We're marching and somehow, I'm on flank.

I'm officially too old for flank.
I need to train some youth to do this.

#LOLife #LegalObservers #TorontoActions

One arrest already and things haven't even started yet.

Not from our side so not my problem.

#Toronto
#LegalObservers #PoliceDontKeepUsSafe #PoliceDontPreventCrime

Federal Agents Are Intimidating #LegalObservers at Their Homes: “They Know Where You Live.”

#Immigration authorities in #Minnesota have identified legal observers by name and address, and in some cases showed up at their homes.

by Austin Campbell
March 5 2026, 5:53 a.m.

"Former Minnesota state Sen. #MattLittle was lawfully observing federal immigration agents in a Dakota County neighborhood last month when the drive took an unexpected turn.

"As he followed their vehicles, they led him down a rural road that grew increasingly familiar during the 20-minute drive. Soon, Little told #TheIntercept, he realized where the federal agents were headed: his house.

"When he approached his driveway, two SUVs were already waiting, Little said. Agents moved to block his car, claiming he had impeded their investigation and that local law enforcement would be called. No other officers came to his house, and Little was not cited or charged.

" 'The intent was clearly to intimidate us. It’s stressful. It’s a little bit scary. But at the same time,' Little said, 'I just think it’s really important to be out there and monitoring what they’re doing.'

"Interviews, sworn declarations, and video reviewed by The Intercept indicate that Little is not the only person subjected to this kind of #intimidation. Across the #TwinCities, immigration agents have identified legal observers by name and address, and, in some cases, led them back to their homes after they engaged in lawful monitoring of immigration activity. Legal observers say this pattern of behavior sends a clear and chilling message: The federal government knows who they are and where they live.

"These encounters are unfolding amid a rapid expansion of federal #surveillance capabilities.

"Immigration authorities have significantly expanded their use of mobile #biometric and surveillance tools in recent years. Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection, for example, can use the smartphone app #MobileFortify to photograph a person’s face or capture fingerprints in the field and compare them against federal biometric databases, according to a Department of Homeland Security inventory of artificial intelligence technologies."

Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/05/ice-cbp-minnesota-surveillance-intimidation-observers/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/MggRo

#AbolishCBP #AbolishICE #ICESucks #Palantir #AISucks #PoliceState #USPol #Orwellian #SilencingDissent #SurveillanceState

Federal Agents Are Intimidating Legal Observers at Their Homes: “They Know Where You Live”

Immigration authorities in Minnesota have identified legal observers by name and address, and in some cases showed up at their homes.

The Intercept
“Uptick in Abductions”: ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers

In one 30-minute stretch, three Minneapolis legal observers were arrested as ICE ramped up its targeting of community volunteers.

The Intercept

While the charges are now gone, they should never have been filed in the first place.

This attempt at strategic incapacitation was, in fact, a strategic error. We will not be backing down.

We will be redoubling our efforts to demystify the police and the entire carceral system for the public.

Trainings are ongoing.
There are very few ways to hold police accountable. Be one.

#LegalObservers #Toronto

A couple of our team members appear on this week's episode of Blueprints of Disruption podcast discussing our 2025 Year-in-review Report on TPS Conduct at Protests.

Liaten here:
https://blueprints-of-disruption.captivate.fm/

Read our report here:
https://orangehats.noblogs.org/general/orange-hats-2025-report-on-toronto-police-service-conduct-at-protests/

#Toronto
#LegalObservers #PoliceDontKeepUsSafe

Blueprints of Disruption

A weekly podcasts that features in depth discussions with front line activists, organizers and rabble rousers on how they are working to disrupt the status quo, decolonize our spaces and bring down Capitalism. We aim to explain and amplify their great work, while explaining why and how people are pushing back.

Since we went off on our own, Orange Hats has expanded our legal support functions well beyond legal observing.

We are currently compiling a comprehensive list of what we do, both for the granting process and our site. Inl would say 75% of what we do is effectively invisible.

At Protests

• Quick KYR Training;
• Watch and document cops' behaviour;
• Arrange for legal support if there are arrests.

At Police Stations

• Arrest/Jail support (function as the point of contact between legal team and those awaiting for arrestees to be released);
• Accompany people when they need to get fingerprints and photos taken, or to do turn-ins.
• Accompany people when they have to file a report.

In Court

We attend court or just accompany people to the courthouse, typically during the self-rep stages, to help manage expectations and provide moral support, as well as to help navigate the system where appropriate.

Other

• Facilitate workshops around police and the broader carceral system, particularly with youth and marginalized communities;
• Provide one-on-one information about what to expect in various encounters with the carceral system;
• Connect people to supports;
• Track trends in police behaviour vis-à-vis activists and protests;
• Track police brutality and police-caused injuries.

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@Gigi/115935282682549053

#LegalObservers #LOLife

Gigi 🍄‍🟫 (@[email protected])

2/ If you are an activist in Toronto and you need help navigating the legal system (cops/court) that's what Orange Hats is for. We're also actively seeking politically-aligned* people who are interested in helping others navigate the legal system so we can build more capacity. It can be something as simple but meaningful as attending a police division with a marginalized person. You'd be surprised what a difference it makes. Our presence at protests is way less than half of what we do. Ping me and I'll give you the org Signal contact. ____ * we don't want to have to start from "police are NOT, in fact, your friends." #TorontoActivists #LOLife #LegalObservers #PoliceDontKeepUsSafe

kolektiva.social

#MinneapolisMN - #IndigenousProtectorMovement
Community Operations Update

"Indigenous Protector Movement is activated in response to the ongoing #ICE presence and the escalating #authoritarian actions of the federal government in our communities.

Powwow Grounds & All My Relations Gallery
1414–1416 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis
Open daily from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
These spaces are currently serving as #CommunitySupport and staging locations for volunteers, #patrollers, and #LegalObservers. Individuals are welcome to stop in to stock their vehicles with supplies, warm up, and connect with others doing this work. Coffee and food are available throughout the day.

Beginning today, there will be daily #KnowYourRights trainings facilitated by #NDNCollective:
Minneapolis American Indian Center
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (daily)
In addition, tribal representatives are on site providing rapid #TribalID support for those who need it. This is a coordinated, community-led response grounded in care, protection, and #solidarity. We encourage people to move with intention, stay informed, and support one another. Thank you to everyone showing up for our relatives."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/01/indigenous-protector-movement-community.html

#USPol #NativeAmericanNews #KYR #ICEOut #ICESucks #MutualAid #BuildingCommunity #WeProtectOurselves #BorderPatrol #MurderPatrol #CBP #Fascism #ReaderSupportedNews #CensoredNews

Indigenous Protector Movement: Community Operations Update -- South Minneapolis

Censored News is a service to grassroots Indigenous Peoples engaged in resistance and upholding human rights.

2/

If you are an activist in Toronto and you need help navigating the legal system (cops/court) that's what Orange Hats is for.

We're also actively seeking politically-aligned* people who are interested in helping others navigate the legal system so we can build more capacity.

It can be something as simple but meaningful as attending a police division with a marginalized person. You'd be surprised what a difference it makes.

Our presence at protests is way less than half of what we do.

Ping me and I'll give you the org Signal contact.

____

* we don't want to have to start from "police are NOT, in fact, your friends."

#TorontoActivists
#LOLife #LegalObservers #PoliceDontKeepUsSafe

Today in #FuckThePolice
(Actually "Last week in #FTP" but I just found it)

This asshole is BUSTED.

One of the things we do at Orange Hats arrest support, including accompany people for turn-ins and fingerprinting (and honestly, we need more capacity, because I'd love us to have a team to help people with FOI requests and getting prints/photos expunged).

This asshole is Desk Sergeant McCormick.
https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/65035/

We have literally taken up warning marginalized people not to go into 52 during his shifts, because he is such an abusive dick. I just did this again 3 days ago.

The worst incident involved him assaulting the person I had accompanied for prints because she knew her rights and refused to answer questions the cops are not even supposed to ask.

Dude was apoplectic.
His face was so red I thought he might actually die on the spot because a Black woman and a Palestinian woman were telling him "no."

That's when he decided to grab her arm and physically throw her from the building. He opted not to touch me.

🐖🐖🐖Dudes🐖🐖🐖
I AM LITERALLY THERE TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T VIOLATE PEOPLE'S RIGHTS, AND I HAVE MULTIPLE LAWYERS ON SPEED DIAL TO VERIFY WHAT I SAY AND IN CASE YOU MANAGE TO THROW ME A LOOP.

(BTW, there used to be cards in the prints room that specified what the cops will ask — name, dob, address — but those all vanished a little over a year ago when they decided that they were going to try to violate people's rights much more intensely and see what they could get away with.)

FROM THE TPS MEDIA RELEASE:

A Toronto Police officer has been arrested and charged by the Toronto Police Service.

It is alleged that:

• in multiple instances in October 2025, the accused took property that was delivered to 52 Division instead of logging it
• following an investigation, multiple items were recovered, including government-issued identification, bank cards, and passports; some of these items had previously been reported stolen to the Toronto Police Service.

Constable Derek McCormick, 56, has been arrested and charged with:

• four counts of Theft Under $5,000
• Breach of Trust
• Obstruct Justice

#LOLife #LegalObservers #PoliceDontKeepUsSafe #PoliceDontPreventCrime #DefundDisarmDismantle #Abolish #FuckThePolice