Memphis Police store secret surveillance of Black Lives Matter protesters for ‘watch list’ – AOL News
The Memphis Police Department has been collecting surveillance footage of protestors linked to Black Lives Matter, a local FOX News affiliate has learned.
Law enforcement officials told FOX13 that the police department gathers intelligence containing vital information of BLM protesters -- including date of birth, weight and height -- to help create a "watch list" that bars those listed from entering the Memphis City Hall without an escort.
In one reported instance, a cell phone video captured footage of the Memphis Police standing outside the union headquarters of Keedran "TNT" Franklin, a local organizer and activist for the BLM movement.
RELATED: Most iconic photos of Black Lives Matter movement since Ferguson
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Most iconic photos of Black Lives Matter movement since Ferguson
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FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 17: Tear gas rains down on a woman kneeling in the street with her hands in the air after a demonstration over the killing of teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Despite the Brown family's continued call for peaceful demonstrations, violent protests have erupted nearly every night in Ferguson since his August 9, death. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Police force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 12: A demonstrator protesting the killings of 18-year-olds Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri Police officer and Vonderrit Myers Jr. by an off duty St. Louis police officer gets help after being maced by police on October 12, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis area has been struggling to heal since riots erupted in suburban Ferguson following Brown's death. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 3: A demonstrator cries while gathering in Philadelphia to protest the Eric Garner grand jury decision during a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at City Hall December 3, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Organizers called for the demonstration after a grand jury in the Staten Island borough of New York City declined to indict the police officer who used a chokehold on Garner, resulting in his death. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
FERGUSON, MO - NOVEMBER 25: Police confront demonstrators during a protest on November 25, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Yesterday protesting turned into rioting following the grand jury announcement to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the Michael Brown case. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was killed by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer, on August 9. At least 12 buildings were torched and more than 50 people were arrested during the night-long rioting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, MN - DECEMBER 20: Thousands of protesters from the group 'Black Lives Matter' disrupt holiday shoppers on December 20, 2014 at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
A police officer stands over activists, demanding justice for the death of Eric Garner, as they stage a 'die-in' during rush hour at Grand Central Terminal in the Manhattan borough of New York on December 3, 2014. A New York City grand jury on Wednesday returned no indictment against a white police officer who used a chokehold on an unarmed black man who died as police tried to arrest him for illegally selling cigarettes, local media reported. The grand jury in the city's borough of Staten Island decided against criminal charges for New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner. The deadly encounter on July 17 was captured on a video that quickly spread over the Internet and helped fuel debates about how U.S. police use force, particularly against minorities. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY TRANSPORT)
A man protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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The video was posted to Franklin's Facebook page on Feb. 6th.
Antonio Cathey, a local union organizer confirmed to FOX13 that the Memphis Police has been conducting surveillance over BLM protesters.
"Sometimes they sit outside our offices, sometimes they sit outside our house." Cathey said, further clarifying the "they'" he was referring to as "the police" in his statement.
Local minister Elaine Blanchard was surprised to find her name noted on the watch list, claiming that her only connection to BLM protests was an instance in which she crossed a barricade during a protest in Graceland, Tennessee, in 2016.
"My weight was on this list," Blanchard said. "I am curious to know where did the mayor's office and the police department get my weight."
SEE ALSO: Secret surveillance of Black Lives Matter protester
Sources involved with Memphis law enforcement told FOX13 police began collecting both Blanchard's an Cathey's information following the Graceland protest.
FOX13 spoke to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland about allegations claiming that his police department had engaged in political surveillance.
"Now that's a separate issue from the list. I've asked the police director to review the procedure with respect to the list" Strickland said.
Strickland said the list was created in response to a protest that occurred outside his home in January that left him and his family shaken, which is why it contained language that forbids a certain number of people from entering his personal property.
However, Strickland claims that he was unaware of the notation on the list mandating that those noted were "to be escorted while in city hall."
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