A look into some recent complaints received by CAIR’s Northern California offices:
- A family attempted to board an airport shuttle bus, but were denied entrance by the shuttle bus driver who said the bus was full. The family looked inside the bus and saw half the seats were empty and plenty of space left for luggage. The bus driver then allowed a group of non-Muslim travelers to board the bus and verbally threatened the family that she would call law enforcement if they boarded the bus against her instruction. CAIR reached out to the shuttle bus organization who was very apologetic about the incident, and welcomed a CAIR representative to come to their headquarters and provide workplace training to all of their shuttle bus drivers.
- A transportation driver contacted CAIR after facing harassment on the job and not being allowed to adjust his schedule to take a break on Friday afternoons for Jumu’ah prayers. A CAIR attorney reached out to the transportation organization and engaged in talks with their legal counsel. After several weeks of talks, the organization took corrective action against the employees who were harassing the community member, and the community member was able to shift his schedule and take breaks on Friday afternoons to attend Jumu’ah prayers.
- A mother contacted CAIR after her son experienced pro-longed bullying at their school. The bully was physically assaulting her sons for months, and despite reports to the school, the bullying persisted. The bullying had reached the point where her elementary school aged son was having anxiety nightmares over going to school. When the son was in afterschool programs, his bully would stand outside his classroom waiting for him. A CAIR attorney advised the mother of her and her son’s rights, the state and federal laws obligating the school to protect her son, and CAIR’s willingness to represent her in petitioning the school to take immediate action to protect her son and other victims. Ultimately the mother and her husband wanted to meet with school officials without legal counsel, so a CAIR attorney extensively prepped them for their meeting, and since then have not reported further bullying to CAIR.
To file a civil rights complaint or seek assistance, please contact CAIR-SFBA by calling 408.986.9874 or completing this form.