“Not In Our Name”
Sean Elo-Rivera began his comments by reading this letter from Muslim communities in San Diego who couldn't attend the budget meeting in person as it conflicted with celebrating Eid al-Adha on May 27, 2026.
Statement on behalf of Muslim-led organizations:
This week, San Diego faced a vicious terrorist attack by two teenage white supremacists who acted upon the hateful anti Muslim rhetoric that has become all too common across the United States. The attack against the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest and most visible gathering space for Muslims in San Diego, has left us devastated and in shock. The entire Muslim community, and the hundreds of children who went to school there and witnessed the horrific attacks, will be dealing with this trauma for a long time.
While it is vital for policymakers to hear community testimonies and recommendations, the City Council is holding its meeting at one of the holiest times on the Muslim calendar. Because Eid Al Adha is a day that we spend with our families, particularly given the events that transpired last week, many of us will not be able to join today.
As we mourn the loss of Amin Abdullah, Nader Awad, and Mansour Kaziha - the three humble men who sacrificed their lives for the lives of our children, teachers, and school administrators - we urge you not to use our tragedy as political prop to cut the budgets of much needed social programs while funneling more money into law enforcement agencies.
Do not use our loss to defund community programs that make San Diego safer in order to increase the budget of a deeply flawed police force. This tragedy should be used to reexamine the way that law enforcement keeps us safer - not reward them for their failures. Not in our name.
Our community has questions about why the police wasted time on ineffective surveillance technology instead of notifying the schools and places of worship in the surrounding area that we were in danger. Simple phone calls could have prevented the horrific murders of Amin, Mansour and Nader. Flock technology did not protect us and neither did the police. Police relied on flawed AI technology and ultimately failed to locate the perpetrators. Were it not for our heroes, this tragedy would have been multiplied.
Political theatrics and crocodile tears will not keep us safe. We need real efforts to root out the belief that some lives hold less value than others. We demand meaningful changes to condemn and prevent the hatred that two San Diego residents harbored against others in the same city: Muslims, Jews, African Americans, immigrants, and other minority groups.
We ask city council members and all policy makers and elected leaders: what will actually protect San Diegans from another attack? You cannot sit silently while Muslims around the world are dehumanized; you must not be complacent in the mistreatment of Muslims here in the United States. You cannot uplift some targets of white extremist rhetoric while ignoring others. All of our lives must be equally valued.
This tragedy was an attack on all San Diegans, but it was the Muslim community that will have to explain to our children why brother Amin, Abu Izz, and Uncle Nader are not there to greet them when they return to school. Rather than investing more money into a failed punishment bureacracy, we urge you to support programs that invest in youth, after school programs, mental health support, early warning systems, and combat anti-Muslim hate.
We ask City Leadership to invest in real solutions and avoid the same failed policies of the past.
