LAPD Plan To Map Muslim Communities Angers Some Groups

[Herman Munster]

http://www.knbc.com/news/14551575/detail.html?dl=headlineclick

LOS ANGELES -- A plan by the LAPD counterterrorism bureau to create a map detailing the Muslim communities in that city was reported Friday to be angering civil rights groups.

At least three major Muslim groups and the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter yesterday to top city officials raising concerns about the plan, The New York Times reported.

"When the starting point for a police investigation is 'let's look at all Muslims,' we are going down a dangerous road," attorney Peter Bibring of the ACLU of Southern California told the newspaper in an interview.

The objections started after LAPD Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing, who heads the counterterrorism bureau, testified before a U.S. Senate committee on Oct. 30 that the LAPD was combining forces with an unidentified academic institution and looking for a Muslim partner to carry out the mapping project, the Times reported.

He testified that the project would determine the geographic distribution of Muslims in the Los Angeles area and take "a look at their history, demographics, language, culture, ethnic breakdown, socioeconomic status and social interactions."

[Xipe Totec]

1. Born in East Allah...

I think we could put that to music.

[bread_and_roses]

2. All groups should be outraged. All individuals should be too.

This is the US?

[MadMaddie]

3. Do they have the Hispanic Gang areas mapped? Black Gangs?

How about the Klan? Dissenters, Members of the Democratic Party, How about the Gay Areas?

You see folks this is how it starts....they demonize a group of people....and once it's accepted in one area they move on to the next group...

This is very dangerous.....

[spindrifter]

4. We should not allow this!

After they map the "Muslim areas," some idiot will suggest building a fence around them. This serves absolutely no valid purpose. LA residents should speak out now before it is too late.

[AdHocSolver]

5. This sounds like Germany in the 1930's. Locate your targets.

The suspicious statement comes from the mouth of the LAPD Deputy Chief himself:
....
He testified that the project would determine the geographic distribution of Muslims in the Los Angeles area and take "a look at their history, demographics, language, culture, ethnic breakdown, socioeconomic status and social interactions."
....

This sounds less like a sociological study and more like the creation of dossiers on the community. Given the historical track record of the LAPD on civil rights, more people than just Muslims should be concerned about this.

[LibDemAlways]

6. Since when has conducting what sounds like a

college sociology class project become the business of law enforcement? LA has plenty of crime. Every dime spent on nonsense like this takes resources away from crime deterrence and prevention that could actually make the city safer. What a bunch of meaningless horseshit.