(CANTON, MI, 11/17/2022) – The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined a lawsuit as counsel for Superior Lawn Care & Snow Removal, LLC (Superior), against Pittsfield Township over alleged discriminatory zoning practices.
CAIR-MI is also calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the actions of the township. Superior is owned by a Palestinian-American Muslim and is one of only two owners and operators of landscape yards in the Township.
SEE: CAIR-MI Letter to Department of Justice
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DOJletter.pdf
The Muslim civil rights organization is joining the ongoing litigation based on information that has come to light during the discovery process that supports Superior’s claims that it is being treated differently than other Conditional Use Permit (CUP) holders without proof of any legitimate zoning or regulatory concern of the township.
“At a time when small business ownership is made more difficult due to an economic downturn, it is unfathomable that Pittsfield Township would be actively seeking to close the doors of a minority-owned business that is employing community members and bringing revenue into the city,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “Business owners should be able to work hard and earn an honest living without fearing that their livelihood can be taken away simply because of their religious or ethnic identity.”
“We are requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Pittsfield Township for allegedly treating Superior differently than it has other businesses,” said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure. “It is unsettling to see that just a few short years after having a similar issue with discrimination in zoning in Pittsfield Township, there are still concerns that they are not treating their Muslim citizens equally under the law.”
BACKGROUNDER:
In 2021, Superior filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for the county of Washtenaw Michigan after the Township revoked its Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for operating a commercial landscape yard on a property located off Carpenter Road.
The lawsuit alleges that the Township violated Superior’s rights to due process and rights to equal protection under the law. The revocation of Superior’s CUP was the first ever for the township that is now attempting to shut down the minority-owned business, forcing it to close its doors and lay off dozens of full and part time employees.
Despite the township’s efforts to shut down Superior for alleged unidentified violations of the CUP, the township is actively working with the owner of another commercial landscape yard to rectify what are a series of serious and flagrant violations of that owners CUP and city ordinances to ensure that business owner does not have shut down.
The other landscape yard is owned by a person who is not a Muslim nor of Palestinian national origin, and Superior believes that the other landscape yard is getting preferential treatment based on their racial and religious identity.
Pittsfield Township reportedly has a history of discriminatory zoning practices involving Muslims and Arab-Americans.
In 2012, CAIR-MI filed a lawsuit against the township for its discriminatory denial of a Special Use Permit (SUP) to open an Islamic school. That lawsuit was followed by an additional lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against the Township alleging that the denial of the SUP to open the school was a violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
During Planning Commission meetings deliberating over the issuance of the CUP many Township citizens made Islamophobic and Anti-Muslim comments causing the Commission to deny the issuance of the CUP.
SEE: Zoning request denial for Islamic school prompts lawsuit in Pittsfield Township
Updated: Justice Department lawsuit over Islamic school in Wastenaw County settled
https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2016/09/pittsfield_township_trustees_v.html
Many of the same county officials, and the zoning administrators that were active during the denial of the SUP for the Islamic school in 2012 are the same officials and administrators who are actively seeking to close the doors to Superior’s business while working with a similarly situated non-Muslim business owner to ensure he remains in business.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR-Ohio has three offices in Ohio – Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.
Their mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims
END
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com