POLICE STATE

U.S. Spy Planes Surveilled Black Lives Matter Protests

Congressional Democrats called on government institutions to end the practice “immediately and permanently.”

Several U.S. government spy planes circled American cities including Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Las Vegas during Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25. The planes are usually equipped with live video cameras and heat sensors. Nearly three dozen congressional Democrats have sent a letter to the heads of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the National Guard denouncing surveillance of protesters and demanding its end “immediately and permanently,” calling the practice a breach of First and Fourth Amendment rights. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted that the instance was the “first time I can find that this aircraft, normally used for war zones/disasters/narcotics, has been used to gather intel at a protest.”