Today we have news, then I'll tell you a little more about me... and why I got so careful with my words.
-- "Occupy Unmasked" is a new film that will be released in the Fall, and shown at the Republican National Convention. Many of you may have heard of it already. Made by Citizens United, it supposedly highlights the differences between the Tea Party and Occupy, but also "exposes" a connection between liberal media and Occupy. The President of Citizens United expects some people to be unhappy with the film, including the media, which he claims herald Occupy as their "hero."
-- An activist with Occupy Portland has filed a federal lawsuit against the police, claiming he received an injury due to excessive force. He says he was dragged by police, choked with his bandanna, and beaten with batons, resulting in a serious injury to his back. The city declined comment on the suit due to pending litigation.
-- (I have little knowledge of how the government works in London, so I am directly quoting this article.) "A direct electoral challenge to the way the City of London is governed is to be mounted this month by some of the activists and supporters of last year's Occupy London protests at St. Paul's Cathedral." Read the article from The Guardian to find out why and how they plan to do so.
Now, on to my story, with an article following that explains even more.
Last summer, before Occupy started, I was absolutely adamant on what I was going to do with my life. I was going to join the FBI to work in the Behavioral Sciences Unit, using my expertise on Linguistics and Sociology to help apprehend serial killers and serial arsonists. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I still do want to get into that line of work. I was telling everyone about it. Teachers, fellow students, etc. I even shot off some emails asking people what they believed was the best course of action to get into that department, since it can be a difficult journey that can take decades. A few weeks after I started talking to people, I started noticing little strange things happening.
I had an office at school, and I was usually there from around 6 a.m. to around 11 p.m. everyday, weekends or not. I was doing hefty research that required all my time, and I only had six weeks to complete it, so you can imagine the fervor in which I was working. I would go home, sleep, and come back the next day to a messed up office. I had an office mate, but she was only there in the afternoons, when I was. I was present when the cleaning crew went through at around 9 p.m., so I knew it wasn't them.
It was strange. Papers would be moved around. Notebooks that I left open to certain pages would be on different pages, or even closed and stacked neatly. (I wasn't neat. I was busy and crazed.) My desk drawers would be opened. Stuff was moved around. I asked my office mate about it, and she said that some of her stuff had been moved too, but not like mine. Hers were just pushed to the side, it seemed. The computers we used were always turned off when we left, due to policy, and they would be on in the morning. Files would be in different places on the desktop.
**EDIT**
My wife just reminded me that I forgot one major thing. There was a man on campus who was following me as well. I would go down for coffee at our campus Starbucks to get a drink at random times, and a man would immediately show up. He looked like an older man who was attempting to look student-like, and he had this really fancy computer that he carried with him. He would set it up facing me, but would NEVER look at me. Sometimes you could even tell he was making a conscious effort to look the other direction and avoid me. The girls at Starbucks had never seen him before, and he disappeared after the Summer semester. When I left, he would pack up right on my heels, then disappear into a random building. I went to Starbucks at odd times, so it was disconcerting that he was always there when I was. Even my friends began to comment on my "stalker."
**END EDIT**
**EDIT**
My wife just reminded me that I forgot one major thing. There was a man on campus who was following me as well. I would go down for coffee at our campus Starbucks to get a drink at random times, and a man would immediately show up. He looked like an older man who was attempting to look student-like, and he had this really fancy computer that he carried with him. He would set it up facing me, but would NEVER look at me. Sometimes you could even tell he was making a conscious effort to look the other direction and avoid me. The girls at Starbucks had never seen him before, and he disappeared after the Summer semester. When I left, he would pack up right on my heels, then disappear into a random building. I went to Starbucks at odd times, so it was disconcerting that he was always there when I was. Even my friends began to comment on my "stalker."
**END EDIT**
Come Fall semester, I started this blog. Not long after, I started having problems. My home computer went haywire. The system itself was collapsing. I went to multiple people for help, finally turning to a hacker friend. He immediately told me what I didn't want to hear. "You've been seriously hacked," he said, going through files and folders. "Stuff in here is changed that I never thought could be. Your system files can only be accessed if you type in all caps. That's a big, not to mention weird, thing to do. Someone's been in here. You use a wireless connection. Someone's remotely accessed your laptop and changed things. There's only one fix for this."
We had to hard reboot my entire computer, losing tons of data.
I was confused. What the hell was going on? I started talking to people about it. Some thought I was paranoid or deranged. One of my professors offered a different explanation. They said someone had come by their office to speak with them about me, but that's all they could say. I stared at him like he grew another head. They pulled me to the side and whispered to me. "Check your car," they said. "Sometimes they'll install trackers. Look everywhere. Wheel wells, engine compartment, under the bumpers... If you find one, bring it to me so we can use it in class." They smiled at me and walked away. Other professors started mentioning little things about people talking about me, but no one could go into detail. I never did find a tracker, though I must have looked hilarious digging around under my car at night with a flashlight.
Finally the connection hit me. In talking about the FBI so much, I must have attracted their attention. It came to a pinnacle when I was driving home to visit my family (90 miles) and I was followed by three different vehicles. I would have thought nothing of it, but the all had the same marker. A large antenna placed smack dab in the middle of the windshield. They were three different types of vehicles, but they were all black, and they all had that antenna. So strange. I realized what was happening when the first car turned off, and was immediately replaced by the second one. When the third car took its place, I looked into my rearview mirror and loudly said "I realize who you are, and what you're doing. I'm simply going to visit my family. If you wanted to come along, you should've just asked."
They turned at the next road, with the driver looking mildly panicked.
Later, I got back to school and started asking again. I realized that one of my friends is actually related to a retired former FBI agent, so I went to her to ask. She told me she would talk to them and see if we could figure things out.
The next day, she found me outside. "You're an activist, right?" she said.
"Yeah," I replied, "Of course."
"They don't like that... They want people who just follow the rules," she stated, flipping her hand towards the Chancellor's Office. "My (relative) says that when you started talking about them, they noticed you and decided to check you out. They do that sometimes. He said that they aren't bad at their jobs. You only saw them because they wanted you to. They want you to know what they can do."
"So what the hell do I do now?"
"Lay low for a while. They'll get what they want and leave you alone. It just takes time. Just watch your words, because they'll be watching them for a long time."
Over time, it seems like I've had less attention paid to me.
I no longer have the desire to join the FBI.
I'm not crazy. Several of my closest friends began having issues when I did, not to mention my family. We'll never know if it was the FBI or DHS that did these things, but it's fair to assume that someone did. Some people tried to suggest it was Anonymous, but since physical things occurred as well, I doubt it.
So here's that article I mentioned. It sounds like conspiracy, even to me. I wish it was. Please, read this article. They are watching us, some more than others. They are afraid of us. I'm not sure why, entirely, but they must think Occupy is some sort of major threat.
If you have any similar stories, or just want to talk to me about mine, please feel free to email me at elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com.
***Solidarity***
--Kitty
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