The ACLU of Southern California joins the Council on American-Islamic Relations in calling for a full FBI investigation of the heinous attack on Rashid Alam, an 18 year old Arab-American from Yorba Linda beaten by a mob who shouted anti-Arab and anti-Muslim epithets.

The Administration has repeatedly expressed its condemnation of hate crimes, and the Justice Department has repeatedly said it will aggressively enforce federal laws against hate crimes. Our government must keep its promises. We call on the FBI to live up to its responsibilities to the Muslim, Arab-American, South Asian and Sikh communities and, ultimately, to each one of us.

In the first few months after 9/11, in L.A. County alone, there were more than 180 reports of hate crimes against people who were, or were perceived to be, Muslim or Middle Eastern. We must send a clear message that these acts will not be tolerated. Prejudice against Arab-Americans, Muslims and South Asians undermines one of the cornerstones of our American democracy -- the fundamental principle of equality of all peoples.

Southern California is one of the most diverse regions in this nation. Truly, our strength lies in our diversity. When one of us is attacked, it is an attack on us all.

LOS ANGELES ' At a news conference held in front of the LAPD's Central Area location in the heart of skid row, the ACLU of Southern California together with Las Familias Del Pueblo, a longtime Los Angeles based advocacy group, and the Catholic Workers announced the filing of a class action lawsuit challenging the City's enforcement of a Los Angeles' ordinance that bars sleeping, sitting or lying on public sidewalks against homeless people who have no where else to go.

'The city would rather spend money to jail the homeless than give them shelter and services,' said ACLU/SC cooperating attorney, Carol Sobel. 'There is no way to avoid violating this law if you are homeless, including the mentally ill. It doesn't make sense to arrest people for sleeping on the street when they have no other option.'

It is estimated that there are 85,000 homeless in the Los Angeles area and less than 4,000 emergency shelter beds in the entire county.

'Police must stop criminalizing the homeless for engaging in life-sustaining acts, like sleeping and eating, that they must do in public because they have no home to go home to,' said Alice Callaghan with Las Familias Del Pueblo. 'In the city of Los Angeles it seems that the policy is to not provide services for the homeless but rather massive police enforcement.'

The U.S. Conference of Mayors Report of 2002 states that Los Angeles was reportedly spent only $500,000 of locally generated funds to support homeless services, a paltry amount compared to other major cities. Boston, was reported to have spent $4,600,000 in locally generated funds; Chicago spent $6,417,944; Philadelphia spent $14,304,628; Seattle, $7,629,923; and Washington, D.C. spent $13,500,000.

'The City has a crisis on its hands, one that it has failed to address for far too long,' said Dan Tokaji, ACLU/SC staff attorney. 'The City of Los Angeles cannot sweep this problem under the rug by sweeping homeless people off the street as if they were garbage. They are not garbage; they are human beings and they are our fellow citizens '

The legal complain filed today states that the city has: 'initiated a concerted campaign of arrests of the homeless for sleeping or sitting on the sidewalk when there is no other place to go, indiscriminate searches and seizures in the guise of arresting parole and probation violators who the police claim prey on the homeless, and the orchestrated destruction of personal property of people who have little and, once the City finishes with them, have nothing.'

LOS ANGELES - In votes last night, two Southern California city councils passed resolutions upholding the human rights and civil liberties of all residents and opposing provisions of the USA-PATRIOT Act that infringe on residents' rights and liberties. The cities of Santa Monica and Claremont become the second and third localities in Southern California and thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth localities in the country to oppose portions of the USA-PATRIOT Act.

The American Civil Liberties Union, together with local activists and residents concerned with civil liberties encroachments brought about by the USA-PATRIOT Act, has been leading a nationwide campaign to help citizens voice their dissent and take action at the local level.

"Last night, the city of Santa Monica affirmed the city's strong commitment to civil liberties by insisting that efforts to end terrorism not be waged at the expense of our basic liberties," said Nancy Greenstein, ACLU/SC board member and Santa Monica resident. "Santa Monica joins a growing list of localities throughout the nation demanding that the Administration respect the fundamental freedoms that make this country unique."

Localities from Denver, Colorado, to Oakland, California and Flagstaff, Arizona have passed similar measures.

The city of Claremont resolution calls for a wide public education campaign, the first of its kind in the nation, that will include the creation and distribution of a "white paper" outlining the provisions of the USA-PATRIOT Act that infringe on civil liberties of persons in Claremont. In addition, the city will devote a "Citizen Facilitator" to coordinate information from the Claremont police department, Claremont residents, local libraries or bookstores, and any "third parties" with information regarding civil liberties infringements committed against Claremont residents. The information collected by the Citizen Facilitator would then be formally presented to the City Council, City Clerk and the public.

"The city of Claremont showed a strong commitment and dedication to the rights of their residents last night," said Rose Ash, ACLU/SC board member and Pomona Valley chapter activist. "Dedicating a Citizen Facilitator to oversee and report on civil liberties infringements really puts a bite behind the resolution's bark and sends a message that the city of Claremont places a high value on residents' rights as well as their safety."

"This is wonderful news," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California. "Our members and activists have worked long and hard with residents in both localities to secure passage of these measures. The message to Attorney General Ashcroft is growing louder and louder as residents throughout the nation step up in defense of the Bill of Rights."