Grand Juries as a Political Weapon

From José Palafox in California
May 9, 2012 Building Liberty

I HAVE BEEN SUBPOENAED BEFORE A GRAND JURY

On Friday May 4th, I was approached by two FBI agents at the BART Station at 19th and Broadway in Oakland. They asked my name, identified themselves as Carrie and Matt from the FBI, and served me a subpoena to testify before a federal Grand Jury. They informed me that I had been served and left without asking me any other questions.

From the face of the Grand Jury Subpoena, it appears related to an animal rights action that took place in Santa Cruz in August of 2008. I believe this is a political repression and part of a government attempt to gather information on activists and the animal rights movement.

I will be getting a lawyer and plan to exercise my rights to the fullest extent. The National Lawyers Guild in San Francisco can help people subpoenaed before Grand Juries.

This is the second time I have come into contact with the FBI. A couple of years ago, I had to deal with the Oakland Police Department regarding a private criminal matter, unrelated to activism, and without my knowledge was interviewed by an FBI agent. He began to ask me questions about my activism and political affiliations. I asked what agency he was from and I immediately stopped answering any questions. Probably unrelated but you never know.

I feel that it is important to let folks know about this political repression and to let people know that I will be needing support. However, please don’t ask me to speculate about the FBI’s investigation. I can talk about the government’s accusations and what is happening with court appearances but I can’t answer questions about the facts, so please don’t ask. I will update the community if I learn anything further.

in solidarity, Jose Palafox