As documents reveal the NYPD spied on liberal political groups, Jordan Flaherty tells how he was monitored in Louisiana

Jordan Flaherty wasn't exactly shocked to hear the NYPD had monitored a gathering of political groups in 2008. He was a little surprised, however, to learn of the significance the department ascribed to his role at the event.

A police report composed by an undercover officer at the time described Flaherty as "a main organizer" of the People's Summit, a gathering of liberal groups opposed to US economic policies. The summit was held in New Orleans over the course of two days in April, 2008. According to the NYPD, Flaherty "held a discussion calling for the increase of the divestment campaign of Israel and mentioned two events related to Palestine."

Flaherty – now a journalist with al-Jazeera – contests the NYPD's "main organizer" claim. Upon learning his name was listed in a secret NYPD file, he says he went through his own records.

"I knew I wasn't one of the main organizers," Flaherty told the Guardian. "I had to go back and look at the record – then I find out there was a film festival at the same time as the conference."

Flaherty says he introduced a film at the festival. He noted that protests related to the Louisiana gathering did not involve arrests, indicating they were little threat to national or New York security.

"It just became such a tenuous connection. Already, it's kind of ridiculous that the New York police department would come down to New Orleans to look at this protest," Flaherty said. "They were not even having symbolic arrests at this protest."

"That the police would then stray from the protests to a human rights film festival at the same time as the protests, it just becomes such an incredible and absurd overreach," he added.

The NYPD's monitoring of Flaherty's presence at the gathering was revealed by the Associated Press on Friday. He, along with a number of other activists and organizations, were listed in the secret briefing prepared for Commissioner Ray Kelly on April 25, 2008 by the department's intelligence division.

In August the AP began publishing a series of articles detailing the department transformation into one of the nation's most aggressive intelligence gathering organizations in the years following 9/11.

Police documents obtained by AP show the NYPD gathered information on entire neighborhoods because Muslims lived there. Undercover officers were deployed to mosques, infiltrated Muslim student organizations and even embedded themselves on rafting trips with young Muslims. The surveillance program has extended well outside New York and, according to the AP, involved sending undercover officers into schools and communities throughout America's north-east.

Friday's revelations reveal that the department has not only gathered information on individuals because of their religion, but also appears to have monitored because of their involvement in constitutionally-protected political activity.

Commissioner Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have vigorously defended the department's intelligence gathering tactics, arguing the NYPD only follows criminal leads and culls information from public sources. The pair point to recent polls that suggest the majority of New Yorkers approve of the department's relationship with the Muslim community.

Though the NYPD is permitted to send undercover officers to events that are open to the public, legal scholars and attorneys have raised concerns about the cataloging and filing of citizens' personal information and comments when they are not suspected of criminal activity.

"While the police are allowed to go to political gatherings on the same basis as any other citizen, they are not allowed to maintain this information in their files unless it relates to some potential criminal or terrorist activity," said Faiza Patel, co-director of the liberty and national security program at New York University's Brennan center for justice.

Patel argues that there's a broader issue at play in the monitoring of activity that is protected by the first amendment.

"When the government is going around gathering information about the political views of innocent Americans it makes all of us more hesitant to speak and freely express our views. And that type of program potentially violates the freedom of speech and the freedom of association that are at the basis of our democracy," she added.

While the department is permitted to send undercover officers to events that are open to the public, civil rights attorneys have raised concerns about the cataloging and filing of citizens' personal information when they are not suspected of criminal activity.

Flaherty believes the fact that the police gathered inaccurate about him is symptomatic of the department's inability to collect reliable intelligence.

"When it's about you first hand, you get this link of how much effort they seem to be putting into this and how much they get wrong," he said.

Flaherty said he also worries about the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on the department's intelligence efforts.

"I just keep thinking about how teachers' jobs are getting cut. Municipal workers unions are under attack and yet there seems to be a bottomless budget for the New York police department to travel, to spy on people, to write these reports over the most minor thing," he said.

Flaherty wrote a book on policing issues in New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina. He said he hopes the attention the NYPD has received in recent months over its surveillance tactics, as well as its extensive use of street-level stop-and-frisks, will lead to changes in departmental policy.

"I hope that nationally we're really seeing a shift on what we think is OK for policing," he explained. "At some point I hope that this will reach a line where people start to realize they can't give away all of their liberties and freedoms on this abstract goal of safety."

"Massive over-policing is not the path to real safety," Flaherty added. "Safety comes from strong communities and economic security."