Suraj K Sazawal

August 16, 2022

Who knows the Espionage Act better than Donald Trump? 

Even before the FBI carried out its search warrant of his Florida home for “national defense information or classified material” taken from the White House, the former president frequently boasted how his administration prosecuted national security leaks more aggressively than
May 6, 2022

With Roe v. Wade on the Chopping Block, Is Your Right to Privacy Next?

The leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion confirms what many have long expected: the overturning of Roe v Wade and the end of constitutionally protected safe and legal abortions in America. But if the language in the final decision
April 18, 2022

*Seinfeld Voice* What’s the Deal with Billionaires?

Billionaires don’t care about protecting free speech.  If anything, the whole point of billionaires is to nullify your voice.  Whether by pocketing lawmakers with their unlimited political donations or gobbling up legacy and new media companies, the 1% want to
March 30, 2022

The “Chilling Effect” of DeRay McKesson’s Louisiana Supreme Court Decision

One wonders if the Louisiana Supreme Court would be so cavalier with matters of liability if the events of January 6 happened in the Bayou state? In a bizarre and dangerous ruling that could chill free speech rights, the state’s
March 21, 2022

America’s War Machine Comes Home

Using armaments and tactics straight from the battlefield against Americans protesting, police officers in city after city often look and behave more like soldiers than public servants. But after hearing President Biden’s State of the Union speech calling for “funding
February 7, 2022

Police Voyeurism: Law Enforcement Can’t Stop Surveilling Protesters, Activists, and Journalists

Police and federal agents, including FBI and Customs and Border Patrol officers, are increasingly subjecting activists, protesters, and journalists to improper and sometimes illegal surveillance.  With an array of clandestine tactics and powerful technology available to law enforcement to monitor
September 23, 2021

Protest Rights in the Crosshairs as Congress Investigates January 6

The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is one of the most shameful events in American history. And whether it was the culmination of an authoritarian president grasping at power, a reaction to disinformation and unfounded claims of voter
September 10, 2021

20 Years Later: Time for a Hard Look in the Mirror

As we mark 20 years since 9/11, much ink will be spilled about the country’s trajectory since that tragic day.  But if the national reaction to the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is any indication, the country, or at least
April 19, 2021

Fusion centers treat protest as a threat

By Suraj K Sazawal In the days leading to Trump’s January 6 rally, neither DHS or the FBI prepared an “intelligence bulletin”, a commonly used alert to notify law enforcement about upcoming events of interest in their area.  After the
March 23, 2021

‘Fortress DC’ Foreshadows Dangerous Anti-Protest Measures

By Suraj K. Sazawal Two months after Donald Trump’s supporters ransacked the U.S. Capitol, the drawdown of the National Guard and the removal of razor-wire fencing surrounding the building has begun.  “This is progress,” DC Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton said
January 7, 2021

You Know What Would Have Happened If They Weren’t White

On the same day in February 2018 that would have been the 23rd birthday for Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager killed by George Zimmerman in 2014, Philadelphians woke to find their city vandalized.  Overnight, downtown store windows had been shattered,
December 18, 2020

Time to Bench Facial Recognition Software

The entire roster for the Boston Celtics basketball team recently called on the state’s lawmakers to reject the Governor’s last-minute amendment to a police reform bill that would cut proposed restrictions on the government's use of facial recognition technology.
November 9, 2020

No Time To Celebrate

This is no time to relax.  Reining in our country’s runaway executive branch must begin now, even as the current occupant of the White House grasps at his last days in office and before the new administration has a chance
October 21, 2020

This Won’t End November 3

These past few months have been hard but inspiring.  Protests against racial injustice continue in Portland, Louisville and across the nation as countless Americans refuse to be silenced by aggressive and excessive policing and a polarizing president that stokes racial
August 27, 2020

The Bucks Stop Here

When NBA players refused to take the court following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they did more than take a stand against racial injustice.  Whether they knew it or not, the Milwaukee Bucks’ players, who