Experience in the civil rights movement throughout America – but especially in the deep South – reminds us that the Police Red Squads of World war 1 never went away. They were significant in maintaining the blacklists of the McCarthy Era. They have always been near and dear to the hearts of those who would institute a police state to keep people in line.
In North Carolina, I imagine you still can get on such a list for insisting that Black people really do have a right to vote. Add in current – but not more sophisticated – demands for equal opportunity for members of the Gay community, reproductive rights for women [without prior approval of husbands or preachers], recognition of climate change, agreeing that smoking causes cancer – and you’re bound to be in trouble with the good old boys of North Carolina.
James Ian Tyson wants the people of Charlotte to know: “I’m a local Charlottean, I’m a farmer, I’m a carpenter, I’m a family member and a community member. I am not a terrorist.”
The 27-year-old was arrested Sunday and charged with driving with a revoked license. He was jailed on a $10,000 cash bond.
The police officer who arrested him wanted Tyson to remain behind bars during the Democratic National Convention, according to a court document.
The officer informed the magistrate that Tyson was on a terrorist watch list.
Tyson told the Observer Tuesday he was shocked to learn that he was on a terrorist watch list…“They have no reason to have me on that list,” Tyson said. “I haven’t done anything remotely criminal involving politics.
“No one knows how you get on this list … or the accountability process or, most importantly, how they get off this list…”
The U.S. government does not reveal the names of people on the watch list, according to the Department of Homeland Security…A 2009 audit, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, found a high error rate among the FBI’s terrorist watch list…
Tyson said he believes his arrest was intended to keep him from speaking out against climate change during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
