The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) today welcomed community support for a Muslim crossing guard wearing an Islamic head scarf, or hijab, by protesters using Islamophobic slurs.
Some 8-10 anti-mask protesters were shouting in front of students and targeted the Muslim crossing guard with statements like, “This is not the Taliban, this is America, take off your mask.”
In a statement to the community, Dana Eaton, Ed.D Superintendent, Brentwood Union School District, said in part:
“This type of hate speech has no place in our schools or in our community. I am devastated for our dedicated crossing guard who had to endure that speech this morning. I am very concerned that multiple students heard the same hate speech on their way to school and wanted to alert parents. We reported this incident to the Brentwood Police Department.
“I want to publicly apologize to both our crossing guard and any students that were impacted by what took place. Ron Nunn School has counseling available for any students who might need to speak with someone.”
“Dozens of parents brought the crossing guard thank you cards, flowers and offered support.”
Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR-SFBA, said:
“We thank the Brentwood Union School District’s leadership for their swift response to this hate incident. Continued awareness and education are key to ensuring that school staff are safe and able to do their jobs effectively. We welcome the support shown by the local community to the Muslim crossing guard as a clear indication that bigotry will not be tolerated or ignored.”
She noted that earlier today, CAIR called for state and federal hate crime charges for a Maine man suspected of planning to bomb mosques in Chicago.