Kristian Williams - Our Enemies in Blue - Police and Power in America

7SECRET POLICE, RED SQUADS,AND THE STRATEGYOF PERMANENT REPRESSIONPOUCE INTERVENTION DURING INDUSTRIAL STRIFE HAS HAD A COMPLEXlegacy, producing detailed riot control strategies and specialized units to handlepolitical intelligence. Judging by appearances, one might not think that these twosets of activities have very much to do with each other. Riot cops wear full protectivegear and operate in ways that are by definition very public. The stereotypicaltrenchcoat aside, police spies usually wear no uniform at all; and their activitiesare often covert. The targets are generally unaware of police intelligence activity;the public at large barely recognizes its existence. But historically, red squadswere formed with crowd control in mind, and took on their secret police functionslater.! Separate divisions currently handle these duties, but their operationsremain connected at the root. The riot cop and the secret policeman provide thetwo faces of political repression.2HAYMARKET: ''ANARCHY IS ON TRIAL."The role of police in crushing dissent, and the place of intelligence work withinthat pursuit, began to take shape in 1886 in response to the movement foran eight-hour workday. In May of that year, the nation saw a wave of strikesdemanding "Eight hours for work. Eight hours for sleep. Eight hours for whatyou will."5 Much of the action was centered in Chicago, where on May 1, 40,000workers walked off the job, and were joined a few days later by 25,000 more.4On May 3, police shot and killed four workers picketing the McCormickHarvester Works. Enraged, August Spies-an anarchist-printed a forcefulhandbill calling for an open-air meeting on May 4 in Haymarket Square. The flierwas headed 'Workingmen, To Arms," and encouraged workers to come prepared to defend themselves.5The rally began as a typical affair. Three thousand people came to listen to149