(SAN DIEGO, CA 3/24/2020) – The San Diego Office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-SD) today welcomed the announcement of local prosecutors to join with state and federal agencies to combat hate crimes and predatory business practices by individuals or businesses during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
According to NBC/San Diego, the announcement comes in response to reports of discrimination and harassment against Asian Americans and immigrant populations related to COVID-19, as well as price gouging of products like food, hand sanitizer and protective masks.
READ: San Diego Prosecutors Announce Joint Effort to Curb COVID-19 Hate Crimes, Price Gouging
In a statement, CAIR-SD Operations & Development Manager, Omair Khan said:
“We are pleased to see that San Diego’s prosecutors are working quickly to combat these unethical business practices and to prevent discrimination towards Immigrants and Asian Americans. This is a time where we must show more compassion and mercy towards each other, it’s an opportunity to build bridges.”
Khan noted the San Diego Muslim community has created volunteer programs to support the elderly, a population heavily affected by this pandemic. These programs allow the elderly to connect with a community member who can shop and deliver their groceries and run other important errands for them while maintaining a safe distance.
“We at CAIR-SD will continue to inform our community to be mindful of and report any problematic business practices or acts of discrimination that they encounter during this time and we are eager to help stabilize our communities and also lift their spirits,” Khan said.
Reports of price gouging and other predatory business practices should be reported to:
- The City Attorney’s Office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit at (619) 533-5618 or online.
- The District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit at (619) 531-3507
- The National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at (866) 730-5721 or by emailing disaster@leo.gov.
To report a hate crime, residents are advised to contact the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000 or (858) 484-3154, the San Diego C
CAIR-SD is part of CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
CONTACT: CAIR-SD Operations & Development Manager Omair Khan, 619-880-4601, ext. 301 or okhan@cair.com