Issue:

Muslim Advocates Condemns Bloomberg’s Silence on His Anti-Muslim Spying Program

In Light of ‘Stop and Frisk’ Comments, Bloomberg Must Disavow Surveillance Program Targeting Muslims

Washington, DC — Recently resurfaced audio shows former New York City Mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg defending harmful and discriminatory “stop and frisk” policing tactics. While Bloomberg has subsequently apologized for supporting the program, he continues to remain silent on the New York Police Department’s sweeping, years-long surveillance and profiling program targeting Muslims in New York and New Jersey. Instead, he has defended the program. Muslim Advocates is waging a campaign to get Bloomberg to disavow the spying program. The following is a quote from Scott Simpson, public advocacy director for Muslim Advocates:

“While Mayor Bloomberg was discriminating against Black and Latino communities with ‘stop and frisk,’ he was also spying on thousands of innocent Muslims. As the landmark decision in our recent lawsuit demonstrated, innocent people were filmed, had pictures taken of their license plates, had their communities mapped and had undercover officers infiltrate their mosques, schools, businesses and restaurants under Bloomberg’s leadership. To this day, he has not disavowed this program. 

These recently-unearthed comments on ‘stop and frisk’ fit a long-standing pattern of Bloomberg enacting and defending discriminatory policing programs that target people because of their race or religion. 

His continued silence is completely unacceptable. It is long past time for Bloomberg to finally apologize for his spying program.”

 

 

Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.

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