(ANAHEIM, CA, 5/2/16) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed the resignation of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Tom Angel after CAIR-LA and other civil rights organizations demanded his resignation for sending numerous Islamophobic and racist emails.
“The Sheriff’s decision to accept his chief of staff’s resignation sent an important and clear message going forward that the LASD has zero tolerance for misconduct that could undermine the trust between the Department and the diverse L.A. communities that it serves,” said CAIR-LA Public Affairs Manager Haroon Manjlai. “We commend Sheriff McDonnell's commitment to take actions to rebuild the trust and undo the damage by reviewing existing policies to ensure accountability and enhance cultural and ethnic sensitivity and professionalism among LASD personnel."
SEE: LA Sheriff Resigns Over Controversial Emails| NBC
VIDEO: CAIR-LA Welcomes Resignation of Top Sheriff's Dept. Official Over Anti-Muslim, Racist Emails| KCAL 9
SEE: Top L.A. County sheriff's official resigns over emails mocking Muslims and others | LA Times
Tom Angel, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s chief of staff, reportedly sent offensive and derogatory emails as recently as 2013 from his Burbank Police Department work account when he was employed by that law enforcement agency. The Los Angeles Times reports that Angel appears to have circulated numerous emails that demeaned Muslims, African-Americans, Latinos, and women.
SEE: Top LA Sheriff’s Official Makes ‘Disappointing’ Apology For Racist Emails | Huffington Post
SEE: Top LA County sheriff's official sent emails mocking Muslims, Blacks, Latinos and Muslims | LA Times
CAIR has recently expressed concerns about anti-Muslim material posted on social media by a number of public officials nationwide.
SEE: CAIR-LA Calls for Resignation of El Monte officials over anti-Islam Facebook Post
SEE: Miss. Police Commander Under Investigation for Social Media Posts
SEE: CAIR Calls on Maine, New Jersey GOP Chairs to Repudiate Prejudiced Comments by Officials
SEE: CAIR Asks GOP to Repudiate Islamophobic Newsletter Distributed in Idaho
VIDEO: CAIR Asks Tennessee GOP to Repudiate Lawmaker’s Racist Facebook Post
CAIR is 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.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Ojaala Ahmad at 714 776 1847 or email: oahmad@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com