Apparently the raid on the Glass Bead collective was not a fluke — there are now reports of large scale police raids of other protest groups, including the seizure of papers, computers, and political materials. One group that has been raided is Food Not Bombs, which has released at least one search warrant suggesting that the stated justification for the search is looking for Molotov cocktails and similar incendiary devices.

It's possible that the police have received actually credible information that some of these groups plan to engage in illegal acts. But I'm quite skeptical — this smacks of protest-deterring thuggery.

Edit: Orin Kerr comments, noting that one of the organizations had talked about an intention to use illegal methods to disrupt the convention. I'm still skeptical, given the breadth of groups targeted.

Last 5 posts by Ken

• Anatomy Of A Scam Investigation, Chapter Ten - February 5th, 2012
• Marc Stephens Threatens Me Some More - February 3rd, 2012
• Now I Belong To The Ages - January 31st, 2012
• The Road to Popehat: The Oracle At Popehat Edition - January 27th, 2012
• Step Right Up For The Thursday Censorious Asshat Roundup - January 26th, 2012