Groups Urge President to Fix Discriminatory Surveillance Practices
In light of the FBI’s targeting of Muslim American leaders, more than 40 groups sent a letter to President Obama urging him to strengthen protections against discriminatory surveillance practices.
More than 40 groups sent a letter to President Obama today urging him to strengthen protections against discriminatory and abusive surveillance practices. The call stems from a report out today that suggests that the FBI and NSA have been monitoring the emails of prominent American Muslim leaders.
The letter parallels today’s revelation to the unlawful government surveillance of civil rights leaders of the 1960s and '70s when activists were “subjected to unlawful and abusive government surveillance based not on what they had done, but what they believed and who they were.” The groups point out that these discriminatory surveillance practices hurt not only Muslim Americans, but all communities that expect law enforcement to serve and protect America’s diverse populations.
Groups also urged the president to provide a full public accounting of these practices so people have the information necessary to assess the discriminatory charges in today’s report.
Coalition Letter to President on Discriminatory Surveillance