No Muslim Profiling in LA -- for Now
Friday November 16, 2007
As if they didn't already have enough problems with public perception, the Los Angeles Police Department was briefly toying with the idea of "Muslim mapping," in which a database would keep track of the city's Muslim population. I'm not sure which super-genius came up with the plan, but it was finally scrapped when, according to police chief William Bratton, some local Muslim groups pointed out to the city that the plan was "inappropriate."
News of the potential tracking surfaced when the LAPD's counterterrorism head, Michale Dowling, testified before the U.S. Senate. He said at the time that the mapping of LA's Muslim community was an "attempt to mitigate radicalization" in the city, and that he hoped it would "identify (Muslim) communities ... which may be susceptible to violent ideologically based extremism."
You'd think that the guy would have heard the term "racial profiling" at some point in his career.
In a statement released yesterday, the ACLU said they're pleased the program has been abandoned, but that they would "keep a close eye on the LAPD to ensure it was not repackaged in some other form."
News of the potential tracking surfaced when the LAPD's counterterrorism head, Michale Dowling, testified before the U.S. Senate. He said at the time that the mapping of LA's Muslim community was an "attempt to mitigate radicalization" in the city, and that he hoped it would "identify (Muslim) communities ... which may be susceptible to violent ideologically based extremism."
You'd think that the guy would have heard the term "racial profiling" at some point in his career.
In a statement released yesterday, the ACLU said they're pleased the program has been abandoned, but that they would "keep a close eye on the LAPD to ensure it was not repackaged in some other form."
They should know were all the Muslim extremism are. And keep a watch on they, remember 9-11-2001
This isn’t about extremists but discrimination.
We all know that 9/11 wasn’t the fault of Muslims but people misreading the Koran. Should EVERY Muslim loose their civil liberties because of a handful of extremists?
You have to remember that Muslim spokespersons spoke out AGAINST 9/11.
It’s like us in the UK, we can’t blame every Irish person because of the IRA.
Just because a group goes under the guise of a particular group doesn’t been that they speak for them all.
We can’t paint everyone with the same brush.
I am very relieved that the idea has been abandoned, it goes to show what a paranoid generation we are living in.
How can they even briefly consider that idea? You can’t blame the whole for the actions of one. That idea is downright racist.
Maybe they should keep “a close eye” on the Muslims in LA instead of the LAPD. When will people get it that these people are our enemy? Their MO is to come here and assimilate themselves into our society, and then, after having been here for a decade or so, whack us. That’s the scary part about it. Racial profiling?? Hmm, watching those that would kill us for simply being American??? Yes, I’m all for it.
But Muslims are not your enemy. Extremists are…
If the LAPD were saying they wanted to keep an eye on Christians,Pagans or Jews I bet you wouldn’t agree.
Not only do I see the LAPDs “idea” as paranoid, I see it as racist.