Testimony from Amnesty International USA's hearings on Racial Profiling
Victims Accounts of Racial Profiling While Traveling to and from Places of Worship
- THE CASE OF MARY CULLEY
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Police in Tulsa,Oklahoma, reportedly profile religiously active Native Americans coming and going from grounds where traditional ceremonies are scheduled. Mary Culley came forth in Tulsa to talk about her experience with racial profiling.
Ms. Culley, a member of the Creek Seminole tribe, testified about being regularly harassed by police at roadblocks set up around tribal lands when ceremonies are scheduled. She says,
" [W]hen the ceremonial ground was having ...our dance or our green corn ceremony, which is celebrating the harvest of the new year for us, [the police] were setting up roadblocks. And it was the local police department who was clearly out of their jurisdiction setting up roadblocks on a county road. ...[They were] flat out telling Indian people ...we're stopping you because we know you people are dancing this weekend and we know you can't afford insurance, so we know you won't have any insurance cards on you."
Despite several attempts, Ms. Culley says she has found it extremely difficult to work toward a solution to this systematic harassment with her local public officials.
- THE CASE OF IMAM NABIL ELIBIARY
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AIUSA has received complaints from Muslims and Sikhs whose communities have experienced an increase in racial profiling at their places of worship in the past three years, as well as Native Americans who have dealt with similar problems for a long time. In Dallas, AIUSA heard from Imam Nabil Elibiary.
Mr. Elibiary is an imam for the Muslim community in the City of Carrollton,Texas. On September 11, 2002, he was attending an outreach event at a mosque in the Islamic Institution of Richardson. Upon entering the mosque, Imam Elibiary noticed police cars parked in front of the building and assumed they were there for protection.When Imam Elibiary left the building the officers followed and stopped him because his vehicle registration tags had expired eleven days earlier.The police officers called for back up and began to search Mr. Elibiary's car. Mr. Elibiary was arrested and his computer and camcorder were confiscated. He was taken to the police department where he was questioned about his university degrees, the ethnic background of his wife, and his financial and employment status. Furthermore, officers asked for Imam Elibiary's password to search through his personal computer.When he refused the police asked whether he had something to hide. Mr. Elibiary describes the encounter,
" I said no, if I have a choice I don't want anybody to see my personal items. [Finally] I was released after three and a half hours. And they fingerprinted me. I ...[had] to pay ...[bond] on my credit card so that they can let me out. "
The police kept his computer and camcorder overnight. Once the media and his attorneys began calling about his case, the police department offered to expunge his records if he accepted the charges for the expired tags. He was also told not to contact the media regarding his case. Imam Elibiary believes,
" If I was not the spiritual leader of the community, I would not be out of jail. And if I was not contacted by the media, ...[they would not have expunged] my records ...I was lucky...."
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