DFNYC Calls For An Investigation Into NYPD Spying Program

Democracy for NYC is an organization of progressive activists committed to maintaining and defending the civil liberties of all citizens. In order to have a true democracy, we must respect the privacy and dignity of our citizens at all times. The Bill of Rights guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law.  This means that those who enforce our laws cannot use their authority to treat any of us differently or unequally based on our race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or the beliefs we hold. 

In the last few days it has become apparent that the New York City
Police Department is in fact engaged in activities which treat some
members of our community differently than the rest of us.  The NYPD is
engaging in an ongoing program to monitor and infiltrate the Muslim
communities of our city and our region on every level.  They have
dispatched teams of undercover officers into minority neighborhoods as
part of a human mapping program and have monitored daily life in the
bookstores, bars, cafes and nightclubs of Muslim communities. They have
sent undercover agents to pose as students at universities and colleges
in the area, with the purpose of monitoring muslim campus organizations.
It has also been reported that the NYPD has been using informants,
known as mosque crawlers, to monitor religious services, even when there
is no evidence of wrongdoing.

It is our opinion that these activities do not make our city safer.  In
fact when the NYPD monitors innocent people and keeps records on them,
it can only result in inciting fear, distrust and even hate.  What we
find most appalling is the reports that the NYPD has been funding this
activity with federal money provided through the Justice Department.
The federal government does not need to be financing spying activities
on its own citizens who have not been accused of any wrongdoing.  It
brings up memories of very bad episodes in our country's recent history

We, the Board of Directors for DFNYC, wish to join with our friends and
neighbors in New York City's rich and diverse muslim community, in
expressing our outrage over these surveillance activities.  We support
the calls made by the American Civil Liberties Union and the NYCLU, and
by civil rights leaders in our area, for a federal probe into this
situation.  We will be sending a letter to President Obama at the White
House this week expressing our deep concerns. 

DFNYC calls upon all of those who are considering running for Mayor next
year to speak out on this issue and support this call for an
investigation.  We hope and expect that whoever gets elected Mayor next
year will appoint a new police commissioner who will not continue these
racial and religious profiling activities.  What has been happening does
not reflect the ideals of New York City nor the dreams of its citizens.