A Visit from the FBI
\nBy Yasir Aladdin Afifi, July 21, 2011<\/p>\n
Patriot ActsThis August, Voice of Witness will release Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9\/11 Injustice, edited by Alia Malek, an author (A Country Called Amreeka) and former Department of Justice attorney. A collection of oral histories, Patriot Acts tells the stories of men and women who have been needlessly swept up in the War on Terror. In their own words, narrators recount personal experiences of the post-9\/11 backlash that have deeply altered their lives and communities. For more information on the book, visit Voice of Witness.<\/p>\n
In this excerpt of oral history, edited by Alia Malek, Yasir Aladdin Afifi describes how he discovered that he was enmeshed in the FBI’s web of surveillance. <\/p>\n
In October 2010, I took my car to my mechanic in Santa Clara for an oil change. As the mechanic was elevating the car on the hydraulic lift, I noticed that there was something like a piece of string or wire coming out from the back. Then, when the car was fully elevated, I noticed this black device under the back of the car. I asked the mechanic to pull it out, and he handed it to me. He was somewhat freaked out.<\/p>\n
There was a big, black rod attached to something that looked like a walkie-talkie. I wasn\u2019t freaked out because I had an idea of what it was\u2014 it looked like a tracking device! I didn\u2019t think it was normal at all, and I had a feeling it was the FBI who\u2019d put it there.<\/p>\n
When I got home, some of my friends and I Googled the serial number of the tracking device. What came up was \u201cFederal Property Tracking Device GPS, $1500, $4,200, $3,200.\u201d I was thinking about selling it. I\u2019m a salesman, that\u2019s what we do! …more<\/a><\/p>\n