Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited the homes of Cleveland activists in an attempt to gather intelligence on planned demonstrations at the Republican National Convention, worrying civil rights groups. The Wednesday morning visit was characterized as a “raid” by some groups, since law enforcement went into the residences with guns drawn and possibly without a warrant. Agents went to the house because those inside were suspected of causing trouble earlier in the week in downtown Cleveland, such as throwing bottles of urine at police officers, FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild told the Los Angeles Times that this is only the latest in the FBI’s series of raids meant to intimidate protesters since the beginning of the summer. “It’s been a consistent theme throughout all of these visits that law enforcement are looking for links and relationships among activists or people known to be activists around the Cleveland area and around the state of Ohio and also in some other locations outside of the state,"Jacqueline Greene, co-coordinator of the guild, told the LA Times."Ultimately they’re on an information-fishing expedition. The purpose of these visits is to intimidate and chill First Amendment expression.” No arrests were made, however. A video posted on Countercurrent News shows what is purported be the encounter from outside the house. It shows officers from the Department of Homeland Security and Elyria Police Department announcing themselves, entering the house and drawing their weapons. "Get out of the bed. I'm not going to tell you again, or I'm going to come get you out of bed. Come on, you know what's going on. Get out here,” one officer can be heard saying. Other activists have reported similarly unsettling visits from the FBI, such as those affiliated with Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero in previous days. The FBI said earlier this year that such visits were intended to help ensure safety during the convention. Well first of all it's the homes of Black Lives Matter terrorist, so obviously the FBI in Cleveland got word of a major threat. Or the FBI was delivering orders from the Obama administration, but since guns were drawn I doubt that. The thing is these groups and activist are complaining about no warrants, sorry but these groups have terror like tendencies and are not true activist. This is the last day of the convention in Cleveland, so if they got word of a threat they had to act on it right away...Well someone did. I'm a big proponent of you must have a warrant to search homes as law enforcement, but if their is a threat where thousands of lives could be at stake sorry you have to act. Also groups like Black Lives Matter, Revcom, and New Black Panthers have terror tendencies.... So screw them.
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