CAPAC Leaders Applaud Disbanding of NYPD Unit That Spied on Muslim Communities
Washington, D.C. – Today, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced that it disbanded the squad responsible for spying on Muslim and other minority communities. Started in 2003 as a post 9-11 intelligence-gathering operation, this unit, known as the Demographics Unit, eavesdropped on conversations and created detailed files on the eating, praying, and shopping habits of the Muslim community. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements:
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“I commend Mayor Bill de Blasio on this important first step to eradicating racial profiling. While this brings an end to the actions of one unit, the fact is profiling will continue unless more action is taken. We must update our federal profiling guidelines to prohibit profiling on the basis of religion and nationality and stop the surveillance of entire communities.
“The NYPD was behaving as if certain communities were guilty until proven innocent, and that is fundamentally at odds with what we stand for as a nation. When law enforcement racially profiles a group, it replaces trust with fear and hurts communication. The community and law enforcement need to be partners to prevent crimes and ensure the safety of all Americans.”
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), CAPAC Civil Rights Taskforce Chair:
“Since learning of the allegations of the tactics deployed by the NYPD against the Muslim community, I joined my colleagues in calling on the Justice Department and the House Judiciary Committee to review these allegations. Disbanding this unit was the right thing to do, but because of the coordination with the CIA, I still believe a thorough federal review is warranted to ascertain how such a unit could have been established in the first place.”
Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus:
“I am pleased that Police Commissioner Bratton has disbanded the NYPD unit whose post-9/11 intelligence-gathering practices violated the civil and constitutional rights of Muslim-Americans. We must not single out a group based solely upon their ethnicity or religion, especially when such actions undermine the sanctity of the Constitution and the security of our homeland. As Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I have fought to ensure that no ethnic group is discriminated against. I have urged the FBI Director and Attorney General Holder to examine their policies regarding racial profiling as well. I am pleased that in NYC, our Muslim American brothers and sisters will no longer have their rights infringed upon. It is time for the FBI and CIA to follow suit.”
Background:
In December of 2011, Congresswoman Judy Chu and 34 other Members of Congress sent letters to the House Judiciary Committee and Attorney General Eric Holder calling for an investigation of the NYPD surveillance program. In April of 2012, Congresswoman Chu testified at a Senate Judiciary Hearing to raise concerns about the Demographics Unit. The following month, CAPAC leaders joined Congressmen Rush Holt (NJ-12), Keith Ellison (MN-05), and Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-02) to introduce a resolution to condemn the NYPD’s ethnic and religious profiling and warrantless surveillance of Muslim Americans.
###
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.