The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed the decision by Los Angeles City Council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield to withdraw a controversial motion allocating $2 million in city funding to a security grant for religious and nonprofit organizations.
The withdrawn motion was introduced in place of a previous one that specifically directed those funds toward employing former soldiers who were complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign as armed security.
SEE: Council Members Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield’s Joint Statement Announcing Withdrawal of Motion
On Wednesday, July 31, Council members Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield released an official statement announcing the withdrawal of the motion, claiming that the decision stemmed from Governor Newsom’s recent announcement that the state will expedite nearly $80 million in nonprofit security grants.
SEE ALSO: CAIR-CA Welcomes Governor Newsom’s Expansion of Grant Funding To Enhance Safety for Faith Communities and Combat Hate in California
The original motion was introduced earlier this month in response to an incident at a land sale event hosted by Israel-based real estate agency My Home in Israel at Adas Torah Synagogue, where protests against the illegal sale of Palestinian land were met with violence from pro-Israel counter-protesters.
The original motion called for allocating $1 million in city funds to three pro-Israel organizations, including a private security firm, Magen Am, that employs former Israeli military personnel and took part in violence against protesters both at the UCLA student encampment in April and at the Israeli land sale event at Adas Torah in June.
Due to public backlash, Council member Yaroslavsky revised the motion to remove the mention of specific organizations and increased the amount of funding from $1 million to $2 million.
While protecting all religious organizations and addressing hate is crucial, and despite the revised motion appearing to be more inclusive, the amended language did not guarantee a proper vetting process or ensure the application process would be transparent, fair, and equitable.
CAIR-LA and other organizations expressed concerns that Council members Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield still intend to allocate these funds toward groups like Magen Am.
In a statement, Policy Manager Basha Jamil said:
“At a time when Los Angeles is facing significant budget deficits and cuts to essential community services, as well as increasing funding for the LA Police Department, allocating $2 million in additional funds for private security instead of addressing critical issues such as affordable housing and access to healthcare, would be irresponsible.
“Moreover, the state of California is already allocating nearly $80 million to a statewide non-profit security grant that makes additional city funding unnecessary and wasteful. The revised motion would have also risked funding groups who push the dangerous and false narrative that those who demand an end to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza are antisemitic. We call on the city of Los Angeles to stop equating Palestinian solidarity with antisemitism and ensure that the rights of anti-genocide protesters, including those at UCLA and Adas Torah, are protected. Accusations of antisemitism must not be weaponized to silence solidarity with Palestine.”
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
– END –
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or [email protected]; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, [email protected]