Warren Hart didn’t just spy on Black activist groups — he also encouraged them to commit subversive and violent acts.
Warren Hart might not have been the first to infiltrate activist groups in Canada, but his work with the RCMP signalled a turning point for how authorities monitor figures in the country's Black rights groups and other political movements. Black Life: Untold Stories illuminates the struggles and triumphs of Black Canadians while celebrating the contributions of both famous and lesser-known individuals.
Undercover operatives or "ops" infiltrated groups on behalf of the state, with deadly consequences for both leaders and foot soldiers of the movement. Many activists went into exile or have served, and continue to serve, some of the longest prison sentences in the U.S.; they contend they're being held as political prisoners.
Warren Hart might not have been the first to infiltrate activist groups in Canada, but his work with the RCMP signaled a turning point for how authorities monitor figures in the country's Black rights groups and other political movements. And his story has roots in surveillance practices in the States from the 1950s to the '70s.
Hart's goal was to infiltrate and align himself with Douglas. Hart became, in his own words, Douglas's "chauffeur, his bodyguard and his confidant." Atkinson's story is just one we know of. A 1978 brief by the RCMP reads: "It was agreed that Hart should claim to have criminal associations to account for his lifestyle, but it was never intended that he should cultivate them. Hart was repeatedly told not to become involved in any criminal activity — instructions he chose to ignore.
It's a myth that the Canadian state is benevolent and accommodating. With Hart, we see how the government's police force ran a covert war against Indigenous and Black activists, who essentially just wanted to live lives free of oppression.
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