CAIR-NY Launches Anti-Surveillance Project
CAIR-NY Launches Anti-Surveillance Project
(NEW YORK, NY, 06/19/19) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the launch of its Anti-Surveillance Project – a platform that seeks to educate New Yorkers about the prevalence and methods of surveillance and empower the public through community organizing for common-sense safeguards and civic engagement specifically focused on ending abusive surveillance practices targeting immigrant, persons of color, and Muslim communities. The Anti-Surveillance Project will be housed online at www.aspny.org
VISIT: The Anti-Surveillance Project of NY - A CAIR-NY Project
The NYPD, along with other city and state agencies, have quietly amassed a broad range of new surveillance technologies without public notice, debate, or oversight. According to the 2016 report from the New York Inspector General, Muslims are about 3% of NYC’s population but were the target of 95% of the NYPD’s surveillance.
SEE: 2016 New York Inspector General Report
“At a time when Islamophobia and hate run rampant and marginalized communities are constantly attacked on many fronts; it is imperative to stand up against structures and policies that allow it to flourish. According to the New York Inspector General’s own report, the Muslim community is the target of 95% of the NYPD’s surveillance, despite accounting for 3% of NYC’s population. We must hold New York to a higher standard until biased and broken facial recognition algorithms are fixed and commonsense reform and safeguards are put into place on invasive technologies,” said CAIR-NY’s Outreach Coordinator Muhammad Sattaur.
“The NYPD has a track record of using invasive practices to profile and target disenfranchised groups, including a multiple year suspicionless surveillance program that swept up Muslim communities throughout New York City and beyond. The rights and dignity of all New Yorkers must be respected, and this requires transparency and accountability from the largest police force in the country. We are not numbers or data to be collected and disseminated. We are a community of people and are demanding change,” said CAIR-NY’s Anti-Surveillance Fellow Anna Ellison.
SEE: How the NYPD targets Muslims
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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