By Asian American Press
The City of Los Angeles is set to receive a $425,000 grant from the federal Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program supposedly aimed at building community resistance to extremism. But under the Trump administration, the secretive CVE program poses a dangerous threat to the civil rights and religious liberties of American Muslims.
Today, a coalition of civil rights and community groups filed a lawsuit against the city for not fully answering Public Records Act (PRA) requests for information on how the grant funds will be used. The lawsuit demands full transparency regarding the grant, including any instructions and conditions imposed by federal officials.
The lawsuit was filed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Greater Los Angeles Chapter, and the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. The group Vigilant Love Coalition that battles Islamophobia is also a plaintiff in the suit.