Eric Holder in Memphis 2014
USAG Eric Holder visits Memphis, Tn for a secret meeting. Paul Garner explains the purpose of the protest and his organization. via YouTube Capture.
By: Talut El-Amin
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Eric Holder in Memphis 2014 - Video
I first met Eric Holder during the Clinton years when he was serving as Deputy Attorney General. Back then, my community was deeply troubled by FBI harassment, the government's use of "secret evidence" to detain individuals, and profiling of Muslim or Arab-looking individuals at airports around the country.
Working with then Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Bill Lann Lee, the Department of Justice convened a series of meetings, some chaired by Attorney General Janet Reno, others by Holder, that provided us with the opportunity to address each of these concerns. Holder was responsive. Subjective airport profiling diminished, meetings were organized between FBI field offices and leaders of the Arab American community, and, after a case-by-case review, most of the 23 Arabs who had been held on "secret evidence" were released.
When he ran for president in 2000, George W. Bush tried to exploit lingering bitterness with profiling and "secret evidence" in an effort to court the Arab American vote in Michigan. Once elected, Bush proved to be a disappointment. These practices stayed in place and then, following the terror attacks on 9/11, Bush and his Attorney General, John Ashcroft, threw caution (and the Constitution) to the wind, unleashing an unprecedented assault on civil liberties. The Patriot Act gave law enforcement expanded authority, as did a series of executive actions that resulted in massive profiling campaigns in which thousands of individuals of Arab descent were targeted.
Initially, there were round ups and deportations of over 1200 (we will never know the exact figure because after reaching 1200, the DOJ stopped releasing numbers). This was followed by a series of "call ups" in which recent arrivals from Arab and Muslim countries were ordered to report to immigration officials to be registered and questioned. This program was so poorly conceived, badly executed, and arbitrarily administered that, within the affected communities, panic was widespread. In the end, thousands were ordered deported -- in many cases despite the fact that they had complied with immigration requirements, were married with children, or were students in degree programs. Arbitrary use of airport profiling resurfaced, with individuals actually being ordered off of planes simply because they were "Arab-looking" and their presence had caused other passengers to feel uncomfortable.
It was during this period that the DOJ under Ashcroft issued "profiling guidelines," cynically claiming to ban the use of this practice but doing so with a national security loophole that provided justification for the continued use of profiling against Arabs and Muslims.
Following those nightmare years of civil liberties violations at the hands of the Bush Administration, we were relieved when Constitutional lawyer Barack Obama was elected president. Obama promised a government that would be guided by transparency and accountability, due process, and respect for constitutionally protected rights. We were further heartened by the appointment of Eric Holder as Attorney General.
From his earliest days in office, Holder indicated that changing the "profiling guidelines" was one of his priorities. Years dragged on with no action and just a few months ago, Holder met with a group of civil liberties advocates, telling us that this issue remained a personal priority, that he was close to a decision, and that he saw action on this matter as an important part of his legacy.
This week, the new guidance was finally issued. It was more than a disappointment; it was an outrage. Instead of ending Ashcroft-era profiling, the new guidance opened new loopholes.
Reading through the new guidelines, one detects a note of misdirection. It begins by declaring that "Biased practices...are unfair, promote mistrust of law enforcement, and perpetuate negative and harmful stereotypes. Moreover--and vitally important--biased practices are ineffective...[and] simply not good law enforcement."
The new guidance then expands the characteristics that law enforcement cannot use for profiling in "traditional law enforcement" to include: race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It then immediately pivots, allowing law enforcement to "consider" these same characteristics to be used in cases of national security, immigration enforcement, or "authorized intelligence activity". Unlike the old guidance, the new guidance explicitly exempts "interdiction activities in the vicinity of the border" and "protective, inspection, or screening activities."
Continued here:
Eric Holder: Profiling Continues | James Zogby
By Lynn Sweet Washington Bureau Chief December 14, 2014 7:04PM
From Left, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder participate in a 'Building Community Trust' roundtable discussion with police and community leaders Friday, Dec. 12, 2014, in Chicago. Holder says the nation is facing "critical times" when it comes to the lack of trust that exists between some communities and law enforcement, and that the solution is confronting the issue and both sides need to understand each other. The meeting is part of an effort launched by President Barack Obama after clashes between protesters and police in Ferguson, Missouri.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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Updated: December 15, 2014 2:12AM
Federal investigators who pursued fraud charges against a Chicago couple were not biased against African-Americans, Attorney General Eric Holder told me Friday as he for the first time addressed allegations made last week by President Barack Obamas friend Eric Whitaker.
I have no evidence that theres a basis to that claim, Holder told me.
Whitakers claim of racial bias was jarring as I read the stories from my colleague Chris Fusco, who covered the federal case involving Whitaker in Springfield about no-bid contracts and schemes to siphon state money for personal use. Whitaker was not accused of any wrongdoing but figured as a witness in the case against Leon Dingle Jr., 77, and Dingles wife, Karin Dingle, 75.
Whitaker was taking aim at a Justice Department led for the first time by an African-American Holder in the administration of his pal, the first African-American president.
Whitaker and his wife, Cheryl, are not only friends of Obama and first lady Michelle, but they also know Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone.
Holder and the Whitakers were among the guests at Michelle Obamas 50th birthday party at the White House in January. And in June 2012, along with the first couple, they were all at the wedding of the daughter of White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, in the yard of Jarretts mothers Kenwood home.
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Holder: race wasn't a factor in case involving Obama's pal
By Lynn Sweet Washington Bureau Chief December 13, 2014 9:46AM
Derrick Rose wearing a shirt saying 'I Can't Breathe" before a recent Chicago Bulls game. | Sun-Times Media file
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Updated: December 14, 2014 2:28AM
CHICAGO With the nation at another important moment in race relations, I asked Attorney General Eric Holder what he thought of Derrick Rose and LeBron James wearing I Cant Breathe T-shirts and if what they were doing was helpful.
Derrick Rose wore it first, Holder reminded me about the Chicago Bulls superstar as he applauded the silent protest heard across the country.
As my son would point out, everybody copied him. Derrick Rose was the first one in the NBA to wear it.
In the eyes of Holders 16-year-old son, Eric III, Rose ranks higher than the attorney general. I think thats a good thing, Holder said.
We were talking in a Dirksen Federal Building office overlooking Dearborn Street on Friday.
Chicago was the latest stop on Holders national tour meeting with local law enforcement, government, religious, educational, civic and community leaders in the wake of Ferguson and Staten Island, where white police officers escaped indictments after the deaths of unarmed black men.
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Sweet: Holder praises how Rose made his point
John Prescod - Eric Holder #39;s Operational System
By: John Prescod
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John Prescod - Eric Holder's Operational System - Video