Last Monday January 25th the LAPD sponsored a Muslim Community Forum at the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque near USC. A diverse group of Los Angeles Muslims filled the room to capacity to hear perspectives on the ideal relationship between law enforcement and the Muslim community the new Los Angeles Police Department, as presented by (LAPD) Police Chief Charlie Beck and Deputy Chief Michael Downing.
Recent history provides us with a model for what we would not want a “relationship” to look like. In 2007 under form Chief William Bratton, the LAPD had to cancel a proposed program to “map” the Muslim community in Los Angeles, all 500,000 of us.What does mapping a community look like? According to Deputy Police Chief Michael Downing, it would involve “a look at their history, demographics, language, culture, ethnic breakdown, socioeconomic status and social interactions.” How did Downing describe the philosophy behind the program? It would be “the start of a conversation, not just data sets: It is law enforcement identifying with its community and the community identifying with its families, neighborhoods, city, state, country and police.”
In examining this statement, I find the framing of this program as a conversation to be disingenuous. What kind of conversation begins with a stranger claiming the right to investigate and document your personal background? The LAPD stated that it hoped to work with Muslim communities in gathering this background, but the community’s response overwhelmingly disparaged the program as the discriminatory profiling of a marginalized community. The Council on American-Islamic Affairs (CAIR), the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and Muslim Advocates all sent letters to LAPD in opposition to the program.
After meeting with these community leaders, the plan was canceled and a new conversation was proposed, the community forum, a space in which the LAPD Police Chief could interact with the community directly, where both entities would have equal ability to frame the relationship and its structure.
This Muslim community forum now occurs quarterly. Last Monday’s forum consisted of speeches by Chief Beck and Deputy Chief Downing on the priorities of LAPD and how they envision the ideal relationship with the Muslim Community. Two Muslim representatives, Imam Abdul Karim Hasan and Dr. Maher Hathout, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, represented the Muslim community’s perspective. The forum was organized under the premise of a transparent and balanced partnership between the Muslim community and LAPD. Though I was able to ask a question of Chief Beck during the Question & Answer, I still left the forum with many questions unanswered.
Imam Hasan provided relevant insight in his opening address in mentioning that many Americans carry a negative perception of Muslims based upon stereotypes and misinformation. According to a recent Gallup poll, 39% of Americans “admit to feeling at least some prejudice towards Muslims.” Imam Hasan argued, if we presume that LAPD personnel represent a microcosm of larger society, how can we ensure that these prejudiced attitudes are not affecting the policing of the average officer? Chief Beck asserted that while no department can be perfect or guarantee a 100% elimination of bias, LAPD is doing what it can to counteract this bias, namely in providing diversity trainings for its officers. This begs the question, what is the content of these diversity trainings, and who delivers them? If after this training, acts of bias still occur, how and who can we hold accountable? What access do we have to the department to ensure our voices are heard?
The majority of the people at the forum were older, though there will be a similar forum in the coming weeks at USC where a younger group will participate. I’ve heard many different opinions on the LAPD’s actual and ideal interactions with Muslims, but I haven’t heard a consensus on a larger level from Muslim youth. Muslim organizations such as CAIR and the Islamic Shura Council are speaking, but are we taking part in this dialogue?
Do we want a relationship with LAPD, is it even appropriate to create a partnership? If so, what do we want out of that relationship? If we don’t want a partnership, are we satisfied with the interactions as they are now? If we don’t decide what we want and act upon this decision, if we don’t speak up, are we leaving ourselves vulnerable?
Greatings, Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.
Nicolas
i am poor muslim