ACLU appeals FBI 'stonewalling' over refusal to Release Racial Mapping Records

From [HERE] The Rhode Island and Maine affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union are appealing what they say is the FBI's "refusal to release virtually any information that might indicate to what extent a federal program that allows for ethnic and racial mapping of local communities" might be leading to racial profiling in those states, which it calls "stonewalling".

The groups' statement Thursday said the appeal stems from the FBI's response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed nearly two years ago that produced "mostly blank pages, including a censored census map of New England.

Vastly expanded FBI investigative authority has resulted in the unconstitutional investigation of American communities and individuals based on who they are and what they believe.

Through Freedom of Information Act requests in 31 states and Washington, D.C. (enforced by lawsuits in Michigan, New Jersey and California), ACLU and its affiliates uncovered and analyzed thousands of FBI documents. These documents reveal that the FBI is gathering intelligence on and mapping communities based on the association of a certain race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion with the propensity to commit various crimes. [MORE] 

Since 2008, an FBI manual has claimed authority to collect information about so-called "ethnic-oriented" businesses, "behaviors", "lifestyle characteristics" and cultural traditions in communities with concentrated ethnic populations, to assist its "domain awareness" and "intelligence analysis" activities.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in October 2011,  the A.C.L.U. asserted that the FBI documents showed that “the F.B.I. is illegally and unconstitutionally” targeting people for investigation based on their race or religion. It asked Mr. Holder to bar agents from considering this kind of factor; current rules forbid the use of race or ethnicity unless describing a particular suspect, but contain a broad exception for national security or border-related investigations. [MORE]

RI ACLU executive director Steven Brown said, "It is essential to learn how, and to what extent, the FBI has been using this troubling authority here in Rhode Island.