From: Truth Out
Saturday, 12 December 2015 00:00
By Abi Hassen, Truthout | News Analysis
Saturday, 12 December 2015 00:00
By Abi Hassen, Truthout | News Analysis
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(Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)
What if in 1960, instead of performing an act of civil disobedience
at the Woolworth lunch counter, the Greensboro Four had been arrested
for "attempted disorderly conduct" on their way downtown?
Even if the charge were bogus and had no chance in court, its effect
on the movement would have been real. Instead of engaging in a
high-profile confrontation with the state that highlighted the cruelty
of the United States' racist laws, four young Black people would have
been arrested on minor charges - hardly a noteworthy occurrence.
Law enforcement and the intelligence complex are paving the way to
preempt activism in this way with their current talk of banning strong
encryption while perpetuating an ever-growing system of mass data
collection and surveillance. Don't be fooled by their calls of
"terrorism." Actual terrorists such as al-Qaeda have known about and subverted electronic eavesdropping
for decades and will continue to do so. The current efforts at
subverting digital security will not stop the Bin Ladens and al-Qaedas
of the world. Rather, they will disrupt this generation's Martin Luther
King Jrs., Black Panthers and Greensboro Fours. MORE
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