SF Mayor Lee Signs Historic Civil Rights Ordinance into Law

Mayor Lee spoke in support of the Ordinance, alongside community member Mokhtar Alkhanshali, Asian Law Caucus Executive Director Hyeon-Ju Rho, Arab Cultural & Community Center President Fuad Ateyeh, and Asian Law Caucus and Coalition Coordinator Summer Hararah, and in the presence of over fifty community members.
SEE: Local ABC 7 News Video Coverage

The Ordinance requires:

1. adherence to San Francisco and California local standards when the SFPD works with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)
2. that before any new agreements are entered into between the SFPD and the FBI regarding the JTTF work, that those agreements must be subject to public review and comment before the Police Commission, and
3. yearly reports to the Police Commission of the SFPD’s work with the FBI JTTF.

“The Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities have experienced extreme discrimination in the aftermath of September 11,” said Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a community member and founding member of the Coalition. “This Ordinance is a step toward protecting our community from racial and religious profiling, and requiring transparency and oversight.”  San Francisco follows Portland as the second city in the US to address its relationship with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to ensure that state and local standards are protected.

“In the coming months the Coalition will be working with the community, supporting organizations, and various officials to ensure proper implementation of the Ordinance” said Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Francisco Bay Area, and a founding member of the Coalition.

Community members and allies are invited to a celebration of the Coalition’s work to be held on May 22, 6:30pm at the Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics in San Francisco. For additional information and to RSVP, please visit: Community Celebration.