August 15, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
False Accusations Illustrate Pitfalls of Profiling
Ethnic Groups
MARIETTA, OH - The
American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today cautioned law enforcement officials
and local communities against allowing fears of terrorism to justify ethnic and
racial profiling. The statement comes after a week of speculation that two
Lebanese-American men arrested in Marietta may have been involved in terrorism
because of “suspicious” activities. Yesterday, both men were cleared of all
terrorism charges.
“This is a textbook example of why racial and
ethnic profiling is a bad idea,” said ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Jeffrey Gamso.
“These men had no ties to terrorism, but because they are Arabic their actions
were under increased scrutiny from law enforcement and the community. Resources
that could have been used to effectively fight crime were
wasted.”
On Tuesday, August 8, the two men, residents of Dearborn,
Michigan, were taken into custody in Marietta after a store owner called and
reported that they seemed suspicious and had bought a large number of
TracPhones. When police pulled over the two men, they found large amounts of
money and TracPhones, which officials said could be used to detonate roadside
bombs. The men said they were purchasing and reselling the phones in order to
make money, according to news reports.
“Law enforcement would be
better served by working with Muslim and Arabic communities so that if someone
does know of a terrorism plot, they will trust police enough to come forward
with information,” Gamso said. “Under the current system of relying on an
individual’s suspicions, police are often spinning their wheels following leads
that do not pan out and putting fear into communities that could instead have
information to prevent another terrorist attack.”
In the wake of
the so-called “War on Terror” federal and state governments have tried
repeatedly to institute programs that rely on citizens to report “suspicious”
activity. Such programs have been shown to be dangerously distracting, focusing
on innocent people who generate suspicion from the untrained public based on
skin color or dress rather than unusual behavior.
Most recently,
the Ohio Department of Homeland Security introduced “See Something, Say
Something.” The program is modeled on the ill-fated federal program Operation
TIPS, which was shut down because the program proved to be inefficient and
ineffective in preventing terrorism.
