6/5/2025
Puget Sound Prisoner Support was recently informed about new FBI activity in the Puget Sound area. On Friday May 23rd, FBI agents from the Counter Terrorism taskforce visited the home of a Renton area activist. The FBI were let into the home by a roommate who is not involved with leftist or activist spaces and did not understand the importance of refusing agents’ entry. When the targeted person exited their bedroom, at least two federal agents confronted them and began asking questions. The agents were allowed to stay in the house initially.
What the targeted person relayed is that the agents began their visit by saying that they were aware and monitoring some of this person’s activities. The agents identified specific examples that we have chosen not to include in this statement. At this point, the targeted person said the agents should speak to their lawyer, but the agents continued questioning. The targeted individual relayed that the FBI asked them to participate in an upcoming meeting of the local group SUPER UW (a Palestinian solidarity organization) because the FBI was supposedly concerned that non-students and outside ‘bad actors’ were participating in this group and pushing escalation. The targeted person again directed agents to speak to their lawyer.
The FBI did later contact the targeted individual via their lawyer and asked them to work for the agency to help identify who these “bad actors” were. The FBI agents had the following requests: for them to attend SUPER’s meeting to try to identify who was amongst their leadership that seemed out of place or not a student; and two, to be invited back to participate in additional SUPER meetings. The targeted person contacted close comrades on May 24th about the encounter, and then reached out to SUPER on May 26th.
We have a few notes on this interaction:
-If you are a participant in the radical left in any capacity, it is important that the people you live with understand that the police and the FBI should not be allowed into the home. You do not need to talk to federal agents, and they cannot gain entrance to your home without a warrant.
-If you find yourself in a situation where they have gained access to you, or your home, work, school, do not talk to them. Even small talk, which feels unimportant, is possibly giving them information they do not need to have. Ask for a card and walk away, do not engage.
-We do not know why this information was not made public by the person targeted or when it was disclosed to SUPER, but we know that people often move from panic and not malice in these types of situations. We implore everyone on the left, individuals and formal organizations alike, to have a set of protocols in place to communicate internally and publicly about visits or attention from federal agents. We are all safer when we don’t keep this info from each other.
Federal repression is not new and the generational historic memory of FBI activity in the PNW leans heavily towards the majority of their tactics being based in intimidation. They want the left in the region to be scared, to pull away from each other, to accuse each other, to not support those targeted–we cannot let any of those things happen.
Knowing that door knocks and requests for information are common tactics of the federal government does not make it less scary for people in activist spaces. Even seasoned radicals are spooked by these encounters, but it is important to not panic – security culture has helped us build protocols for keeping each other safer in times like this. When we communicate with appropriate urgency and transparency, we are all safer when these things happen. Here are some points to remember for if and when an agent knocks:
- Don’t panic. Federal agents knocking on doors does not necessarily mean arrests are right around the corner. Don’t let them intimidate you into making bad decisions.
- Do not talk to them. If you are stopped on the street, at work, at home – you do not need to talk to federal agents. Close the door, walk away. Say nothing.
- Communication is key. If you have been approached it is important that you let the broader community know. It’s not sketchy to talk about what the feds have done – they know they’ve done it. Info to relay: *Date & time of stop. *Location (at a home/at a workplace). *Agencies involved, if you don’t know that’s ok! Don’t guess. But if they ID themselves use that info- insignias on vehicles, badges or shirts are good. *Questions- if they did ask anything, be sure to mention what was asked about (“They asked questions about the BLM movement” or “They asked about individuals involved with XYZ activity”.
- Don’t Guess! If you don’t have info about what they wanted, don’t make guesses as to what it is about — this can cause extra panic or connect dots that the feds didn’t already make. They don’t know everything.
- Be Honest! Be clear that the intended target of the stop did not talk to the feds. If an unfortunate situation happened and people did answer questions, be open and transparent about that. Be clear that the target’s intention is to not cooperate — people are often caught off guard and answer the door without checking who is there, or answering a yes or no question before disengaging — this does not mean they are cooperating with the feds. They should communicate to the community that they have or will contact a lawyer and the National Lawyer’s Guild fed hotline.
- Post the info about the interaction publicly. Share facts, not implications or insinuations. If you’re not sure what to report or how to do it, contact PSPS (psps@riseup.net) Once the information is public, everyone can and should repost it and share it as widely as possible so we can all stay informed, safe, and aware.
- Call the NLG federal defense hotline (212-679-2811) at any point in this process. They are a very solid resource that people should take advantage of.