As Trump’s shock troops invade Los Angeles, his administration is using every tool at its disposal to attack and surveil the political protests taking place in the city’s streets. That apparently includes the use of a Predator drone, which 404 Media reportswas spotted by an aviation tracker as it zoomed over the city.
The outlet notes that, over the weekend, an MQ-9 Reaper flew over the political protests happening in the city. Onlookers suspected the drone’s presence based on public flight data that picked up movements of a mysterious aircraft:
This isn’t the first time that the government has treated its own population like a foreign enemy. In 2020, as George Floyd protests roiled cities throughout the country, Customs and Border Patrol also used a Predator drone to surveil protesters. The use of the drone sparked inquiries by congressional leaders into its legality.
A variety of other aircraft were deployed over LA during the last few days. On Monday, it was reportedthat an LAPD helicopter had flown over a group of protesters and claimed, “I have all of you on camera. I’m going to come to your house.” Privacy advocates have noted that the existence of facial recognition and other covert tracking tech make such threats possible if not particularly likely.
Trump’s excursion in LA represents a significant escalation from previous federal outings and has little precedent in the modern era. His mobilization of the National Guard, followed by the deployment of U.S. Marines, is an incredible overreaction to a smattering of riots that pale in comparison to your average Super Bowl mob. At the same time, recently leaked documents show that Trump’s DHS head, Kristi Neom, had asked the Defense Department to use the military to arrest “lawbreakers”—an act that, under general U.S. law, would be illegal without the invocation of the Insurrection Act. Trump has also claimed he might arrest California’s governor, Gavin Newsom. Critics maintain that the administration is dancing on the knife’s edge of dictatorial overreach.
Source: Feds Reportedly Sent a Predator Drone to Spy on LA Protesters
The outlet notes that, over the weekend, an MQ-9 Reaper flew over the political protests happening in the city. Onlookers suspected the drone’s presence based on public flight data that picked up movements of a mysterious aircraft:
The existence of the drone appears to have been confirmed by an aviation tracking enthusiast, “Aeroscout,” who came across air traffic control audio that largely corroborates the vehicle’s presence during the protests and riots. The audio was shared with 404 Media by Aeroscout. “TROY703, traffic 12 o’clock, 8 miles, opposite direction, another ‘TROY’ Q-9 at FL230,” an air traffic operator can be heard to say, in apparent reference to the autonomous plane. TROY is a callsign used by DHS, which would have been operating the drone, 404 writes. Q-9 is a shorthand for MQ-9, it adds.
This isn’t the first time that the government has treated its own population like a foreign enemy. In 2020, as George Floyd protests roiled cities throughout the country, Customs and Border Patrol also used a Predator drone to surveil protesters. The use of the drone sparked inquiries by congressional leaders into its legality.
A variety of other aircraft were deployed over LA during the last few days. On Monday, it was reportedthat an LAPD helicopter had flown over a group of protesters and claimed, “I have all of you on camera. I’m going to come to your house.” Privacy advocates have noted that the existence of facial recognition and other covert tracking tech make such threats possible if not particularly likely.
Trump’s excursion in LA represents a significant escalation from previous federal outings and has little precedent in the modern era. His mobilization of the National Guard, followed by the deployment of U.S. Marines, is an incredible overreaction to a smattering of riots that pale in comparison to your average Super Bowl mob. At the same time, recently leaked documents show that Trump’s DHS head, Kristi Neom, had asked the Defense Department to use the military to arrest “lawbreakers”—an act that, under general U.S. law, would be illegal without the invocation of the Insurrection Act. Trump has also claimed he might arrest California’s governor, Gavin Newsom. Critics maintain that the administration is dancing on the knife’s edge of dictatorial overreach.
Source: Feds Reportedly Sent a Predator Drone to Spy on LA Protesters
