All of this activity is First Amendment protected activity. This man went to a rally, he did nothing illegal. He voiced his support for police reform, against police brutality, and for something that is legal in Texas - open carry and the Second Amendment. All of that is protected. None of that should provide a basis by which the FBI can start monitoring somebody for 25 months, which is what's going on in this case.

Journalist Candice Bernd explains how the FBI's use of the "Black Identity Extremist" classification is being used to monitor and prosecute Black activists involved with self-defense and anti-police movements, starting with surveillance triggered by First Amendment protected speech, and echoing the racial and political bias of COINTELPRO.

Candice wrote the article As Case Against So-Called "Black Identity Extremist" Proceeds, Emails Reveal Dallas FBI's Surveillance of First Amendment Activity for Truthout.