Faith leaders boycott meal over NYPD spying
Source: Agencies |
December 30, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
RELIGIOUS leaders upset at police efforts to spy on Muslims plan to skip Mayor Michael Bloomberg's annual year-end interfaith breakfast, saying Bloomberg shouldn't be defending the tactics.
The imams and activists from a variety of faiths said in a letter to Bloomberg that they're disturbed at his response to a series of reports detailing New York Police Department intelligence-gathering programs that monitored Muslim groups, businesses and houses of worship.
Bloomberg has defended the department, saying last week it doesn't take religion into account in its policing.
About a dozen people turned down invitations to today's breakfast but "a couple dozen" more said they plan to attend, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said on Wednesday.
The letter to Bloomberg contained the names of several dozen Muslim leaders and organizations and said they believe the police tactics "threaten the rights of all Americans, and deepen mistrust between our communities and law enforcement."
"Mayor Bloomberg, the extent of these civil rights violations is astonishing, yet instead of calling for accountability and the rule of law, you have thus far defended the NYPD's misconduct," the letter said.
The Muslim leaders said they appreciate the mayor's staunch support a year ago during an uproar over a planned Islamic center near the World Trade Center site.
But they said they were disappointed by what he said after the media reported the police department's efforts to infiltrate Muslim neighborhoods and mosques with aggressive programs designed by a CIA officer who worked with the NYPD after the September 11 attacks.
The reports disclosed that 16 police officers speaking five languages were assigned to use census information and government databases to map ethnic neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Documents revealed that undercover police officers, known as rakers, visited local businesses such as Islamic bookstores and cafes, chatting with store owners to determine their ethnicities and gauge their views. They also played cricket and eavesdropped in ethnic cafes.
The reports also revealed that one of the CIA's most experienced clandestine operatives began working inside the NYPD in July.
The CIA is prohibited from spying domestically. Its unusual partnership with the NYPD has prompted an internal investigation.
In October, Bloomberg defended the arrangement, saying it was necessary in a dangerous world.
The imams and activists from a variety of faiths said in a letter to Bloomberg that they're disturbed at his response to a series of reports detailing New York Police Department intelligence-gathering programs that monitored Muslim groups, businesses and houses of worship.
Bloomberg has defended the department, saying last week it doesn't take religion into account in its policing.
About a dozen people turned down invitations to today's breakfast but "a couple dozen" more said they plan to attend, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said on Wednesday.
The letter to Bloomberg contained the names of several dozen Muslim leaders and organizations and said they believe the police tactics "threaten the rights of all Americans, and deepen mistrust between our communities and law enforcement."
"Mayor Bloomberg, the extent of these civil rights violations is astonishing, yet instead of calling for accountability and the rule of law, you have thus far defended the NYPD's misconduct," the letter said.
The Muslim leaders said they appreciate the mayor's staunch support a year ago during an uproar over a planned Islamic center near the World Trade Center site.
But they said they were disappointed by what he said after the media reported the police department's efforts to infiltrate Muslim neighborhoods and mosques with aggressive programs designed by a CIA officer who worked with the NYPD after the September 11 attacks.
The reports disclosed that 16 police officers speaking five languages were assigned to use census information and government databases to map ethnic neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Documents revealed that undercover police officers, known as rakers, visited local businesses such as Islamic bookstores and cafes, chatting with store owners to determine their ethnicities and gauge their views. They also played cricket and eavesdropped in ethnic cafes.
The reports also revealed that one of the CIA's most experienced clandestine operatives began working inside the NYPD in July.
The CIA is prohibited from spying domestically. Its unusual partnership with the NYPD has prompted an internal investigation.
In October, Bloomberg defended the arrangement, saying it was necessary in a dangerous world.
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