Domestic surveillanceNYPD spying on Muslims leads to spiral of mistrust

Published 23 November 2011

Following the revelation that the New York City police department was spying on the daily lives of ordinary Muslims, community activists have launched a campaign encouraging people to avoid directly reporting suspicious activity to the police

Following the revelation that the New York City police department was spying on the daily lives of ordinary Muslims, community activists have launched a campaign encouraging people to avoid directly reporting suspicious activity to the police.

The move has strained an already tense relationship between the two groups in a city that is considered to be the prime target of terrorists and has already been successfully attacked twice.

Muslim community leaders are currently advising people always to speak with a lawyer before approaching the police with any tips on potential terrorist activities. Leaders are also training individuals to identify police informants and reminding people working with police that they have the right to change their minds.

The latest actions come in response to an Associated Press investigation that found the NYPD had deployed plainclothes officers to work as spies in Muslim communities without any evidence.

Hundreds of mosques across the city were investigated and dozens were infiltrated, while restaurants serving Muslims were identified and photographed. With the help of the CIA, the NYPD then developed detailed databases on the daily life of Muslim communities.

The recent revelations of spying and the subsequent actions of the Muslim community have created a cycle of mistrust between the two groups with government officials pointing to the lack of Muslim cooperation as evidence of the need for spying and Muslims charging that the spying is the reason they need to protect themselves from the police.

Brooklyn College recently held a “Know Your Rights” session where one student asked why Muslims who have done nothing illegal would feel the need to avoid talking to police.

Most of the time it’s a fishing expedition,” explained Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York. “So the safest thing you can do for yourself, your family and for your community, is not to answer.”

In seminars hosted by community organizations, legal advocates have encouraged individuals to avoid police informants.

At one, Robin Gordon-Leavitt, a member of an advocacy organization Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility, told attendees, “Stay away from these people (informants). That’s one of the most powerful things you can do.”

In addition, a recent brochure distributed by the City University of New York Law School warned people to be cautious of individuals who approach them and advocate for violence against the United States, discuss terror organizations, or is overly generous or aggressive in their interactions as they could be police informants.

Be very careful about involving the police,” the brochure said. “If the individual is an informant, the police may not do anything … If the individual is not an informant and you report them, the unintended consequences could be devastating.”

Representative Peter King (R – New York), the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the actions of the Muslim community “disgraceful.”

In reference to the brochures, King said, “There’s not a reference here to the fact that New York is the number one target of Islamic terrorists, that the NYPD and the FBI have protected New York.”

Don Borelli, a retired New York FBI agent, said gathering intelligence is a critical element of police work, but it can be a hindrance when individuals feel their rights have been dilated.

When they do, these kinds of programs are actually counterproductive, because they undermine trust and drive a wedge between the community and police,” Borelli said.

Following the 9/11 attacks, New York City officials and the NYPD worked to foster a strong relationship with the Muslim community assuring them that they were partners in the fight against terrorism. Much to their dismay, the Associated Pressrevealed that community leaders who worked closely with city officials and even dined with Mayor Michael Bloomberg were secretly followed by the NYPD