"Newly Declassified Records Suggest Parents Collaborated With the FBI to Spy on Their Rebellious Teens During the 1960s
As high school students across the U.S. embraced political activism, adults turned to the authorities to shield their sons and daughters from radical influences
(. . .)
What many mistakenly believed had begun on college campuses now seemed to be seeping into the nation’s high schools. (In truth, the two movements unfolded concurrently, with some teenagers’ efforts predating those of their college-age counterparts.) 'High School Unrest Rises, Alarming U.S. Educators,' the New York Times warned in May 1969. A year later, the Los Angeles Times sounded the alarm again: 'High School Race Turmoil—a Frightening Growth.'
Law enforcement took notice of these teen activists. The FBI—along with local police departments and military intelligence units—orchestrated surveillance campaigns that targeted high schoolers."
(. . .)
For many white, middle- and upper-middle-class Americans, high school activism represented chaos. The FBI, on the other hand, symbolized order.
(. . .)
Since 2014, I have filed nearly 2,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking classified records on FBI surveillance operations targeting high school students in American cities, suburbs and rural areas. Tellingly, none of the 233 surviving records I obtained through these requests discuss nonwhite parents reaching out to the bureau. This total is unsurprising. Many communities of color had fraught relationships with law enforcement during the tumultuous 1960s. And the FBI has played a longstanding role in defending America’s status quo.
(. . .)
Since 2014, I have filed nearly 2,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking classified records on FBI surveillance operations targeting high school students in American cities, suburbs and rural areas. Tellingly, none of the 233 surviving records I obtained through these requests discuss nonwhite parents reaching out to the bureau. This total is unsurprising. Many communities of color had fraught relationships with law enforcement during the tumultuous 1960s. And the FBI has played a longstanding role in defending America’s status quo."