Fusion Centers and Civil Liberties, apropos Hartford

Intrepid independent journolist/blogger, Ken Krayeske, sent out this notice regarding an update to his 2007 arrest during Governor Rell's Inauguration Parade,

Tune in to CNN Wednesday, September 30 at 7:25 a.m, EST, 8:25 a.m. EST and again during the 9 and 10 a.m. hours to see a 2-minute segment investigating the role of FBI and Homeland Security fusion centers.

A CNN producer and photojournalist traveled to Hartford and interviewed me at the spot where I was arrested on January 3, 2007 for taking photos, and we discussed exactly what transpired that day. For more information about the unlawful arrest, go here.

Fusion centers, where federal, state and local law enforcement agencies combine information to "protect" America, remain a vital part of the homeland security scheme. Just recently, the Department of Homeland Security announced "an initiative to grant select state and major urban area fusion center personnel access to classified terrorism-related information residing in DoD's classified network."

For full disclosure, Ken is a friend of the blog and the contributors to the blog, so we are quite biased in his case against what happened. Still, many details of the authorities involvement are highly suspect. Press release after the jump.

From the same Sept. 14, 2009 press release:

"This initiative reflects the federal government's strong commitment to improve information sharing with our state, local, and tribal partners," said DHS Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Bart R. Johnson. "Fusion centers are a critical part of our national security enterprise, and this new tool enables federal agencies to share information with these partners while utilizing our advanced technical capabilities for secure information sharing."