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    Black activist jailed for his Facebook posts speaks out about secret FBI surveillance

    Exclusive: Rakem Balogun spoke out against police brutality. Now he is believed to be the first prosecuted under a secretive US effort to track so-called ‘black identity extremists’
    by Sam Levin May 11, 2018 4 minutes
    Rakem Balogun on being secretly watched by the FBI: ‘It’s tyranny at its finest.’ Photograph: Allison V Smith for the Guardian

    Rakem Balogun thought he was dreaming when armed agents in tactical gear stormed his apartment. Startled awake by a large crash and officers screaming commands, he soon realized his nightmare was real, and he and his 15-year-old son were forced outside of their Dallas home, wearing only underwear.

    Handcuffed and shaking in the cold wind, Balogun thought a misunderstanding must have led the FBI to his door on 12 December 2017. The father of three said he was shocked to later learn that agents investigating “domestic terrorism” had been monitoring him for years and were arresting him that day in part because of his Facebook posts criticizing police.

    “It’s tyranny at its finest,” said Balogun, 34. “I have not been doing anything illegal for them to have surveillance on me.

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