HOW DO WE DEAL WITH F.B.I. INFILTRATION?

By no means is this a new question and in the Sonoma and Mendocino counties activist community it has been an ongoing one. When Judi Bari was the victim of a car bombing in May of 1990 our community was put to the test and in spite of warnings from people familiar with COINTELPRO tactics of the '60's we did not listen and that has resulted in confusion, fear and divisiveness which hurts whatever unity we have managed to build. That in turn has hurt our work and our effectiveness. That in short is the aim of this kind of operation. We need to take this threat seriously.

The latest salvo in this ongoing disruption comes in the form of an article about Judi's case by Ward Churchill in the national Covert Action Quarterly Rout of Washington D.C.

What appears to be just another article about Judi's case is actually a hit piece on longtime Sonoma county activist Irv Sutley. In this article Irv is referred to as a "mysterious peace activist" ...."who had ensconsed himself in the Santa Rosa Peace and Justice Center about a year and a half earlier." There is nothing myserious about Irv, an activist who has lived in Sonoma county since the '60's. This is not the first time that Irv has been accused of being an F.B.I. informer by Judi in a national venue. This obviously very serious charge was made nationally by Judi in 1991 as one of several theories in Steve Talbot's P.B.S. television special "Who Bombed Judi Bari?"

However in this latest article Irv is the main target of suspicion.

Judi has continued to make this charge in other forums yet in the almost four years since the bombing she has not come forth with her "evidence" to prove it. Irv and/or his friends have made numerous attempts to meet with Judi and/or her friends and have been rebuffed at every attempt. In 1991 Irv made a public offer to take polygraph tests, voice stess analyzer test or any other tests that would help to clear his name. Judi needs to either meet with Irv and/or his representatives and show them her proof or quit making these charges. The issue here is not just Irv and the harm done to his reputation. The issue here is that Judi is doing just what COINTELPRO type programs aim for--she is playing directly into their hands with her charges. Whats even worse is her alliance with Ward Churchill who was asked to leave both the International Indian Treaty Council and national A.I.M. for his extremely divisive and disruptive behaviour in the Native American community. This is verifiable not speculative.

I will no doubt be criticized for finally speaking up about all this. This is not a defense of Irv. This is a defense of the very important principle of not spreading rumors and publicly accusing a fellow activist of being an F.B.I informer unless you can back it up. This is a defense of the lessons learned in the 1960's. If we are going to fight for justice against the corporate, military and governmental institutions that abuse us, we need to also do it within our own ranks. Judi needs to take these lessons seriously while going about the very important task of finding out who bombed her. The long standing offers by Irv and/or his representatives to meet with Judi and/or her representatives are still there. Meanwhile, by concentrating so much of Churchill's article on Irv, a smokescreen has been set up regarding the many other theories that could lead us to the truth about the bombing. Disinformation, misinformation and confusion reign. The F.B.I. must be very pleased!!