On Tuesday, October 15, community members went to the Berkeley City Council to urge them to pass two key pieces of legislation – a prohibition on the use of facial recognition technology and a ban on racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious discrimination on the basis of hairstyle and headwear in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations.
Both of these ordinances directly impact the Muslim community and other communities of color. Use of facial recognition technology is dangerous due to false positive matches, and causes a chilling effect on our on our First Amendment protected activities. Discrimination based on one’s hairstyle and headwear negatively impacts Muslims who choose to wear the hijab or kufi, or who grow beards.
Multiple community members spoke in support for the ordinances, and both legislative items were passed by unanimous votes!