Will student activism/civil disobedience prevent me from getting a security clearance? (how much, university)

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

"Plenty of people did dumb stuff when they were young".....yeah, like protesting against the Vietnam conflict, which brought an end to the maiming, death and distruction. Sure hope you weren't referring to that type of "dumb stuff".

egards
Gemstone1

Uh, for the OP to be old enough to have been a protester against Vietnam, he would have to be at least 60 years old (more like 65 or 70) and probably not applying for a clearance.

But there's a big difference between peaceful protesting and people who destroy property, assault cops, etc. I have no idea where on that gradient the OP's past actions fall; that's for the investigator to find out.

[rosemckin]

It definitely wasn't Vietnam, but I never destroyed any property or assaulted anyone - like I said, the only thing i did was nonviolent peaceful sit ins. I did things like protesting the budget cuts and asking for better responses to student sexual assault cases. I would hope that wouldn't be a problem - I'm less worried about what I did and more worried about the people I have ties too. They are folks who have damaged property and shut down freeways for BLM and such recently. Should I delete them off facebook and more completely sever all connections I have?

For those hoping I don't get my clearance, come on. Read a history book. Sometimes change requires a push and a pull, and the catalyst is peaceful civil disobedience. College students are young and full of heart and idealism, and I personally think student activism plays an important role in change. In the end, we all - conservatives, progressives, moderates, anarchists - want the same thing. We want our families to be safe and happy, we want autonomy over our lives, words, actions, and futures. Sometimes we just disagree on how to get there, and I know I have grown as a person since I believed anarchism is that way.

[Old Guard]

Originally Posted by rosemckin

It definitely wasn't Vietnam, but I never destroyed any property or assaulted anyone - like I said, the only thing i did was nonviolent peaceful sit ins. I did things like protesting the budget cuts and asking for better responses to student sexual assault cases. I would hope that wouldn't be a problem - I'm less worried about what I did and more worried about the people I have ties too. They are folks who have damaged property and shut down freeways for BLM and such recently. Should I delete them off facebook and more completely sever all connections I have?

For your activism I do not think it will matter.

For those you relate with I do not know.

For Facebook? If I were looking for a clearance I personally would not have it. I think a lot of employers will look at Facebook.

[RecessionCasualty]

You have to list everything, some departments are forgiving and some are not, example DOJ is incredibly picky. I agree, going for a clearance? Drop Facebook.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Old Guard

I believe you have to list your convictions, not arrests, which is a huge difference.

I am not sure what your ties were and to what organizations but I would be honest and not try to cover anything up. I think you will be fine.

You have to list arrests.

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by rosemckin

When I was in college, I helped organize some direct action/civil disobedience on my college campus - sit ins in buildings, etc. I also had ties to local anarchists who shut buildings down on a much larger scale and who got arrested frequently. I am not an anarchist anymore although I do find some of the authors interesting. I was never charged, but I was arrested (just cited and released, I don't even have a record). Would this prevent me from getting a Secret security clearance?

None of us know what type of clearance when you say clearance. You said you got arrested frequently and that may be a problem. You were the organizer vs participant. That may be a problem.

Maybe you speak 4 languages, can computer code, have a CPA with a law degree. Who knows at this point. Let us know in 6 months how life turned out.

[gomason]

Lets just say I know what Im talking about *wink wink * *nod*.

DO NOT EVER, EVER lie on a government form. If you want a surefire way to be removed from the government and prevented from future employment - lie on a government form.

I'm not expanding on that. But often the LIE is the issue that gets someone fired.

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

You said you got arrested frequently and that may be a problem.

OP didn't say he was arrested frequently he said he had ties to people who were arrested frequently. He didn't indicate how many times he was arrested.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by gomason

Lets just say I know what Im talking about *wink wink * *nod*.

DO NOT EVER, EVER lie on a government form. If you want a surefire way to be removed from the government and prevented from future employment - lie on a government form.

I'm not expanding on that. But often the LIE is the issue that gets someone fired.

Depending on the clearance almost everything you've done can be discovered, especially now in the Age of Social Media.


I went through the clearance process a couple times over 30, closer to 35, years ago and a term paper I wrote in high school was brought up.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by hertfordshire

OP didn't say he was arrested frequently he said he had ties to people who were arrested frequently. He didn't indicate how many times he was arrested.

Yes, the OP only said he had received citations. You can get a clearance with a citation.

The biggest thing I think they will look for is if you are perceived to be favorable to another country or if you are prone to being radicalized by another country based on your previous anti-government stance.