ALTA CALIFORNIA: C.H.P. Assaults 11 Year Old Muslim Girl
by
Ernesto Cienfuegos
La Voz de Aztlan
San Francisco, Alta California - 5/31/02 - (ACN) A prominent national Islamic advocacy
organization is calling for the suspension of California Highway Patrol
(CHP) officers who the group says assaulted an 11-year-old Muslim girl
during an anti-war, pro-Palestinian rally Saturday May 25 at the Golden Gate Bridge
in San Francisco.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says photos and video shot at the protest show that police acted improperly in arresting the girl.
Eleven year-old, Sophia Abrahim, was arrested Saturday when police blocked a march across the
Golden Gate Bridge, despite the fact that event organizers had a valid
permit to cross the bridge. Media reports quoted witnesses who said police
over-reacted to a relatively small number of protestors. One passerby told
the San Francisco Chronicle: "I don't think these demonstrators presented
any threat to anyone. The police are the ones who shut everything down. I
would rather see all of these officers looking for terrorists in airports."
Witnesses also say police manhandled journalists during the march.
A statement issued today by CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad read in part: "It
is unconscionable that police clad in riot gear would pull an 11-year-old
child out of a group of peaceful protestors, throw her to the ground,
handcuff her, haul her away like a common criminal, and then keep her
shackled for hours at a police station. From all accounts, this girl did
nothing to provoke arrest. The officers involved in this incident should be
suspended pending an immediate and thorough investigation."
Sophia Abrahim, 11, has made a statement concerning her ordeal on Saturday during the anti-war, pro-Palestinian demonstration in San Francisco, dubbed by supporters as
"Take It To The Bridge 2002". She said, "They were chasing me and pushing everyone with the bats, the stick thingies and I told them, 'Hey, don't touch me! For the last
time...'"
