New York Fusion Center Declares Oath Keepers, Other Liberty Groups as ‘Extremist Threats’

The New York State Intelligence Center — a known Fusion Center with the stated purpose to, “collect, evaluate, analyze, and disseminate information and intelligence data regarding criminal and terrorist activity relevant to New York State” — issued a Counter Terrorism Bulletin last June identifying Oath Keepers in addition to other liberty related groups as “far-right extremist group and/or a threat to law enforcement.” Here is a portion of a statement released by Oath Keepers yesterday: On August 11, 2014, the New York Oath Keepers sent out correspondence to both the Governor and the Superintendent of the New York State Police clearly pointing out the New York State Intelligence Center’s faulty logic and misstatements of fact that were used to politically demonize the New York Oath Keeper organization whose clearly stated nonpartisan mission is simply to encourage our Military and Law Enforcement Officers, and others, to honor their oaths to the United States and New York State Constitutions. In that correspondence, we requested that the officials at the NYSIC issue a public correction, indicating their error in classifying New York Oath Keepers as a far-right extremist group and/or a threat to law enforcement. We also requested a meeting with the Governor, the Superintendent of the New York State Police and/or officials from other NYSIC member organizations, so we could address any misinformation and misunderstandings about the New York Oath Keepers mission. We told them that It is our goal to see this extremely prejudicial “far-right extremist” label retracted and the necessary corrections made to the Bulletin. A month and a half has passed and neither the Governor nor the Superintendent of the New York State Police has seen fit to even reply to our original correspondence. So, today the New York Oath Keepers, an organization consisting of thousands of active duty and retired military, police and fire personnel, who have at one or more times in their lives taken an Oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, sent them a second letter. We also sent a letter to the Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Office of the FBI, as they are also key members of the NYSIC. The full statement is up on the official Oath Keepers site here which includes copies of all letters (including the latest) sent to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Some 58 fusion centers were created by the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of 9/11, supposedly to help fight terrorism through local data intelligence gathering.



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