Newly Unveiled Photos of MLK Jr. Show Depth of NYPD’s Surveillance
The latest revelations about the New York City Police Department's surveillance of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. are a sobering reminder of the long history of government overreach and abuse of power in the United States.
The photographs, taken on December 17, 1964, just one week after King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, show the civil rights leader and his entourage being formally received by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., who praised him as "a great American who has returned home after a great triumph abroad." On their face, the images are mundane - King emerging from a car, greeted by two men in suits, or standing with family and confidants.
But beneath the surface, the photographs reveal a sinister plot to surveil and sabotage the civil rights movement. The prints are held in the New York City Municipal Archives files of the Bureau of Special Services and Investigations, the NYPD's former political intelligence unit, where researcher Joshua Clark Davis found them while researching for his new book.
The fact that the 14 individuals who appear at close range in the photographs do not even look directly at the camera suggests that they may not have realized they were being photographed by police. However, their placement in the Bureau of Special Services "Red Squad" files makes it clear that the NYPD harbored a far less flattering impression of King.
The New York City Police Department's actions were part of a broader pattern of surveillance and sabotage by law enforcement agencies across the country against civil rights activists. The FBI's notorious COINTELPRO program, launched in August 1967, was tasked with disrupting the civil rights movement, while local police departments continued to deploy their own tactics of deception and disruption.
Today, the legacy of this surveillance continues. Activists protesting ICE and Israel's war on Gaza are still being monitored by law enforcement agencies. The NYPD's Strategic Response Group remains a secretive unit that attends protests and conducts surveillance, sparking calls for its disbandment from local organizers.
The case of Martin Luther King Jr. serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers of government overreach and abuse of power. In this era of authoritarianism, words matter. Federal authorities who vocally attack protesters signal to law enforcement agents that they should not be monitored or probed. Insults and slander give way to surveillance and invasions of privacy, which in turn lead to harassment by public officials.
It is time for us to recognize the real-life consequences of these actions and to stand up against government overreach. The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We will continue to hold power accountable and defend democracy.
The latest revelations about the New York City Police Department's surveillance of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. are a sobering reminder of the long history of government overreach and abuse of power in the United States.
The photographs, taken on December 17, 1964, just one week after King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, show the civil rights leader and his entourage being formally received by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., who praised him as "a great American who has returned home after a great triumph abroad." On their face, the images are mundane - King emerging from a car, greeted by two men in suits, or standing with family and confidants.
But beneath the surface, the photographs reveal a sinister plot to surveil and sabotage the civil rights movement. The prints are held in the New York City Municipal Archives files of the Bureau of Special Services and Investigations, the NYPD's former political intelligence unit, where researcher Joshua Clark Davis found them while researching for his new book.
The fact that the 14 individuals who appear at close range in the photographs do not even look directly at the camera suggests that they may not have realized they were being photographed by police. However, their placement in the Bureau of Special Services "Red Squad" files makes it clear that the NYPD harbored a far less flattering impression of King.
The New York City Police Department's actions were part of a broader pattern of surveillance and sabotage by law enforcement agencies across the country against civil rights activists. The FBI's notorious COINTELPRO program, launched in August 1967, was tasked with disrupting the civil rights movement, while local police departments continued to deploy their own tactics of deception and disruption.
Today, the legacy of this surveillance continues. Activists protesting ICE and Israel's war on Gaza are still being monitored by law enforcement agencies. The NYPD's Strategic Response Group remains a secretive unit that attends protests and conducts surveillance, sparking calls for its disbandment from local organizers.
The case of Martin Luther King Jr. serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers of government overreach and abuse of power. In this era of authoritarianism, words matter. Federal authorities who vocally attack protesters signal to law enforcement agents that they should not be monitored or probed. Insults and slander give way to surveillance and invasions of privacy, which in turn lead to harassment by public officials.
It is time for us to recognize the real-life consequences of these actions and to stand up against government overreach. The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We will continue to hold power accountable and defend democracy.
these pics are showing us how deep the nypd's surveillance goes and it's like whoa they were watching king like what was he even doing wrong? and then it makes you think about all the other civil rights activists and protesters who got watched too 
this is a huge red flag for me, we need to be super cautious of our government overreach 
and we gotta stand up against it or else it's gonna get outta hand 0kay
they had a whole team of agents monitoring him lol can you imagine? it's crazy how the gov't was trying to sabotage his work and the civil rights movement back then. now that we're living in an era where protesters are still being monitored I'm like super uncomfortable 
this is exactly what we should be standing up against. we gotta speak out against government overreach and protect our rights as citizens 
OMG, can u believe the NYPD was surveilling MLK Jr?! Like, what's next? 
It's crazy to think that back then they thought they could just spy on him and his friends. The fact that these pics are in the archives now is like, totally mind-blowing 
It's soooo scary! We gotta keep speaking out against this stuff and make sure our voices aren't silenced 
. I'm surprised it took a researcher to find those files in the first place. The NYPD was always shady, but this is just gross. And what's with the Strategic Response Group still being around? That's just an excuse for them to keep harassing protesters and not have any oversight 
.
. All I know is that it feels wrong, you know? Like we're living in some kind of dystopian novel where the govt has total control over our lives. And when you think about all the other things that they can do with this surveillance, like monitoring protesters and activists...it's just not right 
. It's wild to think that even back then, the NYPD was all up in Martin Luther King Jr's grill 
. We need to keep pushing for accountability and transparency from our government officials 
this is what happens when government overreach becomes normalized, and we need to hold them accountable for their actions... 
it's time for us to stand up against these kinds of tactics and demand transparency from our law enforcement agencies 
we need to protect our rights and freedoms 
and what's even more disturbing is that this kind of government overreach is not a thing of the past it's happening right now too 
we can't just sit back and watch as our rights get trampled on 
it's time to take a stand and demand change 
OMG I'm literally SHOOK by these photos!!! It's like, we thought we'd made so much progress with civil rights, but it seems like there are still ppl in power trying to watch & control our leaders 
I'm all about spreading awareness & promoting positivity, but this is just SO important 
these new pics are wild, can you imagine being surveilled like that just 'cause you're a civil rights leader? it's like they were trying to shut down king's movement before he even got started 
. the fact that they didn't even ask him for permission to take these pics is just shady 
. Those photos are just proof that he was being super careful and paranoid about his safety 
. The FBI's COINTELPRO program was totally necessary back then, keeping an eye on activists and disrupting their plans to cause chaos 
. I don't see why the NYPD would be surveilling King specifically - he was just doing his job as a public servant 
. If they want to get attention, maybe they should try being a bit more subtle 
.
what can we do about it tho? maybe its time for us to stand up against government overreach and demand more transparency from our police departments 
. It's crazy to think that 50+ yrs ago, our government was secretly monitoring King's every move, just because of his activism 
. It's time to hold our leaders accountable and defend democracy 
