Know Your Rights!!! (The few that are left)

1. The best advise is...Never, ever, ever talk to the police, FBI, DEA, Border Patrol whoever. You still have the right, regardless of your status, to not answer questions even if you are detained or arrested. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer questions. Get yourself that lawyer before you start talking.

Just say, “I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer” and keep repeating this if they keep asking.

2. You are walking down the street and suddenly, "Stop, police. Where are you going? Where have you been?!" Or some other form of harrassment. First, you do not have to answer questions. But what else can you do:

    - You can say, " I do not want to talk to you" and walk away. DO NOT RUN! (Remember: Cops ARE armed and dangerous)

    - You can ask if you are free to go and if the cops say yes then walk away.

    - If the police say you are not under arrest but cannot go then you are being detained. You can ask, "Am I      being detained?" If detained, an officer can pat you down outside your clothes if they think you are      dangerous (whatever that means). If they do more than this say, " I do not consent to this search." Never, ever consent to a search.

    - Always remember whether detained or arrested you do not have to answer any questions, EVER!

     - Detentions can easily lead to an arrest. A detention simply means that the police want to arrest you but do not have enough evidence to do so. So, don't make their job easy, say nothing.

If the Cops or FBI (or any other agency) comes a knockin':

Do not let them in. Never consent to a search. They need a warrant if they force their way in keep repeating, "I do not consent to this search." Ask for their warrant. Check it. Is your name correct? Is your address correct? If not tell them, "I am sorry but you cannot come in this person does not live here or this is not the correct address." Also, warrants usually state what they are looking for or sometimes even where they can look. Like if they are looking for a revolutionary sock puppet they would not find this on your computer so they would not need to look there. Again, document this search and get all of those badge numbers and names.

Smile for the Camera!

If you are one of those people that finds yourself encountering police often. Then carry some sort of device to document what is said, names and badge numbers of the police, and names and numbers of witnesses if neccessary. I like to have a video camera but a voice recorder, digital camera, or paper and pencil would work just fine. Police DO NOT like to be recorded or documented in any way especially if they are about to do something illegal. Observing them and documenting their actions may have very different results; for example, it may cause them to respond aggressively, or it may prevent them from abusing you or your friends.

Some Resources for more info:

http://coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com: The Coldsnap Legal Collective is a legal collective based in the Twin Cities. They are an autonomous collective whose purpose is to work in solidarity with other groups or individuals in order to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, and SUPPORT the radical community by sharing knowledge, raising awareness, and developing a network of legal support and solidarity. This site is awesome please check it out.

http://www.midnightspecial.net: The Midnight Special Law Collective is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to providing legal trainings and accessible, relevant, democratic and accountable legal support to a wide range of activists participating in the struggle for social change. As activists demystifying the law we shatter the accepted limitations on learning - we assert everyone's right to access and everyone's ability to understand the law.

http://www.aclu.org: American Civil Liberties Union has a wealth of information. If you ask me, the ACLU sometimes has some questionable politics such as defending hate groups, but they do have a lot of info compiled about your rights.