Activist Turned Informant Leads to Two Arrested

By kguinane

Created 01/23/09

An activist turned informant is responsible for leading the FBI to arrest two Texas men during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul last September. Activists in Austin however contend that the informant manipulated the two men who are each facing one count of possession of firearms not registered to them.

Brandon Michael Darby, 32, is the government's main source of information for the case against Bradley Crowder, 22, and David McKay, 23. He announced his involvement in a letter sent to Indymedia.org where he stated, "I have chosen to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigations." He told the New York Times that he provided information leading to the arrest of McKay and Crowder and planned on testifying at their trial scheduled to start January 26.

Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota has commented on Darby's announcement or activities.

A group of Austin Activists, the Austin Informant Working Group (AIWG), has reviewed over 70 pages of FBI documents regarding alleged actions at the RNC. According to the documents, Darby worked as an FBI informant from as early as February of 2007, almost a year prior to meeting either McKay or Crowder. AIWG believes that Darby was not seeking to prevent violence but rather, "sought out people he could manipulate and entrap."

Gabby Hicks, an activist who was with Darby in St. Paul during the convention, remembers Darby as, "a seasoned activist…had a lot of sway over Crowder and McKay, making them susceptible to his often militant rhetoric." Others remember Darby's "discord and aggression" from anti-war campaigns in 2003 and protests against Halliburton.

Having been an activist in the Austin area for years, many are surprised and angered by Darby's actions. "He's betrayed the trust of the community," said Lisa Fithian, a social justice activist. A friend of Darby's, Scott Crow said, "It's heartbreaking and shocking. It's shaken me to my core that somebody this close to me had been informing on me and others."

While not all of Darby's actions are fully known, he has admitted to monitoring and gathering information on people engaged in lawful activities. Will Potter, a free lance journalist located in Washington, D.C., said, "The wider net cast by Darby in his information gathering shows that he was part of an FBI campaign to suppress political dissent and activism." Darby's behavior "contributes to the public perception that political dissent is criminal, which has a chilling effect on free speech," added Potter.