ADC-SF Press Release - DeAnza 8

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American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
522 Valencia St San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 861-7444 adcsf [at] adcsf.org
http://www.adcsf.org
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For Immediate Release
Date: December 12, 2005

DeAnza 8 Racial Profiling

ADC-SF Press Contacts: Nancy Hormachea 510-697-4298, Rayan El-Amine 415-861-7444

Press Release:

The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of San Francisco [ADC-SF] strongly condemns the unlawful and brutal arrests of the De Anza 8. We call on the Santa Clara County District Attorney to immediately drop any further prosecution of these cases.

ADC-SF is a grassroots civil rights organization that welcomes people of all backgrounds, faiths, and ethnicities as members. We are deeply concerned with safeguarding the civil liberties of the Arab-American community in the Bay Area and are shocked by the racial profiling that occurred at De Anza College.

We see the racially and religiously motivated arrests of the De Anza 8 as an insult and attack on all members of the Muslim and Arab-American communities and their supporters. The excesses action taken by law enforcement officers at De Anza College not only endangered the lives of individuals who were engaged in protected First Amendment activities but were unlawful because they were motivated by racial profiling and violated the constitutional rights of all demonstrators.

Racial profiling is ILLEGAL and sends the wrong message to the larger community. Law enforcement has a responsibility to exercise its authority in a non-discriminatory and lawful manner. Law enforcement is under a responsibility to protect the rights of all residents of this country to express their political views. The rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution extend to everyone in this country regardless of race, religion, gender, political opinion or nationality.

We, therefore, call on Mr. George Kennedy, District Attorney of Santa Clara County, to close this investigation, drop any prosecutions and issue an apology to the victims of this egregious behavior by his police department.


For action alert go to http://www.adcsf.org or contact the Santa Clara County District Attorney,

George Kennedy at 408 299-7400, 408 299-3099 or email gkennedy [at] da.scc.gov.org.

Urge the District Attorney to drop the charges against the
arrestees.

Ask that an investigation and Muslim cultural sensitivity trainings be conducted at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department.

Contact: Mr. George Kennedy

TEL: 408 299-7400, 408 299-3099

FAX: (408) 286-5437

Email: gkennedy [at] da.scc.gov.org (copy to: adcsf [at] adcsf.org )