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Two San Diego Police officers entered the Malcolm X Library at approx. 5 p.m. Wed. Dec. 7, 2005 and were greeted by the smiling Branch Manager (named Marc). Marc pointed upstairs and said, "it's them - the girls in the scarves." (The library was full of Somali students wearing headscarves.) The police ran upstairs and ordered three female students of Somali origin out of the library, without any explanation.
The students asked why. They were told, "because you need to." When a male cousin of theirs questioned the fairness, one the officers replied, "life isn't fair." He also used the term "boo-boo," mocking their slang. The students defended their right to stay. The police told them they'd need to go to another library. They said, "we live in this area. There ARE no other libraries." They were told that was their problem, that they should leave and that they could never return.
(Apparently, two Somali young women had gotten into a disagreement in the library the night before. The library staff decided these were the same people, and when the students refused to leave, they called the police on them.)
The students' male cousin said "I know my rights. We have every right to stay here." Nevertheless, his cousins decided to comply, even though they would forfeit a tutoring appointment they had scheduled. Before the last one left the library, while audibly protesting the injustice, one of the officers called her back into the lobby of the library, (just under the nose of the Malcolm X sculpture), got in her face and said, "Young lady, you need to watch your mouth." She responded, "No I don't. That's free speech." He told her "If you don't watch your mouth, I'll put you in the back of my car and take you to your parents." She said, "You can't do that, I'm 18." He replied, "Then I'll arrest you for disturbing the peace." At my advice, she left the library.
An official complaint is being filed with the SDPD and the City of San Diego.
This type of racism - against a group of youths studying in a public library - is UNACCEPTABLE. It is clear to me that the police are emboldened by the Patriot Acts and the culture of hatred against Muslims that exists in this country. The fact that the term "girls in scarves" was used several times by the library staff and law enforcement makes it a clear case of racial profiling.
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This is obviously a case of racism. These same motherfuckers harassed by sister-in-law for being a lesbian.
Bill Dermick
Maybe the complaint should be against the library for calling the police in the first place, even though the library had had problems with these girls before? The SDPD didn't just walk in there arbitrarily, they were called by the library.
As for the "girls in the head scarves", could it possibly be that that was used to describe the people that the police were called about, vice racial profiling? Sounds more like a description being given to aid the police in identifying the people the library called them about.
Say they were blondes, and the librarian said "it's those three blondes", is that profiling or simply describing the three people that the police were called about, especially if there's more than 3 females in the library at the time?
Joaquin
Being Muslim is not a race, amymore than Christianity, being a socialist, or being gay is a race. It is an ideology, and as such, may be questioned and debated like any other theory.
Sarah B.
It's the same concept. If anyone is treated unequally because of any differences, it's still prejudice. Cops giving "sleeping tickets" to the homeless just because they're homeless is the same amount of injustice.
The point is, the recent increase in the power of the government has emboldened these ruffians to push around anyone they please.
This has significance for us, the activist community as well. If they can harass people for their IDEOLOGY like you said, then it will definitely become a frequent occurrence for activists or dissidents to be harassed by the police.
ps. Don't call them pigs. It's an insult to pigs. Pigs roll in filth, but cops ARE filth.
Kazhivlad
Were the women who were ordered to leave the same ones who were in the library the night before? If they were, there was absolutely no profiling, just identifying. Were ALL young women wearing headscarves asked to leave the library? If so, it sounds like profiling. The article is too ambiguous to tell.
A library usually has a posted, public behavior guideline, which outlines rules of conduct that may lead to expulsion from a public library. Also libraries have set policies in place to deal with disruptive patrons, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, ideology or temperament. Usually if a person does not respond to reminders about the behavior guidelines, the person is asked to leave the library. If a person does not leave the library, staff certainly has the right to call the police to enforce an internal rule. Certainly we would do the same in our own house, work or place of worship.
Speaking as a public librarian who has had to call the police to remove disruptive people, it is always a balancing act: trying to keep access to the library open to everyone, while providing a peaceful, studious environment and safe place.
Joe B.
I find it interesting that these three students were kicked out of the Malcolm X library? Ironic, a library that is dedicated to one of the leading activist for civil rights for people of color has become a place for performances of xenophobic behavior. However, what has occurred at this library is not too different than what Mexicans, African-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Asian-Americans have to go through daily. Poor Mexican immigrants are constantly being harassed by urban police officers and very often have to live in fear from INS officials. It is important that as we identify how Muslim-Americans and Arab-Americans have become increasingly targeted by authorities, that we remember the other forms of harassment that thousands of poor immigrants go through daily. Thus, we can create an even stronger solidarity by identifying how these systems of oppression are tied and how people of color must create stronger networks to identify these systems.
Javier
i think that many of you are probably thinking to much. For all you know they were a disturbance in the library and thats the reason for be excused. Everyones jumping to the conclusion that they're racist pigs when really they could have been just doing their job. Im not saying that they were completely right. Part of me thinks they went a little too far, but part of me thinks that your all a bunch anti-everything rebels just looking for one more think to rebel against. i think you all need to calm down and think of all the other options to this story.
me
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