Black Communities Forewarned as Surveillance Tactics Expand, Echoing Historical Patterns
CHICAGO – Following recent reports of FBI surveillance targeting activists in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, Black leaders and organizers are voicing a chilling sense of familiarity, asserting that current tactics represent a continuation of historical patterns of government overreach and suppression directed towards marginalized communities. The Intercept’s reporting on the FBI’s monitoring of community meetings focused on gun violence prevention has sparked renewed discussion about the long-standing practice of surveilling Black activism and the warnings issued by those who have experienced it firsthand.
The current situation resonates with a history of state-sponsored monitoring,dating back to the FBI’s COINTELPRO program,which targeted civil rights and Black liberation movements in the mid-20th century. As noted in a recent analysis, the feeling of betrayal following the 2020 election - where many Black Americans felt their warnings about white supremacist power were ignored – contributed to a shift away from public protest and towards a more cautious approach. Many expressed a “tactical withholding,” as described by The 19th News, a purposeful stepping back from consistent public engagement due to the emotional toll of continually fighting for a democracy that often disregards their experiences.
This sentiment is compounded by observations of escalating government power during the Trump governance. Organizers witnessed a broadening of surveillance tactics, including the expansion of protest monitoring by terrorism authorities, as reported by The Intercept in September 2024 regarding activities at Camp Grayling, Michigan, and previously in February 2023 concerning FBI informant practices. Together,immigration enforcement saw a curtailment of due process,according to the ACLU,and fusion centers expanded data-sharing practices,raising concerns about harassment based on unsubstantiated suspicions. The Intercept also documented a trend of red-state leaders downplaying gun violence within their own borders while simultaneously criticizing urban areas as “lawless.”
“Black America has always been the first to feel the temperature drop in the room of democracy,” a recent essay argues. “We have mapped this country’s overreaches with our bodies and our ballots.” Leaders are now urging broader recognition of this pattern, citing the experiences of Muslim organizers targeted after 9/11 and Black immigration advocates witnessing the realities of detention.
The core message from Black community leaders is clear: the tools developed to suppress “others” inevitably expand to impact all citizens. They emphasize that recognizing these historical trends isn’t simply about solidarity, but about self-preservation.As one organizer stated, the warnings from Black communities are not merely a ”sermon; it’s a survival manual.”