Last week in D.C., we helped organize a delegation of leading Muslim, Arab and South Asian American activists from around the country—assembled to demand an end to the high-tech surveillance and harassment of their communities. Members of the group spoke on a panel during a briefing with the Congressional Black Caucus, made impactful presentations at the Color of Surveillance Conference at Georgetown Law School, and visited the offices of elected officials on Capitol Hill.
Throughout the week, whether during the conference or while speaking directly to Congressional leaders, they powerfully argued for an end to racist programs like “Countering Violent Extremism” and the FBI’s focus on “Black Identity Extremists.”
The delegation included activists from leading organizations nationwide, including the National Network for Arab American Communities, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, Muslim Justice League, MPower Change, Palestinian Youth Movement, Young Muslim Collective, and Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. It was additionally supported by Color of Change, Defending Rights and Dissent, and Free Press.
Check out some highlights from the week below!
Our #ColorOfSurveillance delegation just met w/ @OfficialCBC to share stories of surveillance from their Muslim communities and to highlight the racist connection between the “Countering Violent Extremism” program and the FBI’s monitoring of “Black Identity Extremists” pic.twitter.com/xMkQAEyEuN
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
Take it from @Kawarb1988 & @takeonhate, mass surveillance of Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities goes beyond simple breaches of privacy. #ColorOfSurveillance pic.twitter.com/AllHPbuJje
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
“Will you publicly oppose #CVE?”
Our #ColorOfSurveillance delegates urge @KamalaHarris’s office to take stronger actions to genuinely hear the concerns of our communities. pic.twitter.com/6Qxykmqzb9
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
“It criminalizes people for their identity and hurts communities’ ability to say what their needs are.” Our #ColorOfSurveillance delegate, @Ramla_Sahid of @PANASanDiego, speaks to what she sees on the front lines of organizing against #CVE. pic.twitter.com/F6lDOmBmWv
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
“It’s ineffective and inherently biased.” Our #ColorofSurveillance delegates from @PANASanDiego, @stoplapdspying @MuslimJustice & more share their lived experiences with #CVE & advocate for the end of these harmful initiatives. pic.twitter.com/ilRmgocDoh
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 18, 2018
"We've lived with the trauma of surveillance and the mistrust and fear that it's built in our community." – @aberkawas of @takeonhate, part of our #ColorofSurveillance delegation that met with Congressional offices today pic.twitter.com/KX0jmlLo6q
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
In the eyes of #CVE programs, young Muslims who organize, speak out against injustice & carry out any other actions to get free are on a path to radicalism. #ColorOfSurveillance pic.twitter.com/mugN7lvO7F
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 18, 2018
"The Somali community in San Diego, which sits at the crossroad of multiple biases, has witnessed firsthand what discriminatory high-tech monitoring can lead to." – @ramla_sahid of @PANASanDiego, and @stevenrenderos, in @Colorlines https://t.co/DzXg53sxgr #ColorOfSurveillance
— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) July 20, 2018
For more, view our photo album from the week’s activities on Facebook.
