally in general terms.
Keighley did cite Balogun's Facebook posts, including one where he expresses "solidarity" with Micha Johnson, the gunman who fatally shot five police officers in Texas. The agent eventually admitted they had no specific evidence to prove Balogun threatened police.
His Facebok posts, which he described as "venting," came amid high-profile cases of officers fatally shooting black men, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
When Balogun was arrested in December, authorities confiscated his .38-caliber handgun and a book called "Negros with Guns" by Robert F. Williams.
They charged him with a lone count of illegal firearm possession, with prosecutors alleging he could not own a gun due to a 2007 misdemeanor domestic assault case in Tennessee, according to court documents.
Balogun told The Guardian the issue stemmed from a confrontation with a girlfriend and that he felt pressured to plead guilty so he could get out of jail.
"They were really desperate," he said. "This is pretty much like Stalin 1950 — 'You show me the man. I show you the crime.'"
A judge ruled at the beginning of May that the Tennessee law did not apply to Balogun, ultimately killing the government's case against him.
His family and supporters have said he is the first person to be prosecuted and targeted under US efforts to track "black identity extremists." The FBI's Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit in a leaked 2017 report cited the "resurgance in ideologically motivated, violent criminal activity" rooted in African-Americans' "perception of police brutality."
The government's own crime data, however, has for the most part undermined claims that such "black identity extremists" are a danger. In fact, most of those who shoot and kill police officers are white men, with white supremacists responsible for nearly 75% of extremist attacks since 2001.
"It's tyranny at its finest," the 34-year-old told the Guardian. "I have not been doing anything illegal for them to have surveillance on me. I have not hurt anyone or threatened anyone."
A Texas judge has dismissed the indictment against a man believed to be the first prosecuted under a new government effort to track "black identity extremists" nearly six months after he was arrested and jailed.
Rakem Balogun and his 15-year-old son awoke on Dec. 12, 2017, to a horde of FBI agents storming his one-bedroom apartment in Dallas. They were ushered outside in their underwear, where he was arrested by federal agents.
He'd later learn they were investigating him for "domestic terrorism," allegations he said are rooted in his social media posts criticizing police officers, according to the Guardian.
Balogun, who was born Christopher Daniels, is a founding member of the Guerilla Mainframe and the Huey P. Newton Gun Club, both of which encourage weapons training and physical fitness among the African-American community. Their work also includes coordinating meals for the homeless, youth picnics and self-defense classes.
Investigators initially started monitoring Balogun after he appeared in videos at an Open Carry rally in Austin, Texas, in March 2015. The clips — which see protesters chanting slogans like "the only good pig is a pig that's dead" — were eventually posted on Infowars, a far-right site run by Alex Jones.
"They're using a conspiracy theorist video as a reason to justify their tyranny? That's a big insult," Balogun told the Guardian.
Special agent Aaron Keighley, who testified in the case, made no mention of Balogun specifically, speaking only about the 2015 rally in general terms.
Keighley did cite Balogun's Facebook posts, including one where he expresses "solidarity" with Micha Johnson, the gunman who fatally shot five police officers in Texas. The agent eventually admitted they had no specific evidence to prove Balogun threatened police.
His Facebok posts, which he described as "venting," came amid high-profile cases of officers fatally shooting black men, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
When Balogun was arrested in December, authorities confiscated his .38-caliber handgun and a book called "Negros with Guns" by Robert F. Williams.
They charged him with a lone count of illegal firearm possession, with prosecutors alleging he could not own a gun due to a 2007 misdemeanor domestic assault case in Tennessee, according to court documents.
Balogun told The Guardian the issue stemmed from a confrontation with a girlfriend and that he felt pressured to plead guilty so he could get out of jail.
"They were really desperate," he said. "This is pretty much like Stalin 1950 — 'You show me the man. I show you the crime.'"
A judge ruled at the beginning of May that the Tennessee law did not apply to Balogun, ultimately killing the government's case against him.
His family and supporters have said he is the first person to be prosecuted and targeted under US efforts to track "black identity extremists." The FBI's Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit in a leaked 2017 report cited the "resurgance in ideologically motivated, violent criminal activity" rooted in African-Americans' "perception of police brutality."
The government's own crime data, however, has for the most part undermined claims that such "black identity extremists" are a danger. In fact, most of those who shoot and kill police officers are white men, with white supremacists responsible for nearly 75% of extremist attacks since 2001.
"It's tyranny at its finest," the 34-year-old told the Guardian. "I have not been doing anything illegal for them to have surveillance on me. I have not hurt anyone or threatened anyone."
