Thomas Ryan's #OWS email "leak"

[Gregory Foster]

On October 14th, Andrew Breitbart posted an interesting teaser on his website Big Government ("'Crowdsource' This: Emails Expose #OccupyWallStreet Conspiracy to 'Destabalize' Global Markets, Governments") indicating his organization's awareness and acquisition of an alleged email archive from a private Google Group used by Occupy Wall Street organizers and participants.

The september17 Google Group email archive (Sep 14-Oct 12, searchable online) was created by Thomas Ryan of Provide Security [ @ProvideSecurity ], a small IT, physical, and executive security firm whose "associates are handpicked from the ranks of highly trained and experienced former agents of the US Secret Service, members of U.S. Special Forces, Global Intelligence Agencies and other premier law enforcement organizations."  His business partner Kevin Schatzle is a former NYPD officer.  Ryan reportedly gained access to the Google Group by simply showing up early to the GAs and signing up on an email sheet.  Ryan was reportedly drawn to #OWS because of his interest in the Anonymous phenomenon and his perhaps well-intentioned and overzealous concern thereof.  Threatpost reports Ryan "said he was merely an observer of the group and portrayed the protests, which have spread to other cities in the U.S. and Europe as propelled by shadowy forces working behind the scenes. Those include unions, liberal activists and media outlets (he named Gawker) sympathetic to their cause."  Breitbart was predictably more incendiary in his revelation of "the truth behind the Occupy movement, including its links to socialist, anarchist, and possibly even jihadist organizations."

On October 15, in a post by Adrian Chen ("Meet the Guy Who Snitched on Occupy Wall Street to the FBI and NYPD"), Gawker revealed that Ryan apparently neglected to remove some of his own emails from the email archive he provided to the Big Government website.  Those emails were to particular staff at the FBI, NYPD, NBC Universal, and other corporations discussed as targets for OWS actions.  Earlier in the day, Gawker declared "Right-Wing Rabble-Rouser Leaks Thousands of Occupy Wall Street Emails" and indicated that Ryan had acquired information on Anonymous "leadership," drawing a comparison with a costly misstep by Aaron Barr earlier this year.  After Barr claimed to be prepared to reveal his intelligence gathering of Anonymous "leadership," his computer security firm HB Gary Federal was immediately targeted by members of the ad-hoc, leaderless phenomenon/movement Anonymous.  In the blowback, his organization's email servers were hacked and 50K private emails released, forcing Barr to resign as HB Gary Federal CEO with a name permanently besmirched in the computer security community.  Apparently Barr and Ryan have been in communication during Ryan's "infiltration" of OWS.  And apparently Ryan has now been forced to shutdown many of his own social media presences after receiving death threats subsequent to his public actions and statements.

If you speak to old veterans of political organizing in the turbulent 1960's and ask for guidance in the blossoming of the Occupy phenomenon/movement, one of the first things they will likely tell you is to expect agent provocateurs and attempts by "establishment" forces to discredit the movement.  We've already seen an American Spectator editor oddly bragging about his role helping incite the pepper-spray incident at the DC Air & Space Museum.  This makes two high-profile examples.  Now I'm not the least bit interested in loaning out any of my own tinfoil hats, so please don't take this as anything except reporting of the facts.  As well-documented incidents like this increase, it is worth revisiting one's principles and understanding that even though we are for the 99%, some of the 99% will take some convincing that we are on their side.

Let's hope that this email trove proves to be its own vindication.  I figure it's worth reading through to highlight the truth, whatever it may be.
gf

-- 
Gregory Foster || gfo...@entersection.org
@gregoryfoster <> http://entersection.com/

[Jonathan Cronin]

folks,

you would be wise to read up on Brandon Darby. He amassed a history of sorts in the organizing community here in Austin and New Orleans post-Katrina. Turns out he was an informant for the FBI. He now works with Breitbart and his websites.

Best,
JC

[Gregory Foster]

To follow up on Jonathan's email, Breitbart tapped Darby to analyze the trove of #OWS emails, stating:

Brandon Darby, a former left-wing activist, will be following up in the coming days with his own analysis and interpretation of select email exchanges. After Hurricane Katrina, Darby became alienated by his former comrades’ anti-Americanism and propensity for violence, and became an FBI informant. In that role, he was essential to the prevention of a planned Molotov cocktail attack on the 2008 Republican National Convention. Darby is in a unique position to understand the key players and tactics behind the “Occupy” movement, and to help derail the left’s pursuit of broader global destabilization.

A little more digging turned up the fact that Thomas Ryan's business partner, Kevin Schatzle, is former US Secret Service and NYPD.  It's likely he is formerly of the Secret Service because of this incident of use of excessive force while driving presidential candidate Al Gore's motorcade.

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit - 901 F.2d 252 - United States of America, Appellee, v. Kevin Schatzle, Appellant:
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/901/252/46479/

Ouch.
gf

[Gregory Foster]

From Citizens United Productions, featuring Andrew Breitbart & Brandon Darby.

YouTube (Feb 9) - "Hot New Film: 'Occupy Unmasked'" posted by BreitbartNews.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqxA9LMa_0c

Attached is an email string posted to the Occupy Austin Google Group on October 20th, two weeks into OA.

gf