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Activist gets FBI call in connection with attacks

By Judith Scherr, Daily Planet staff
Sunday October 14, 2001

A Berkeley woman, a member of Women in Black, contacted by the FBI in connection to the Sept. 11 attacks, compared looking to her organization for clues to the attackers, with looking for alligators in Montana. 

Kate Raphael tells the story this way: “I got home from work on Monday, Sept. 24 and there was a message on my voicemail from the San Francisco office of the FBI. They wanted to ask me questions, they wanted me to call them back. I didn’t want to do that.” 

An active member of Women in Black, Raphael describes the organization as an international network of mostly Jewish, mostly lesbian “feminist, anti-racist, anti-militarist” women who oppose the occupation of Palestine and the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan.  

“We are opposed to all forms of war and extreme nationalism,” Raphael said. When they are demonstrating, members of the group wear black and stand in public places. 

Instead of returning the call, Raphael contacted National Lawyers Guild attorney Rachel Lederman who called back in her place. Lederman learned that Raphael was contacted because of her involvement with Women in Black. The bureau wanted to talk to her about the Sept. 11 attacks and find out who she might know in the Middle East. 

Raphael says the call mystified her. “It’s very puzzling to me and more puzzling as time goes on. I thought it was the beginning of a wave of calls.” But no other Women in Black activists have been contacted, to her knowledge. “That makes it more confusing to me,” she said. 

And she wonders why the FBI thinks her organization would be able to provide insight to Sept. 11.  

“If the FBI really believes that the Women in Black, a mostly Jewish feminist lesbian (group) would know about fundamentalist men in the Middle East,” that would be surprising, she said. “It’s like an alligator hunter going to Montana. It’s his job to know there are not alligators in Montana. It speaks really badly about (the FBI’s) ability to do their jobs. Women in Black are about as far away as you’re going to get. I ask myself, why me?” 

Raphael’s attorney said the FBI made a critical mistake. After Raphael was contacted and the message left on her answering machine and Lederman contacted the bureau informing them that she was Raphael’s attorney, the FBI should not have called Raphael back. They should have dealt solely with her, Lederman said. But they did call Raphael again, saying she would be subject to being subpoenaed by the Grand Jury in New York that is investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Raphael says she thinks the Grand Jury has better things to do than to actually subpoena her. If they do, Lederman said they’ll go to federal court to have the subpoena quashed. “In general, no one is obliged to answer questions from the FBI unless ordered by the court,” Lederman said, adding that, if people are contacted by the FBI, they should talk to the National Lawyer’s Guild at 415-285-1055 to get help.  

“I’m not going to be intimidated,” Raphael said. 

 

On Oct. 17, 7-9 p.m., the Middle East Children’s Alliance is holding a forum called, “Know your rights,” geared to those people who may be called by the FBI. The forum will be held at St. Joseph the Worker’s Church at 1640 Addison St.