Freedom of Information Act requests by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund have led to the release of a trove of FBI documents related to the surveillance and violent suppression of Occupy and related groups during this year and last, including not-surprising references to them as potential "criminal" and "domestic terrorist" groups, despite the fact that Occupy organizers professed nonviolence and called for peaceful protest.
Wouldn't you know.
It's no surprise. Those of us who were involved with Occupy, even peripherally, during the heady days of occupation and demonstration were well aware of the constant surveillance by various representatives of authority -- some of whom were pleased and proud enough of their duties to introduce themselves to us.
Furthermore, as soon as the police actions began the appearance of squadrons of police in full riot gear was something of a sure indication that the Occupy demonstrations were officially considered primary threats to civic order and domestic peace. Once the official "snatch and grab" actions began (ie: targeting, kidnapping, and arresting seemingly random Occupy participants) it was clear that the police considered the Occupy activities per se to be criminal.
Nevertheless, the use of terms like "criminal" and "domestic terrorist" to describe or define Occupy and the activities and demonstrations in any official context shows how debased our language has become, and that in turn helps us understand how debased our government and its official representatives have become.
"Crime" and "terrorism" have become meaningless terms, bandied about to describe any activity at all.
Here's a link to the PCJF report: http://www.justiceonline.org/commentary/fbi-files-ows.html
And here's a link to a really great interview with Scott Noble: http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/the_power_principle_an_interview_with_filmmaker_scott_noble/