I recently received a notice from one of my favorite organizations, The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). (Full disclosure, my younger daughter, Rachel Meeropol, works as an attorney there so I may not be entirely objective.) The CCR has reissued its pamphlet, “If An Agent Knocks” as a public service. Since this pamphlet is designed as an aid for targeted activists, and the RFC’s mission is to provide for the educational and emotional needs of the children of targeted activists, I am reproducing the CCR’s information about their pamphlet here as a service to the RFC community:

"If An Agent Knocks," [provides] advice to activists likely to be targeted by FBI agents or other federal investigators, in Pittsburgh and beyond. This booklet is a resource to protect activists from government investigation. [The CCR] also want[s] to support the power you show when you exercise this fundamental right of dissent.

Since its original release in 1989, CCR's "If An Agent Knocks" has been widely circulated in progressive activist communities across the country. This guide includes both the timeless advice included in the original version and extensive updates to reflect the current state of the law and law enforcement tools. It also includes a comprehensive discussion of today's technology, including cell phones, e-mail and Web browsing.

"If An Agent Knocks" is an invaluable tool for activists in a time when efforts to repress expressions of opposition are intensified. We want to get this publication into as many hands as possible. To obtain a free copy, please email iaak@ccrjustice.org . You can also download it in pdf form here. Tell your friends and fellow activists about "If An Agent Knocks," and urge them to place an order too. [The CCR is] giving away a special edition of "If An Agent Knocks" posters to the first 500 people who order the booklet.