Dear Friend,
It may not be a popular position. It certainly doesn't poll well. But John still stands for what's right.
NYPD surveillance of people for no reason other than being of the Muslim faith.
It's unconscionable, un-American, and goes against everything this great City stands for.
As Mayor, John Liu will put an end to it.
As a global capital of the world – the birthplace of the Bill of Rights – we must not turn a blind eye to wholesale presumptions by government of guilt until proven innocent, to perpetual foreigner syndromes, to second-class citizenship.
The promise of New York is one of equal opportunity and demands fair treatment.
And John happens to believe that restoring this promise of New York, for New York is worth sticking your neck out for – even if they put a target on it.
So you know that Mayor Liu will fight relentlessly from City Hall to restore this promise for all New Yorkers.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "Liu: NYPD surveillance of Muslims is unconstitutional" - 5/5/2013
EXCERPT - Other Democratic mayoral hopefuls condemn practice. But controller goes further. "No offense to you guys here - how can anybody think that it's OK to surveil or spy on people just because they're Muslim?" said Liu, who was the only major candidate to go that far. The NYPD's program has involved monitoring mosques, cafes and bookstores in Muslim neighborhoods, and Muslim student associations.
THE NEW YORKER: "The Mayoral Race and the City After Stop-and-Frisk" - 8/16/2013
EXCERPTS - "This is an unpopular thing to talk about, based on the public-opinion polls," he said. "Most New Yorkers think it's O.K. for the police to spy on people just because they're Muslim. I think it's unconscionable. So I wouldn't get too comfortable here in this place of tolerance." At a forum in May, when the candidates were asked whether they felt that the Demographics Unit's tactics were unconstitutional, only Liu raised his hand.
THE NATION: "The Powerful Lesson of New York's Police Oversight Law" - 7/3/2013
EXCERPTS - It is well established that Democratic candidate John Liu is his party's most outspoken critic of stop-and-frisk and the surveillance of Muslim communities. Neither is a particularly popular position among politicians.
FOX NEWS: "NYPD monitoring of Muslims enters mayoral race" - 2/26/2012
EXCERPT - NYC Comptroller John C. Liu, who is expected to run for mayor, praised "the dedicated men and women of the NYPD" for doing "an extraordinary job of keeping New Yorkers safe." But in a statement, he also warned that "we should not as a matter of policy profile people based on religion or race — it goes against everything this city stands for."
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE: "Democrat John Liu makes flurry of Staten Island stops in mayoral bid" - 8/16/2013
EXCERPT - Liu spoke to members of the mosque following services on Friday, congratulating them on the recent end of the holy month of Ramadan. "It's a growing organization of Muslim-Americans here, one of the fastest growing segments on the Island and elsewhere in the city," he said.
NEW YORK TIMES: "Candidates Court Muslims as They Break Their Fast" - 7/12/2013
EXCERPT - "Assalamu Alaikum," he said, offering the customary Arabic greeting. "With a lot of hard work, inshallah, we will win this election and we will change this city."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "Democrat John Liu has been most aggressive in courting New York's Muslim community" - 5/13/2013
EXCERPTS - All said mosques should have the right to build wherever they want, but Liu stood alone in accusing city agencies of hassling mosques. Liu — who used Arabic phrases like "Insha'Allah," which means "Allah willing," and "masjid," which means "mosque" — also called the NYPD's Muslim surveillance program unconstitutional.
"He's the only one we have a relationship with," said Zein Rimawi, vice president of the Arab Muslim American Federation. "Nobody else comes here."
"He's an immigrant like me," Rimawi, a Pakistani-American, said. "I look at him different than the others."
As controller, Liu also has advocated allowing Sikhs in the NYPD to wear full beards and turbans. He also has won friends among African-Americans, calling for abolishing the controversial police tactic known as stop-and-frisk.
CAPITAL NEW YORK: "Liu Makes Inroads With Muslim Voters, But It's Not Much of a Contest" - 4/15/2013
EXCERPT - At that launch event, Liu said that he unequivocally opposed a New York Police Department anti-terrorism surveillance program which focused on Muslims groups and individuals. "We have ongoing issues of surveillance of people just because of their religious faith," said Liu, who is also the only Democratic candidate to call for a complete end to the department's stop-and-frisk program. "That's not right and we should put an end to that."
NEW YORK OBSERVER: "A Muslim Democratic Club Rises in New York" - 3/16/2013
EXCERPT - "We have ongoing issues of surveillance of people just because of their religious faith- that's not right, we should put an end to that. Kids and families have to choose between going to school and observing important holidays in the Muslim faith- that has to change also."
ASSOCIATED PRESS: "NYPD Oversight is Eyed at Panel Discussion" - 10/24/2012
EXCERPTS - The latest report prompted criticism Wednesday from City Comptroller John Liu, who called the tactics "un-American." "No one should be spied on simply because they choose to attend a study group on Islam," Liu said.