by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
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Always be prepared for the possibility that you are under observation, hut don't mistake attracting surveillance for being effective. Even if everything you are doing is perfectly legal, you
Security Culture 469
may still receive attention and harassment from intelligence organizations if they feel you pose an inconvenience to their masters. In some regards, this can be for the best; the more they have to monitor, the more thinly spread their energies are, and the harder it is for them to pinpoint and neutralize subversives. At the same time, don't get caught up in the excitement of being under surveillance and begin to assume that the more the authorities pay attention to you, the more dangerous to them you must be?they're not that smart. They tend to be preoccupied wdth the resistance organizations whose approaches most resemble their own; take advantage of this. The best tactics are the ones that reach people, make points, and exert leverage while not showing up on the radar of the powers that be, at least not until it is too late. In the best-case scenario, your activities will be well known to everyone except the authorities.
You can keep phone numbers in
code, so they won't be any use to
authorities who confiscate your
phone list or find a scrap of paper
in your pocket: simply switch two or
more of the digits.
Security Culture 470
Security culture involves a code of silence, hut it is not a code ofvoicelessness. The stories of our daring exploits in the struggle against capitalism must be told somehow, so everyone will know resistance is a real possibility put into action by real people; open incitements to insurrection must be made, so would-be revolutionaries can find each other and the revolutionary sentiments buried in the hearts of the masses find their way to the surface. A good security culture should preserve as much secrecy as is necessary for individuals to be safe in their underground activities, while still providing as much visibility for radical perspectives as possible. Most of the security tradition in the activist milieu today is derived from the past twenty years of animal rights and earth liberation activities; as such, it's perfectiy suited for the needs of small groups carrying out isolated illegal acts, but isn't always appropriate for more aboveground campaigns aimed at encouraging generalized insubordination/insurrection. In some cases it can make sense to break the law openly, in order to provoke the participation of a large mass that can then provide safety in numbers.
You should always balance the need to escape detection hy your enemies against the need to he
accessible to potential friends. In the long run, secrecy alone cannot protect us?sooner
or later they are going to find all of us, and if no one else understands what we're doing
and what we want, they'll be able to liquidate us with impunity. Only the power of an
informed and sympathetic (and hopefully similarly equipped) public can help us then. You can use BB guns or slingshots
There should always be entryways into communities in which direct action is practiced, ^^^^oot out lights that are otherwise
^ ^ ^ rr 1 1J 1 ? diflncuit to reach, ifyou need to act
SO more and more people can join in. Those doing really serious stuff should keep it ^^ider cover of darkness.
to themselves, of course, but every community should also have a person or two who vocally advocates and educates about direct action, and who can discreetly help trustworthy novices link up with others getting started.
When you're planning an action, you should he^n by establishing the security level appropriate to it, and act accordingly Jrom there on. Learning to gauge the risks posed by an activity or situation and how to deal wdth them appropriately is not just a crucial part of staying out of jail; it also helps to know what you're not worried about, so you don't waste energy on unwarranted, cumbersome security measures. Keep in mind that a given action may have different aspects that demand different degrees of security; make sure to keep these distinct. Here's an example of a possible rating system for security levels:
1. Only those who are directly involved in the action know of its existence.
2. Trusted support persons also know about the action, but everyone in the group decides together who these will be.
3. It is acceptable for the group to invite people to participate who might choose not
to?^that is, some outside the group may know about the action, but are still expected to security Culture keep it a secret. 471
