This Should Send an Icy Chill Down Your Spine: Los Angeles to "Map" Muslims
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lick on image for a brush-up on American profiling history.
I've pretty much successfully resisted saying anything overtly political on this blog. Until today.
As Bertolt Brecht once publicly asked:
What times are these when a poem about trees is almost a crime because it includes silence against so many outrages.
The same could be said for "staying on point" in this negotiation blog -- there are some things it simply cannot contain silence against.
The NLJ Legal Pad reported the following today:
The LAPD is developing a plan to map the Muslims living in Los Angeles. Police officials argue that this will improve relations with Muslims and integrate "moderate" Muslims into mainstream society and somehow locate communities they deem susceptible to "extremism."
Muslim rights groups and the ACLU's LA office say this is unlawful, amounts to religious profiling, cannot be effectively done and unfairly demonizes a religion with more than a billion adherents as more prone to violent acts than others.
My motive is not to make a negotiator's point about this issue but to express naked outrage.
Just in case Los Angeles City Officials and the LAPD don't recall the "innocuous" yellow jewish star and its inevitable end-point, I provide this photograph, which links to an article on "marking" entire religious communities in Nazi Germany.
I'm not a political blog and have no political credentials other than being a citizen in a democracy.
To keep my compact with my readers to provide the "negotiation angle" on every story, here goes:
The LAPD claims (apparently with a straight face) that its interest is to
improve relations with Muslims
As every negotiator knows, before trying to 'sell' someone what we believe they want, its best to ask some diagnostic questions to ascertain their genuine interests.
Apparently, the LAPD didn't consult with the "Muslim Community" before taking this step to improve its relations with the Muslim Community.
I doubt that such community speaks with a single voice any more than the "Jewish" or the "Christian" communities do. But there are local Muslim leaders who could have been drawn into a dialogue to determine how many -- if any -- believe that the LAPD's possession of a map of their whereabouts is going to make them feel really terrifically safe and protected and happy, like the first class citizens they are -- since America -- a democracy -- doesn't have any citizens who aren't first class.
That's the thing about America. And democracy.
Of course, just asking the question whether the people to be scrutinized believe the scrutiny will make them feel better about their relationship with the scrutinizers tends to make the scrutinizers' "explanation" laughable.
If it weren't so chillingly ominous.
In negotiations, we call people whose interests are at stake -- stakeholders. Just in case the LAPD and the City of Los Angeles don't know who might represent the stakeholders here, we provide the following list, found by way of an internet search that took about five minutes of my time.
Islamic Shura Council of Southern California
Islamic Society of Orange County
Council on Islamic American Relations
Council on Pakistan American Affairs
As an Irish Protestant girl, you wouldn't think I'd care so much about the Muslim community.
Don't underestimate me. Or the millions of others like me -- be they Catholic or Jewish or nothing at all by way of religious persuasion. The millions of us who simply will not let this happen.
Not here. Now now. Not ever.
Vickie, you're right, there are some things we cannot remain silent about. Bravo to you for taking off your mediator's mantle of neutrality and speaking out against this proposed plan. Three cheers, my friend.