The FBI loses! As Ashcroft plots the expansion of the American police state, a jury in Oakland has found the FBI at fault for attempting to frame environmental/labor activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney. Three senior agents from the FBI's terrorism squad, which worked with the Oakland Police Dept. collecting files on local political and activist groups, as well as three OPD officers were found liable for violating the Bari and Cherney's 1st and 4th amendment rights. "This verdict shows that activists are the target of the FBI and that reasonable people can see that, and they've awarded us huge damages because of that," says Earth First!er Alicia Littletree. Full details | Press release

The 10-person federal jury reached unanimous verdicts against 6 of the 7 defendants, but remains undecided on the claim surrounding Cherney's arrest and found no liability for the conspiracy claims, perhaps because evidence of COINTELPRO-style frameups was withheld by Judge Wilken. "We have more to appeal than they do," says plaintiff's attorney Dennis Cunningham, referring to withheld evidence and the six FBI agents dismissed from the case. Cherney summed it up to the press, "We argued this case with our hands tied and the jury blindfolded and we still won." Judi Bari v. FBI full coverage