Bad-jacketing, also known as snitch-jacketing or cop-jacketing, is the act of creating doubt, conflict, or confusion by implying someone is a cop, a snitch, an op, or an untrustworthy person.

Bad-jacketing was used by the FBI against civil rights leaders, Black Panthers and AIM. It is used by cops against activists. It is used by cops to isolate people to make them easier to manipulate. It was a staple of COINTELPRO.

Bad-jacketing can get good people pushed out of a movement, hurt, and even killed. Bad-jacketing creates division, mistrust, and confusion.

Do not bad-jacket.

Some examples of people affected by bad-jacketing:

• Stokely Carmichael, a civil rights leader, was forced out of the movement due to bad-jacketing. He eventually had to flee to Africa because of this and other attacks.
• Black Panther Fred Bennett was killed due to bad-jacketing
• Black Panthers Bunchy Carter and John Huggins were in an altercation caused, in part, by the FBI fanning the flames of internal conflict
• William O’Neal, who setup the assassination of Fred Hampton, reinforced his power within the Black Panther Party, in part, through bad-jacketing loyal members.
• AIM members Anna Mae Aquash and Byron DeSersa are believed to have been killed because the FBI spread false rumors she was an informant

Often, the people who start the bad-jacketing are the ones who are actually cops, ops, infiltrators or phonies profiteering off the movement.

I repeat: Do not bad-jacket.

If you do not trust someone, deal with it privately with trusted individuals. Make sure they know this is suspicion, not fact. I'm not going to suggest techniques to figure out if someone is a snitch or op. Sharing that can help folks better prepare cover stories. Ask people with experience. Use common sense. Don't be escalatory or invasive.

But don't turn doubts into unfounded accusations. Don't share unfounded accusations. And call out people who do.

A real common thing right now is newer activists claiming some group, org, or person that they dislike are cops - for no reason other than to express their dislike.

Again, this creates conflict, confusion, division, pushes people out of activism, and it gets people hurt or killed.

Don’t do the cops work for them. Don’t be an op who doesn’t even get paid. Don’t bad-jacket.