Strife- Political Profiling/Police Harassment of a Left Wing Activist/Musician in Olympia, WA
Channel: Strife Harmony
Date: 2011-08-03

This is a TCTV interview that Paul French (aka Strife) did in 2012 when he first started publicizing the surveillance and repression he began experiencing in connection to his hip-hop music and left-wing activism in Olympia, WA. This is in direct relation to John Towery, the military spy, and the dossier he compiled of anti-war, socialist, and anarchist activists to put on a domestic terrorism watch-list in the Pacific North West. 
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Background:

Paul French (aka Strife) is an independent hip-hop artist who used to work out of Olympia, WA. In 2009, he released an album called “Love & Rage” with his hip-hop group, Thought Crime Collective and on April 8th, 2010 he was framed for felony assault on an officer at a protest against police brutality after Oscar Grant was shot in Oakland, CA.

He served two months in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and the media made a circus out of the "bad protestor" archetype Strife represented since it had been a black bloc action against police racism and police killings. When he was released from jail he was subjected to a campaign of harassment, given numerous citations by law enforcement who repeatedly singled him out by name. He was contacted by police 12 times and given five tickets in less than a month under various pretexts which sent him further into debt.

Despite this repression, he released his first solo album in 2012 entitled “No Honor Among Kings” and traveled the West Coast on a “Peasant Revolt Tour” with Dead Language and Northern Draw.

In late April 2011, Strife discovered through public records requests that he was being spied on by multiple law enforcement agencies and referred as the “white rapper” in e-mail exchanges about his role as performer at the capitol occupation in Olympia, WA.

Later that year, he sued the Olympia Police Department (OPD) for violations of his civil rights and a campaign of profiling, harassment, false arrest and imprisonment. OPD settled out of court to the tune of $10,000 and Strife used this windfall to help record and share his second solo album, "Metamorphosis".
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Paul French Strife: https://www.facebook.com/Strife.and.Harmony2084  

Youtube Channel- Strife Harmony @Strife101Life: https://tinyurl.com/4nb7v3ka

Youtube- Strife "Equilibrium Mixtape" Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/raycdzc3

Youtube- Strife and Harmony "Metamorphosis" Playlist: https://www.tinyurl.com/3dxb86ff 

Youtube- Strife "No Honor Among Kings" Playlist: https://www.tinyurl.com/4u3s26rb 

Youtube- Thought Crime Collective "Love and Rage" Playlist: https://www.tinyurl.com/3ahu5aks  

Youtube- Strife Best Live Performances Playlist: https://www.tinyurl.com/4vh6rym8 
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Bandcamp: https://strife-and-harmony.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/strife_and_harmony/

Soundclick: http://www.soundclick.com/strifethoughtcrime/
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Police harassment on the streets of Olympia- A local activist speaks out: 

https://breakingthewavesofrepression.wordpress.com/2023/03/22/police-harassment-on-the-streets-of-olympia-a-local-activist-speaks-out-by-paul-french-aka-strife-works-in-progress-august-2011/

Olympia Police Department (OPD) Lawsuit Exposes Political Profiling: 

https://olywip.org/opd-lawsuit-exposes-political-profiling/

Proof the FBI spied on the “Demand Justice for Strife” rally after I sued the OPD for false arrest and imprisonment and settled for $10,000:

https://breakingthewavesofrepression.wordpress.com/2023/04/06/proof-the-fbi-spied-on-my-demand-justice-for-strife-rally-after-i-sued-the-olympia-police-department-for-false-arrest-and-imprisonment-and-settled-for-10000/?preview=true

Olympia, WA Agrees to Pay Activist $10,000 to Settle Olympia Police Department Lawsuit:

https://breakingthewavesofrepression.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/olympia-agrees-to-pay-activist-10000-to-settle-opd-lawsuit/

Defendant Added to Protesters’ Spying Suit:

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/us/defendant-added-to-protesters-spying-suit.html

Exclusive: Inside the Army Spy Ring & Attempted Entrapment of Peace Activists, Iraq Vets, Anarchists [VIDEO]

https://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/25/exclusive_inside_the_army_spy_ring