Report shows a 49 percent increase in reports of discriminatory treatment during travel.
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 8/29/17) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today announced the release of a statewide annual civil rights report.
CAIR-California’s “Civil Rights Report 2017” summarizes and analyzes all civil rights and immigration complaints in 2016 reported to CAIR-California’s offices in the Greater Los Angeles Area (CAIR-LA), the Sacramento Valley (CAIR-SV), San Diego (CAIR-SD), and the San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA).
According to the report, CAIR-California handled a total of 1,239 incidents in 2016, resulting in a 10 percent increase in reported incidents from the previous year. The incidents reported involved complaints related to religious-based discrimination received by all four CAIR California offices and immigration matters reported to CAIR-LA and CAIR-SD.
Key highlights of CAIR-California’s new report include a 49 percent increase in reported discriminatory treatment during travel from 2015 to 2016. The number of immigration matters handled also increased significantly.
Of the 1,239 incidents in 2016, 823 were handled by the CAIR-LA office. CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department assisted community members in 110 FBI and law enforcement cases, 89 hate incidents, and 68 employment discrimination or accommodation matters.
CAIR-LA’s Immigrants’ Rights Center assisted in more than 400 immigration applications, with an increase of 58 percent in naturalization petitions from the previous year. The categories receiving the most incident reports for 2016 were immigration (38.8%), law enforcement interactions (17%), hate incidents or hate crime (14.7%) and employment discrimination (10.6%).
SEE: CAIR California’s Civil Rights Report 2017
https://ca.cair.com/downloads/CAIR-Civil-Rights-Report-2017.pdf
“As we continue to express outrage over the rise of bigoted speech and its shocking normalization in the halls of power, we must never forget the real lives that are impacted," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "This year's Civil Rights Report backs up with data what we have known for some time now: minorities, especially people of color, are especially vulnerable in today's dangerous political climate."
CAIR-California is encouraging all Californians to gain a better understanding of their civil rights and to engage community leaders and public servants in dialogue about how they can better serve the state's American Muslim community.
CAIR-California is a chapter of CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
CAIR recently launched an app to share critical “know your rights” information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.
For a quick download of CAIR’s civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app
CAIR’s mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Ojaala Ahmad, oahmad@cair.com, 714-851-4851.