(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 2/2/2023) — The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) and the CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF) today welcomed the Oklahoma City Police Department’s (OKCPD) actions since last week’s filing of a lawsuit against the department for its targeting of American Muslim Air Force veteran Saadiq Long based solely on his name being unlawfully included on a federal terror watchlist.
SEE: Local Cops Harassed and Threatened U.S. Veteran Because of Terror Watchlist, Lawsuit Says
SEE ALSO: Stopped 5 times in 2 months, Saadiq Long seeks answers and protection with OKCPD lawsuit
In a stipulation filed with the Oklahoma City federal court yesterday, the Oklahoma City Police Department acknowledged that “neither Saadiq Long nor any other person should be stopped by officers based solely on that individual’s” status on the FBI’s watchlist.SEE: Affidavit of Chief of Police Wade Gourley and Stipulation Between Oklahoma City Police Department and Saadiq Long
The stipulation also memorializes that, on Jan. 31, the OKCPD “issued instructions to all officers that neither Saadiq Long nor any other person listed” by the FBI “should be stopped based solely on the list.”
“The Oklahoma City Police Department should be commended for its decision to disregard the FBI’s secret, racist list,” said CAIR-OK Deputy Director Veronica Laizure. “However, we still have work to do to keep our Oklahoma City community safe from the dangerous consequences of the Islamophobic, racist watchlist practices.”
SEE: Hacktivist Finds US ‘no-fly’ list, reveals systemic bias, surveillance
“We welcome the Oklahoma City Police Department’s actions and hope that law enforcement agencies across the country will follow their example,” said CAIR attorney Hannah Mullen. “However, neither this case nor our fight against these secret lists is over. After all the evidence comes in, we think the federal court will agree that simply being on the FBI’s illegal list is no reason to pull someone over — let alone arrest them at gunpoint.”
Last month, CAIR called on the Biden administration to suspend the FBI’s dissemination of two of their secret lists, which leaked copies show to be “almost entirely lists of Arabic and Muslim names.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
END
CONTACT: Veronica Laizure, Esq., CAIR-OK Deputy Director, vlaizure@cair.com 405-430-9877; Gadeir Abbas, Senior Litigation Attorney, gAbbas@cair.com ; Hannah Mullen, Staff Attorney, hMullen@cair.com ; Lena Masri, National Litigation and Civil Rights Director, lMasri@cair.com
